The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Schemes for Assisting Persons to Obtain Employment) (Amendment) Regulations 2013

Statutory Instruments

2013 No. 2584

Social Security

The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Schemes for Assisting Persons to Obtain Employment) (Amendment) Regulations 2013

Made

7th October 2013

Laid before Parliament

14th October 2013

Coming into force

5th November 2013

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 17A(1) and (2), 35(1), and 36(2) and (4) of the Jobseekers Act 1995(1).

In accordance with section 173(1)(b) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992(2), the Secretary of State has obtained the agreement of the Social Security Advisory Committee that the proposals in respect of these Regulations should not be referred to it.

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Schemes for Assisting Persons to Obtain Employment) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 and come into force on 5th November 2013.

Amendment of the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Schemes for Assisting Persons to Obtain Employment) Regulations 2013

2.—(1) The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Schemes for Assisting Persons to Obtain Employment) Regulations 2013(3) are amended as follows.

(2) In regulation 3 (schemes for assisting persons to obtain employment)—

(a) after paragraph (8) insert—

“(8A) Community Work Placements is a scheme lasting up to 30 weeks, designed to assist a claimant who requires further support in order to obtain and sustain employment, in which participants undertake work placements for the benefit of the community and work-related activity.

(8B) (a) Traineeships is a scheme for a claimant who has limited educational qualifications and work history and meets the age criteria in sub-paragraph (b). The scheme consists of a government-funded course which, for a period of up to 6 months, provides the claimant with work preparation training, a work experience placement and, where required, English and Maths tuition.

(b) The age criteria are that on the first day of the course the claimant must be—

(i) aged between 16 and 23 years; or

(ii) subject to a Learning Difficulty Assessment and aged between 16 and 24 years.”; and

(b) in paragraph (9) before the definition of “self-employed earner” insert—

““Learning Difficulty Assessment” has the same meaning as in section 139A of the Learning and Skills Act 2000(4).”

Iain Duncan Smith

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

7th October 2013

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Schemes for Assisting Persons to Obtain Employment) Regulations 2013 so as to prescribe two further schemes to the ones already prescribed for the purposes of section 17A of the Jobseekers Act 1995, namely Community Work Placements and Traineeships.

These Regulations impose on persons claiming a jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) a requirement to participate in “a prescribed scheme”. A claimant who fails without good reason to comply with such a requirement is liable to a benefit sanction, i.e. the reduction or loss of JSA for a period of several weeks.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on the private sector or civil society organisations.

(1)

1995 c.18. Section 17A was inserted by section 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2009 (c. 24); sections 35(1) and 36(4) were amended by paragraphs 62 and 63 of Schedule 3 to the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999 (c.2). Section 35 is an interpretation provision and is cited because of the meaning given “prescribed” and “regulations”.

(2)

1992 c.5.

(3)

S.I. 2013/276.

(4)

2000 c.21.