The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Additional restrictions on availability for certain groups

13.—(1) In any week a person may restrict his availability for employment in the following ways, if the circumstances set out apply.

(2) Subject to regulations 6, 7 and 9 (employment of at least 40 hours per week, restriction of hours for which a person is available to 40 hours per week, and no restrictions on pay after 6 months), a person may impose restrictions on the nature of the employment for which he is available by reason of a sincerely held religious belief, or a sincerely held conscientious objection providing he can show that he has reasonable prospects of employment notwithstanding those restrictions and any restrictions on his availability in accordance with regulation 7(2) or 8 (other restrictions on availability) or paragraph (3) or (4) of this regulation, or regulation 17(1) or (2) (laid off and short-time workers).

(3) A person may restrict his availability in any way providing the restrictions are reasonable in the light of his physical or mental condition.

(4) A person with caring responsibilities may restrict the total number of hours for which he is available for employment to less than 40 hours in any week providing—

(a) in that week he is available for employment for as many hours as his caring responsibilities allow and for the specific hours that those responsibilities allow;

(b) he has reasonable prospects of securing employment notwithstanding that restriction, and

(c) he is available for employment of at least 16 hours in that week.

(5) In deciding whether a person satisfies the conditions in paragraph (4)(a), regard shall be had, in particular, to the following matters—

(a) the particular hours and days spent in caring;

(b) whether the caring responsibilities are shared with another person;

(c) the age and physical and mental condition of the person being cared for.