The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Further circumstances in which a person is to be treated as available: permitted period

16.—(1) A person who is available for employment—

(a) only in his usual occupation;

(b) only at a level of remuneration not lower than that which he is accustomed to receive, or

(c) only in his usual occupation and at a level of remuneration not lower than that which he is accustomed to receive,

may be treated for a permitted period as available for employment in that period.

(2) Whether a person should be treated as available for a permitted period and, if so, the length of that permitted period shall be determined having regard to the following factors—

(a) the person’s usual occupation and any relevant skills or qualifications which he has;

(b) the length of any period during which he has undergone training relevant to that occupation;

(c) the length of the period during which he has been employed in that occupation and the period since he was so employed, and

(d) the availability and location of employment in that occupation.

(3) A permitted period shall be for a minimum of one week and a maximum of 13 weeks and shall start on and include the date of claim and in this paragraph “week” means any period of 7 consecutive days.