Welfare Reform Act 2012

CHAPTER 3 Income support

58 Entitlement of lone parents to income support etc

(1) The Welfare Reform Act 2009 is amended as follows.

(2) In section 3(1), in paragraph (b) of subsection (1A) to be inserted into section 124 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 (lone parents with a child under 7 to be included in regulations as a category of person entitled to income support), for “7” there is substituted “5”.

(3) In section 8 (parliamentary procedure for regulations imposing a requirement on lone parents with a child under 7 to undertake work-related activity), in the heading and in subsection (1), for “7“ there is substituted “5”.

59 Claimant commitment for income support

(1) The Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 is amended as follows.

(2) Section 124 (income support) is amended as follows—

(a) in subsection (1), after paragraph (e) there is inserted—

“(ea) he has accepted a claimant commitment;”;

(b) after subsection (1B) there is inserted—

“(1C) Regulations may prescribe circumstances in which a person may be entitled to income support without having accepted a claimant commitment.”

(3) After section 124 there is inserted—

“124A Claimant commitment

(1) For the purposes of this Part a “claimant commitment” is a record of the claimant’s responsibilities in relation to an award of income support.

(2) A claimant commitment is to be prepared by the Secretary of State and may be reviewed and updated as the Secretary of State thinks fit.

(3) A claimant commitment is to be in such form as the Secretary of State thinks fit.

(4) A claimant commitment is to include—

(a) any prescribed information, and

(b) any other information the Secretary of State considers it appropriate to include.

(5) For the purposes of section 124 and this section a claimant accepts a claimant commitment if, and only if, the claimant accepts the most up-to-date version of it in such manner as may be prescribed.

(6) Regulations may provide that in prescribed circumstances, a claimant is to be treated as having satisfied the condition mentioned in section 124(1)(ea).”

(4) In section 2F of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (directions about work-related activity), in subsection (3)(b), for the words from “by” to “2E” there is substituted “in such manner as the Secretary of State thinks fit”.

(5) In section 2G of that Act (contracting out), in subsection (1), at the end there is inserted—

“(d) any function under section 124A of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 in relation to a claimant commitment.”