The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Laid off and short-time workers

17.—(1) A person who is laid off shall be treated as available for employment providing he is willing and able to resume immediately the employment from which he has been laid off and to take up immediately any casual employment which is within daily travelling distance of his home or, if he falls within regulation 5(1) or (2) (exceptions to requirement to be available immediately), at the time specified in that regulation.

(2) A person who is kept on short-time shall be treated as available for employment, providing he is willing and able to resume immediately the employment in which he is being kept on short-time and to take up immediately any casual employment which is within daily travelling distance of his home or, if he falls within regulation 5(1) or (2), at the time specified in that regulation in the hours in which he is not working short-time but the total number of hours for which he works and is available for casual employment must be at least 40 in any week.

(3) A person shall not be treated as available for employment in accordance with this regulation for more than 13 weeks, starting with and including the day after the day he was laid off or first kept on short-time.

(4) A person who is laid off or kept on short-time may not be treated as available for employment for a permitted period in accordance with regulation 16 (further circumstances in which a person is to be treated as available), unless he ceases to be laid off or kept on short-time within 13 weeks of the day on which he was laid off or first kept on short-time, in which case he may be treated as available for employment for a permitted period ending a maximum of 13 weeks after the date of claim.

(5) In paragraphs (3) and (4), “week” means any period of 7 consecutive days.