The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Matters to be taken into account in determining whether a claimant has good cause for failing to comply with a notice under regulation 23

28.—(1) Subject to regulation 30 (circumstances in which a claimant is to be regarded as having good cause for failing to comply with a notice under regulation 23), in determining, for the purposes of regulation 27 (where entitlement is not to cease), whether a claimant has good cause for failing to comply with a notice under regulation 23 (attendance) the matters which are to be taken into account shall include the following—

(a) whether the claimant misunderstood the requirement on him due to any learning, language or literacy difficulties of the claimant or any misleading information given to the claimant by an employment officer;

(b) whether the claimant was attending a medical or dental appointment, or accompanying a person for whom the claimant has caring responsibilities to such an appointment, and whether it would have been unreasonable, in the circumstances, to re-arrange the appointment;

(c) any difficulty with the claimant’s normal mode of transport and whether there was any reasonable available alternative;

(d) the established customs and practices of the religion, if any, to which the claimant belongs;

(e) whether the claimant was attending an interview for employment.

(2) In this regulation, “employment” means employed earner’s employment except in relation to a claimant to whom regulation 20(2) applies and for the duration only of any permitted period determined in his case in accordance with regulation 16, in which case, for the duration of that period, it means employed earner’s employment or self-employed earner’s employment.