Amendment of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations

5.—(1) The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(1) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (12).

(2) In regulation 1(2) (interpretation), in the definition of “week”(2) after “in” there shall be inserted “the definition of “full-time student” and”.

(3) In regulation 51(1)(3) (remunerative work) for “work is work” there shall be substituted “ “work” is work”.

(4) In regulation 72 (good cause for the purposes of Article 21(5)(a) and (6)(c) and (d) of the Order)—

(a)in paragraph (5) sub-paragraph (c) shall be omitted;

(b)after paragraph (5) there shall be inserted the following paragraph—

(5A) A person is to be regarded as having good cause for any act or omission for the purposes of Article 21(6)(c) and (d) of the Order if—

(a)in a case where it has been agreed that the claimant may restrict his hours of availability to less than 24 hours a week, the employment in question is for less than 16 hours a week, or

(b)in a case not falling within sub-paragraph (a), the employment is for less than 24 hours a week..

(5) In regulation 75 (interpretation for the purposes of Article 21 of the Order and Part V)—

(a)in paragraph (2) after “regulation 69 (prescribed period)” there shall be inserted “and the first occasion on which the word occurs in regulation 72(5A)(a)(4)”;

(b)in paragraph (3) for “and regulation 69” there shall be substituted “, regulation 69 and the first occasion on which the word occurs in regulation 72(5A)(a)”.

(6) In regulation 80(1) (deductions in respect of earnings) for “week” there shall be substituted “benefit week”.

(7) In regulation 81(2)(5) (payments by way of pensions) for sub-paragraph (c) there shall be substituted the following sub-paragraph—

(c)any payments from a personal pension scheme, an occupational pension scheme or a public service pension scheme which are payable to him and which arose in accordance with the terms of such a scheme on the death of a person who was a member of the scheme in question..

(8) In regulation 85(1) (applicable amounts in special cases) for “capital if calculated” there shall be substituted “capital, if calculated”.

(9) In regulation 97(1)(6) (calculation of weekly amount of income) for “(6)” there shall be substituted “(7)”.

(10) In regulation 98(2)(7) (earnings of employed earners) after sub-paragraph (f) there shall be added the following sub-paragraph—

(g)any lump sum payment made under the Iron and Steel Employees Re-adaptation Benefits Scheme.

(11) In regulation 103(5) (calculation of income other than earnings) for “week” there shall be substituted “benefit week”.

(12) In paragraph 38 of Schedule 6 (disregard of sums in the calculation of income other than earnings) for “week” there shall be substituted “benefit week”.

(1)

S.R. 1996 No. 198; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1996 Nos. 356 and 358 and S.R. 1997 No. 22

(2)

The definition was amended by regulation 2(3) of S.R. 1996 No. 358

(3)

Paragraph (1) was amended by regulation 7(a) of S.R. 1996 No. 356

(4)

Paragraph (5A) is inserted by regulation 5(4)(b) of these Regulations

(5)

Paragraph (2) was amended by regulation 19(4) of S.R. 1996 No. 358

(6)

Regulation 97 was amended by regulation 6(2) of S.R. 1997 No. 22

(7)

Regulation 98 was amended by regulation 22 of S.R. 1996 No. 358