1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 and shall come into operation on 14th May 2001.
(2) In these Regulations—
“the 1998 Order” means the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998(1);
“benefit week”—
in relation to housing benefit, means a period of 7 days beginning on a Monday;
in relation to any other specified benefit, means any period of 7 days corresponding to the week in respect of which the relevant social security benefit is due to be paid;
“the Careers Service” means the Careers Service of the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment;
“the Claims and Payments Regulations” means the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987(2);
“designated authority” means any of the following—
the Department, the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment or the Department of Finance and Personnel;
a person providing services to any of those Departments;
the Housing Executive;
a person providing services to, or authorised to exercise any functions of, the Housing Executive;
“the Housing Benefit Regulations” means the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987(3);
“interview” means a work-focused interview;
“personal adviser” means an officer of the Department or of the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment;
“specified benefit” means income support, housing benefit or incapacity benefit;
“work-focused interview” has the meaning given in regulation 2.
(3) In these Regulations, a “relevant person” is a person who resides in a postcode district specified in Schedule 1.
(4) For the purposes of these Regulations—
(a)“remunerative work” has the meaning prescribed in regulation 4 of the Housing Benefit Regulations(4), and
(b)“part-time work” means work for which payment is made and which is not remunerative work.
(5) Where a claim for benefit is made by a person (“the appointee”) on behalf of another, references in these Regulations to a person claiming benefit shall be treated as a reference to the person on whose behalf the claim is made and not to the appointee.
(6) These Regulations apply in respect of a specified benefit claimed on or after 14th May 2001.
(7) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(5) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.
2. In these Regulations, a “work-focused interview” means an interview with a relevant person conducted for any or all of the following purposes—
(a)assessing a person’s prospects for existing or future employment (whether paid or voluntary);
(b)assisting or encouraging a person to enhance his prospects of such employment;
(c)identifying activities which the person may undertake to strengthen his existing or future prospects of such employment;
(d)identifying current or future employment or training opportunities suitable to the person’s needs, and
(e)identifying educational opportunities connected with the existing or future employment prospects or needs of the person.
S.I. 1998/1506 (N.I. 10)
S.R. 1987 No.465; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1997 No. 156
S.R. 1987 No.461; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1991 No. 337, S.R. 1993 Nos. 218 and 381, S.R. 1995 No.89, S.R. 1996 No.334, S.R. 1999 Nos. 342 and 416
Regulation 4 was amended by regulation 3 of S.R. 1991 No. 337, regulation 3(a) and (b) of S.R. 1993 No. 381, regulation 4(a) and (b) of S.R. 1995 No. 89, regulation 3 of S.R. 1996 No. 334 and regulation 4(2) of S.R. 1999 No.342