The Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016

Further interpretationN.I.

This section has no associated Explanatory Memorandum

3.—(1) Any reference to the claimant's family or, as the case may be, to a member of the claimant's family, is to be construed for the purposes of these Regulations as if it included, in relation to a polygamous marriage, a reference to any partner and to any child or young person who is treated by the Department as the responsibility of the claimant or their partner, where that child or young person is a member of the claimant's household.

(2) In such cases and subject to such conditions or requirements as the Department may specify by means of a direction, any requirement imposed under these Regulations for a signature may be satisfied by means of an electronic signature (within the meaning given in section 7(2) of the Electronic Communications Act 2000 M1).

(3) A person of a prescribed description for the purposes of the definition of “family” in Article 2(2) of the Order is a young person.

F1(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(5) In this regulation, “polygamous marriage” means any marriage during the subsistence of which a party to it is married to more than one person and the ceremony of marriage took place under the law of a country which permits polygamy.

(6) References in these Regulations to a person participating as a service user are to

(a)a person who is being consulted by or on behalf of—

(i)a body which has a statutory duty to provide services in the field of health, social care or social housing; or

(ii)a body which conducts research or undertakes monitoring for the purpose of planning or improving such services,

in the person's capacity as a user, potential user, carer of a user or person otherwise affected by the provision of those services;

(b)a person who is being consulted by or on behalf of—

(i)the Department in relation to any of the Department's functions in the field of social security or child support or under section 1 of the Employment and Training Act (Northern Ireland) 1950; or

(ii)a body which conducts research or undertakes monitoring for the purpose of planning or improving such functions,

in their capacity as a person affected or potentially affected by the exercise of those functions or the carer of such a person; or

(c)the carer of a person consulted under sub-paragraph (a) or (b).

(7) In these Regulations, references to obtaining paid work includes obtaining more paid work or obtaining better-paid work.