16Severe hardship
(1)If it appears to the Secretary of State—
(a)that a person—
(i)has reached the age of 16 but not the age of 18,
(ii)is not entitled to a jobseeker’s allowance or to income support, and
(iii)is registered for training but is not being provided with any training, and
(b)that severe hardship will result to him unless a jobseeker’s allowance is paid to him,
the Secretary of State may direct that this section is to apply to him.
(2)A direction may be given so as to have effect for a specified period.
(3)The Secretary of State may revoke a direction if—
(a)it appears to him that there has been a change of circumstances as a result of which failure to receive a jobseeker’s allowance need no longer result in severe hardship to the person concerned;
(b)it appears to him that the person concerned has—
(i)failed to pursue an opportunity of obtaining training; or
(ii)rejected an offer of training,
and has not shown good cause for doing so; or
(c)he is satisfied that it was given in ignorance of some material fact or was based on a mistake as to some material fact and considers that, but for that ignorance or mistake, he would not have given the direction.
(4)In this section “period” includes—
(a)a period of a determinate length;
(b)a period defined by reference to the happening of a future event; and
(c)a period of a determinate length but subject to earlier determination upon the happening of a future event.