1997 No. 983

SOCIAL SECURITY

The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Project Work Pilot Scheme) Regulations 1997

Made10th March 1997

Coming into force26th May 1997

Whereas a draft of these Regulations was laid before Parliament in accordance with section 37(2) of the Jobseekers Act 19951 and approved by resolution of each House of Parliament;

Now, therefore, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 19(2), (8)(b) and (10)(c), 29(1), (3) and (6)(a), 35(1)2 and 36(2) of the Jobseekers Act 1995, and of all other powers enabling her in that behalf, and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals in respect of these Regulations should not be referred to it3 and whereas these Regulations are made with a view to ascertaining whether their provisions will, or will be likely to, encourage persons to obtain work or will, or will be likely to, facilitate the obtaining by persons of work, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and duration1.

(1)

These Regulations may be cited as the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Project Work Pilot Scheme) Regulations 1997 and shall come into force on 26th May 1997.

(2)

These Regulations shall cease to have effect on 25th May 1998, unless revoked with effect from an earlier date.

Interpretation2.

(1)

In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—

“the Act” means the Jobseekers Act 1995;

“appropriate office” means an office of the Department for Education and Employment which is identified in the Schedule to these Regulations and which a relevant person is required to attend in accordance with a notice under regulation 23 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations;

“benefit” means income support, unemployment benefit or jobseeker’s allowance or any earnings credited to a person in accordance with regulations made under section 22(5) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 19924 or section 13(4) of the Social Security Act 19755 and “receiving benefit” means receiving benefit which that person has claimed and received as an unemployed person or in accordance with Part I of the Act;

“employment interview” means in relation to a relevant person, an interview in respect of which he has received a notice under regulation 23 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations requiring him to attend an interview to discuss his prospects of work;

“employment officer” means a person who is an employment officer for the purposes of section 19 of the Act;

“the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations” means the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 19966;

“made a claim for jobseeker’s allowance” includes treated as having made a claim for the allowance and treated as having an award of the allowance in accordance with regulations 5, 6 or 7 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 19967;

“Project Work” means the programme provided in pursuance of arrangements made by the Secretary of State under section 2 of the Employment and Training Act 19738 known as Project Work and which consists of a programme of work experience and job search help lasting for any individual for an aggregate of 13 weeks;

“relevant person” means a person to whom regulation 3 applies;

“week” means any period of 7 consecutive days.

(2)

In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, a reference

(a)

to a numbered regulation is to the regulation in these Regulations bearing that number;

(b)

in a regulation to a numbered paragraph is to the paragraph in that regulation bearing that number; and

(c)

in a paragraph to a lettered or numbered sub-paragraph is to the sub-paragraph in that paragraph bearing that letter or number.

Application3.

(1)

These Regulations shall apply to any person who

(a)

receives, or has received, a notice under regulation 23 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations requiring him to attend an employment interview to take place on or after 24th February 1997 at an appropriate office and is, or was, aged 18 or over but under 51 as at the date upon which he receives or received that notice and

(b)

has made a claim for jobseeker’s allowance as at the date upon which he receives or received the notice referred to in sub-paragraph (a) and has, or had been, receiving benefit for a period of two years as at that date—

(i)

without any period of interruption, or

(ii)

with a period of interruption which did not exceed 28 days, or

(iii)

with a number of periods of interruption, none of which exceeded 28 days.

(2)

Any period of interruption which did not exceed 28 days shall be taken into account in calculating the period of two years referred to in paragraph (1).

Sanction4.

(1)

In relation to a person to whom paragraph (2) applies, “employment programme” in section 19 of the Act means, in addition to the programmes listed in regulation 75 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations, Project Work.

(2)

This paragraph applies to any person to whom regulation 3 applies and who has been given or sent a notice in writing by an employment officer advising him that if he fails to participate in Project Work his benefit could cease to be payable or could be payable at a lower rate.

(3)

In relation to a person to whom paragraph (2) applies, for sub-paragraph (ii) of paragraph (a) of regulation 69 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations there shall be substituted the following—

“(ii)
either—
(aa)
where the determination mentioned in (i) above does not relate to Project Work, on a previous occasion the jobseeker’s allowance was determined not to be payable to him in circumstances falling within section 19(5), or
(bb)
where the determination mentioned in (i) above relates to Project Work, on a previous occasion the jobseeker’s allowance was determined not to be payable to him in circumstances falling within section 19(5) that relate to project work, and”.

Good Cause5.

Without prejudice to any other circumstances in which a person may be regarded as having good cause for any act or omission for the purposes of section 19(5)(b) of the Act, and in addition to the circumstances listed in regulation 73 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations, a person to whom regulation 4(2) applies is to be regarded as having good cause for any act or omission in relation to Project Work for the purposes of section 19(5)(b) where

(a)

there is no place available for him on Project Work or

(b)

he has already participated in Project Work for one continuous period of 13 weeks or two or more periods amounting in total to 13 weeks.

Eric Forth

Minister of State,

Department for Education and Employment

10th March 1997

SCHEDULE

Regulation 2(1)

Region	District	Appropriate Offices
London and South East	East London	Barking ESJ Cityside ESJ Dagenham ESJ East Ham ESJ East Ham Central ESJ Hornchurch ESJ Isle of Dogs ESJ Plaistow ESJ Poplar ESJ Romford ESJ Stratford ESJ
	North East London	Hackney A ESJ Hackney B ESJ Ilford ESJ Seven Kings ESJ Leyton ESJ Loughton ESJ Leytonstone ESJ Shoreditch ESJ Victoria Park ESJ Walthamstow ESJ
	Brighton	Brighton (Pavilion) ESJ Brighton (Phoenix) ESJ Brighton (Regent) ESJ Hove ESJ Lewes ESJ Newhaven ESJ
	Harlow	Bishops Stortford ESJ Harlow ESJ Hertford ESJ
	Stevenage	Hatfield ESJ Stevenage ESJ Waltham Cross ESJ Welwyn Garden City ESJ
	Portsmouth	Havant ESJ Portsmouth (Central) ESJ Portsmouth (North) ESJ Cosham ESJ
East Midlands and Eastern	North Norfolk	Norwich (Kiln House) ESJ Dereham ESJ
	South Norfolk and Waveney	Wymondham ESJ
	Cambridgeshire	Peterborough ESJ March ESJ
	South Derbyshire	Belper ESJ Derby (Wardwick) ESJ Derby (Forester) ESJ Derby (Normanton) ESJ Derby (St Peter's) ESJ Heanor, ESJ Ilkeston, ESJ Long Eaton, ESJ
	Leicester city	Leicester (Aquis House) ESJ Leicester (Charles St) ESJ Leicester (Eldon St) ESJ Leicester (Highcross St) ESJ Wigston ESJ
	Greater Nottinghamshire	Arnold ESJ Bulwell ESJ Hucknall ESJ Beeston ESJ Netherfield ESJ Nottingham (Castle Boulevard) ESJ Nottingham (Watercourt) ESJ
South West	Avon Outer	Bath ESJ Midsomer Norton ESJ
	Bristol Central	Bristol Central ESJ Bedminster ESJ Bishopsworth ESJ Easton ESJ Filton, ESJ Knowle ESJ Westbury-on-Trym ESJ Shirehampton ESJ
	Avon Outer	Keynsham ESJ Kingswood ESJ Yate ESJ Clevedon ESJ Weston Super Mare ESJ
West Midlands	Sandwell	Cradley Heath ESJ Oldbury ESJ Smethwick (South Road) ESJ Tipton ESJ Wednesbury ESJ West Bromwich ESJ
Dudley	Dudley ESJ Kingswinford ESJ Halesowen ESJ Stourbridge ESJ Merry Hill ESJ
	North Staffordshire	Stoke-on-Trent ESJ Burslem ESJ Cheadle ESJ Hanley ESJ Kidsgrove ESJ Longton ESJ Newcastle-under-Lyme ESJ Leek ESJ Uttoxeter ESJ
Yorkshire and Humberside	Bradford	Bradford (Easterbrook) ESJ Bradford (50 Vicar Lane) ESJ Shipley ESJ
	Wakefield and Kirklees	Spen Valley ESJ Huddersfield ESJ
	South Humber	Grimsby (Bridge House) ESJ Grimsby (Viking House) ESJ Immingham ESJ
North West	West Penine	Bury ESJ Radcliffe ESJ
	Preston	Preston ESJ Bamber Bridge ESJ Chorley ESJ Leyland ESJ
	Bolton	Bolton 1 ESJ Bolton 2 ESJ Farnworth ESJ Westhoughton ESJ Horwich ESJ Worsley ESJ
	Wigan	Ashton-in-Makerfield ESJ Atherton ESJ Hindley ESJ Wigan (Hallgate) ESJ Wigan (King St) ESJ Leigh ESJ
	South West Lancashire	St Helens (Barrow House) ESJ St Helens (College St) ESJ
Northern	Gateshead and South Tyne	Jarrow ESJ South Shields
Scotland	Borders, East and Midlothian	Dalkeith ESJ Loanhead ESJ Musselburgh ESJ Pennicuik ESJ
	Edinburgh	Edinburgh C ESJ Edinburgh (High Riggs) ESJ Wester Hailes ESJ Leith ESJ Portobello ESJ
	Fife	Cowdenbeath ESJ Dunfermline ESJ Inverkeithing ESJ
Lanarkshire West	Airdrie ESJ Bellshill ESJ Blantyre ESJ Coatbridge ESJ Uddingston ESJ Hamilton ESJ
	Lanarkshire	Carluke ESJ Lanark ESJ Larkhall ESJ Motherwell ESJ Shotts ESJ Wishaw ESJ
	Tayside	Dundee (Gellatly St) ESJ Dundee (Wellgate) ESJ
Wales	Heads of the Valley & Caerphilly	Bargoed ESJ Blackwood ESJ Merthyr Tydfil ESJ Newbridge ESJ Pontlottyn ESJ Treharris ESJ Ystrad Mynach ESJ
	Outer Swansea	Cymmer ESJ Neath ESJ Port Talbot ESJ Glynneath ESJ Ystradgynlais ESJ Portardawe ESJ
	Inner Swansea	Gorseinon ESJ Morriston ESJ Swansea ESJ

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations apply, with modifications, the pilot scheme established by the Income Support (Pilot Scheme) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/1252) and the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Pilot Scheme) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/1307) to persons attending offices in further parts of the country. The scheme relates to persons who have been claiming income support, unemployment benefit or jobseeker’s allowance or a combination of benefits and who fulfil the criteria in regulation 3 as to age, the period over which they have been receiving benefit and location of appropriate offices at which they are required to attend (as identified in the Schedule) (“relevant persons”).

Regulation 4 has the effect that if a person who is a relevant person for the purpose of these Regulations without good cause refuses or fails to participate in the employment programme known as Project Work or loses his place on Project Work due to misconduct, he will receive a sanction under section 19 of the Jobseekers Act and the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (S.I. 1996/207). The effect of this will be a two week or four week loss or reduction in his jobseeker’s allowance.

Regulation 5 adds to the list of circumstances to be regarded as good cause for any act or omission for the purposes of section 19 of the Jobseekers Act.

These Regulations do not impose a charge on businesses.