The Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2000

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2000.

(2) This regulation and paragraphs 2 to 5 of Schedule 2 and regulation 10 in so far as it relates to those paragraphs shall come into force on 14th August 2000.

(3) Regulations 2 to 9, paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 and regulation 10 in so far as it relates to that paragraph shall—

(a) come into force on 30th October 2000 in respect of lone parents who on that date—

(i) live in an area identified in Schedule 1; and

(ii) are not entitled to income support;

(b) subject to sub-paragraph (a), come into force on 30th April 2001 in respect of lone parents who on that date—

(i) are not entitled to income support; or

(ii) are entitled to income support and are not—

(aa) responsible for; and

(bb) living in the same household as,

a child under the age of 13;

(c) subject to the preceding sub-paragraphs, come into force on 1st April 2002 in respect of lone parents who on that date are entitled to income support and are not—

(i) responsible for; and

(ii) living in the same household as,

a child under the age of 9;

(d) subject to the preceding sub-paragraphs, where a lone parent—

(i) is responsible for and living in the same household as a child whose 13th birthday occurs in the period beginning on 1st May 2001 and ending on 31st March 2002; and

(ii) is not on the date of the 13th birthday responsible for and living in the same household as a younger child,

come into force in respect of that lone parent on the date of that child’s 13th birthday;

(e) subject to the preceding sub-paragraphs, where a lone parent—

(i) is responsible for and living in the same household as a child whose 9th birthday occurs in the period beginning on 2nd April 2002 and ending on 6th April 2003; and

(ii) is not on the date of the 9th birthday responsible for and living in the same household as a younger child,

come into force in respect of that lone parent on the date of that child’s 9th birthday; and

(f) subject to the preceding sub-paragraphs, come into force on 7th April 2003.

(4) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—

“the 1998 Act” means the Social Security Act 1998(1);

“benefit week” means any period of seven days corresponding to the week in respect of which income support is due to be paid;

“lone parent” has the meaning it bears in regulation 2(1) of the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987(2);

“interview” means a work-focused interview with a lone parent conducted for any or all of the following purposes—

(a)

assessing that person’s prospects for existing or future employment (whether paid or voluntary);

(b)

assisting or encouraging that person to enhance his prospects of such employment;

(c)

identifying activities which that person may undertake to strengthen his existing or future prospects of employment;

(d)

identifying current or future employment or training opportunities suitable to that person’s needs; and

(e)

identifying educational opportunities connected with the existing or future employment prospects or needs of that person; and

“officer” means an officer of, or providing services to, the Secretary of State.

(5) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, a reference—

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

(b) in a regulation to a numbered paragraph or sub-paragraph is to the paragraph or sub-paragraph in that regulation bearing that number;

(c) to a numbered Schedule is to the Schedule to these Regulations bearing that number.

(1)

1998 c. 14.

(2)

S.I. 1987/1967.