Interpretation and application2.

(1)

In these Regulations—

“the 1998 Act” means the Social Security Act 1998 M1;

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

“claimant” means a claimant of a specified benefit who has a partner to whom these Regulations apply;

“interview” means a work-focused interview with a partner which is conducted for any or all of the following purposes—

(a)

assessing the partner’s prospects for existing or future employment (whether paid or voluntary);

(b)

assisting or encouraging the partner to enhance his prospects of such employment;

(c)

identifying activities which the partner may undertake to strengthen his existing or future prospects of employment;

(d)

identifying current or future employment or training opportunities suitable to the partner’s needs; and

(e)

identifying educational opportunities connected with the existing or future employment prospects or needs of the partner;

“officer” means a person who is an officer of, or who is providing services to or exercising functions of, the Secretary of State;

“partner” means a person who is a member of the same couple as the claimant, or, in a case where the claimant has more than one partner, a person who is a partner of the claimant by reason of a polygamous marriage, but only where—

(a)

the claimant has been awarded a specified benefit at a higher rate referable to that partner; and

(b)

both the partner and the claimant have attained the age of 18 but have not attained the age of 60;

“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;

“specified benefit” means a benefit to which section 2AA applies.

(2)

Regulations 3 to 13 apply to a partner in circumstances where on or after 12th April 2004 the claimant’s award of a specified benefit is being administered from an office of the Department for Work and Pensions which is designated by the Secretary of State as a Jobcentre Plus Office M2 and the claimant has been continuously entitled to the benefit for 26 weeks or longer.