Interpretation and application2

• “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;

• “benefit recipient” means a person who—

  1. a

     has attained the age of 18 but has not attained the age of 60; and

  2. b

     is receiving any of the specified benefits at a higher rate referable to a partner;

• “direction” means a direction to participate in an employment zone programme;

• “employment zone” means the areas within Great Britain listed within Part 2 of the Schedule which are subject to the designation in regulation 16 for the purposes of these Regulations by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 60 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 as areas wherein employment zone programmes subject to these Regulations are established M2;

• “employment zone programme” means a programme which is designed to assist jobseekers to obtain sustainable employment and which is established by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 60 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 for an employment zone;

• “incapacity-based income support” means income support where paragraph 7(persons incapable of work) of Schedule 1B to the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 M3 applies;

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

  1. a

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

  2. b

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

  3. c

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

  4. d

     identifying current or future employment, training or, if appropriate, rehabilitation opportunities suitable to that relevant person’s needs;

  5. e

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

  6. f

     identifying financial incentives that may be available to support the existing or future employment prospects of that relevant person;

• “jobseeker” means a person claiming a jobseeker’s allowance;

• “officer” means—

  1. a

     a person who is an officer of the Secretary of State; or

  2. b

     for the purposes of regulations 3 to 15, a person who is providing services to or exercising functions of the Secretary of State; or

  3. c

     for the purposes of regulations 16 to 21, such other person as may be designated as an employment officer for the purposes of sections 8 or 19 of the Jobseekers Act 1995 by an order made by the Secretary of State;

• “partner” means a person who is a member of the same couple as a benefit recipient, or, in a case where a benefit recipient has more than one partner, a person who is a partner of the benefit recipient by reason of a polygamous marriage;

• “personal capability assessment” means the assessment defined in Part III of the Social Security (Incapacity for Work) (General) Regulations 1995 M4 (personal capability assessment);

• “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;

• “relevant person” means a person to whom regulations 3 to 15 apply by virtue of paragraph (3);

• “specified benefit” means—

  1. a

     income support;

  2. b

     incapacity benefit;

  3. c

     severe disablement allowance; or

  4. d

     in relation to a requirement to take part in an interview for a partner only, an income-based jobseeker’s allowance other than a joint-claim jobseeker’s allowance.