The Income Support (Work-Related Activity) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2014

Reduction of income support

8.—(1) Subject to paragraph (4), where the Secretary of State has determined that a person who was required to undertake work-related activity has failed to do so and has not shown good cause for that failure in accordance with regulation 6 (failure to undertake work-related activity), the amount of income support payable to the person is to be reduced in accordance with paragraph (2).

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), the amount of the reduction of income support in relation to each failure is 20 per cent. of the amount applicable in respect of a single claimant for income support aged not less than 25 as prescribed in paragraph 1(1)(e) of Schedule 2 to the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987(1).

(3) In any benefit week, the amount of income support payable to a person is not, by virtue of paragraph (1), to be reduced below 10 pence.

(4) The amount of income support payable to a person is not to be reduced in accordance with paragraph (1) if that amount—

(a) is, at the time a determination falls to be made in respect of the current failure, being paid at a reduced rate in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2), regulations 7(3) and 8 of the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2000(2) or regulation 12(2)(c) of the Social Security (Jobcentre Plus Interviews) Regulations 2002(3); and

(b) was last reduced not more than two weeks before the date of the current failure.

(5) In this regulation—

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

“current failure” means a failure which, in relation to a person, may lead to a reduction in income support under paragraph (1) in relation to which the Secretary of State has not yet determined whether the amount of income support payable to the person is to be reduced in accordance with those paragraphs.

(1)

The relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1990/1168, 1996/206, 2007/719 and 2013/574.

(2)

S.I. 2000/1926; relevant amending instrument is S.I. 2011/2428.

(3)

S.I. 2002/1703; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 2005/2727, S.I. 2011/2425 and S.I. 2011/2428.