The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Part IIJobseeking

Jobseeker’s Agreement treated as having been made

2.  In regulation 34 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (jobseeker’s agreement treated as having been made) after paragraph (d) there shall be added the following paragraph—

“(e)where the claimant was in receipt of a training allowance and was, in accordance with regulation 168, entitled to an income-based jobseeker’s allowance without—

(i)being available for employment;

(ii)having entered into a jobseeker’s agreement, or

(iii)actively seeking employment,

for the period beginning with and including the date on which regulation 168 ceased to apply to him and ending on the date on which he has an interview with an employment officer for the purpose of drawing up a jobseeker’s agreement.”.

Definition of young person

3.  In regulation 57(1) of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (interpretation of Part IV) for the definition of “young person” there shall be substituted the following definition—

““young person” means a person who has reached the age of 16 but not the age of 18 and who does not satisfy the conditions in Article 4 of the Order or whose entitlement to a contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance has ceased as a result of Article 7(1) of the Order.”.

Voluntary redundancy

4.  In regulation 71(1) of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (voluntary redundancy)—

(a)in sub-paragraph (a) at the end “or” shall be omitted, and

(b)after sub-paragraph (b) there shall be added the following sub-paragraph—

“, or

(c)where he has been laid off or kept on short-time to the extent specified in section 16(1) of the Contracts of Employment and Redundancy Payments Act (Northern Ireland) 1965(1) and has complied with the requirements of that section.”.

Good cause for the purposes of Article 21(5)(b) of the Order

5.  In regulation 73(2) of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (good cause for the purposes of Article 21(5)(b) of the Order) after sub-paragraph (i) there shall be added the following sub-paragraph—

“(j)the claimant gave up a place on a training scheme and if he had continued to participate in it he would have, or would have been likely to have, put his health and safety at risk.”.

Person in receipt of a training allowance

6.  After regulation 74 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (person of prescribed description for the purposes of Article 22(3) of the Order) there shall be inserted the following regulation—

Person in receipt of a training allowance

74A.—(1) An income-based jobseeker’s allowance shall be payable to a claimant even though Article 21 of the Order prevents payment of a jobseeker’s allowance to him where the claimant is in receipt of a training allowance and is not receiving training falling within regulation 168(2) but the jobseeker’s allowance shall be payable only if and for so long as he satisfies the conditions of entitlement to an income-based jobseeker’s allowance other than those which he is not required to meet by virtue of regulation 168.

(2) An income-based jobseeker’s allowance which is payable to a claimant in accordance with this regulation shall be payable to him at the full rate applicable in his case.”.