The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Homeless Claimants) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014

Made: 27th June 2014

Coming into operation: 21st July 2014

The Department for Social Development makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 8(4) and 36(2) of the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995[^f00001], and now vested in it[^f00002].

Citation and commencement

1

These Regulations may be cited as the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Homeless Claimants) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014 and shall come into operation on 21st July 2014.

Amendment of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations

2

In Regulation 14 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996[^f00003] (circumstances in which a person is to be treated as available)—

• (a) in paragraph (2)[^f00004] for “paragraph (2ZB)” substitute “paragraphs (2ZB), (2ZC) and (2ZD)”; and

• (b) after paragraph (2ZB)[^f00005] insert—

(2ZC) A person who has recently become homeless shall be treated as available for employment under paragraph (2)(b) only where he takes such steps as are reasonable for him to take to find living accommodation. (2ZD) A person to whom paragraph (2ZC) applies may be treated as available for employment under paragraph (2)(b) for periods of longer than one week and on more than 4 occasions in any 12 months.

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 27th June 2014

Anne McCleary — A senior officer of the Department for Social Development

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations amend the provisions in the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 which require claimants to be treated as available for employment when suffering a domestic emergency.

Regulation 2(b) inserts paragraph (2ZC) into regulation 14 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 to provide that claimants who have recently become homeless may be treated as available for employment only where they take reasonable steps to find living accommodation. This regulation also inserts paragraph (2ZD) into regulation 14 to provide that claimants to whom paragraph (2ZC) applies may be treated as available for employment under paragraph (2)(b) for periods of longer than one week and on more than four such occasions in any period of 12 months.

These Regulations make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding to provision contained in Regulations made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in relation to Great Britain and accordingly, by virtue of section 149(3) of, and paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to, the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8), are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: S.I. 1995/2705 (N.I. 15)

[^f00002]: See Article 8(b) of S.R. 1999 No. 481

[^f00003]: S.R. 1996 No. 198; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 2008 No. 478