The Social Security (Work-focused Interviews) Regulations 2000

InterpretationE+W+S

2.—[F1(1) In these Regulations–

• “the Act" means the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999;

• “the 1998 Act" means the Social Security Act 1998 M1 ;

• “benefit week"–

  (a)

  in relation to housing benefit and council tax benefit, means a period of 7 days beginning on a Monday;

  (b)

  in relation to any other specified benefit, means any period of 7 days corresponding to the week in respect of which the relevant social security benefit is due to be paid;

• “the designated authority" means any of the following–

  (a)

  the Secretary of State;

  (b)

  a person providing services to the Secretary of State;

  (c)

  a local authority;

  (d)

  a person providing services to, or authorised to exercise any functions of, any such authority;

• [F2the Careers Service means—

  (a)

  in England and Wales, a person with whom the Secretary of State or, as the case may be, the National Assembly for Wales, have made arrangements under section 10(1) of the Employment and Training Act 1973 or a local education authority to whom a direction has been given by the Secretary of State or the Natonal Assembly for Wales under section 10(2) of that Act;

  (b)

  in Scotland, a person with whom the Scottish Ministers have made arrangements under section 10(1) of the Employment and Training Act 1973 or any education authority to whom a direction has been given by the Scottish Ministers under section 10(2) of that Act;]

• [F3“the Connexions Service” means a person of any description with whom the Secretary of State has made an arrangement under section 114(2)(a) of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 and section 10(1) of the Employment and Training Act 1973 and any person to whom he has given a direction under section 114(2)(b) of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 and section 10(2) of the Employment and Training Act 1973;]

• “the Council Tax Benefit Regulations" means the Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992 M2 ;

• “the Claims and Payments Regulations" means the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987 M3 ;

• “the Housing Benefit Regulations" means the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987 M4 ;

• “interview" means a work-focused interview;

• [F4“lone parent” means a person who has no partner and who is responsible for, and a member of the same household as, a child;]

• [F5“specified benefit” means income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit, incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance;]

• [F4“specified person” means—

  (a)

  a lone parent, or

  (b)

  a person who claims—

  (i)

  incapacity benefit,

  (ii)

  income support where paragraph 7 (persons incapable of work) of Schedule 1B to the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 applies,

  (iii)

  income support where paragraph 24 or 25 (persons appealing against a decision which embodies a determination that they are not incapable of work) of Schedule 1B to the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 applies, or

  (iv)

  severe disablement allowance;]

• “work-focused interview" has the meaning given in regulation 3.

(2) In these Regulations, a “relevant person" is a person who resides in an area identified in Schedule 1.

(3) For the purposes of these Regulations–

(a)“remunerative work" has the meaning prescribed in regulation 4 of the Housing Benefit Regulations; and

(b)“part-time work" means work for which payment is made and which is not remunerative work.

(4) Where a claim for benefit is made by a person (“the appointee") on behalf of another, references in these Regulations to a person claiming benefit shall be treated as a reference to the person on whose behalf the claim is made and not to the appointee.

(5) These Regulations apply in respect of a specified benefit claimed on or after 3rd April 2000.

(6) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, a reference–

(a)to a numbered section is to the section of the Act bearing that number;

(b)to a numbered regulation or Schedule is to the regulation in or Schedule to these Regulations bearing that number;

(c)in a regulation or Schedule to a numbered paragraph is to the paragraph in that regulation or Schedule bearing that number;

(d)in a paragraph to a lettered or numbered sub-paragraph is to the sub-paragraph in that paragraph bearing that letter or number.]