The Employment Zones (Amendment) Regulations 2005

Amendments to the Employment Zones Regulations 2003

2.  The Employment Zones Regulations 2003(1) shall be amended in accordance with the following provisions—

(a)in regulation 1(2) after the definition of “employment zone programme” insert—

““Employment Zones Regulations” means these Regulations, the Employment Zones Regulations 2000(2), the Employment Zones (Allocation to Contractors) Pilot Regulations 2004(3) and the Employment Zones (Allocation to Contractors) Pilot Regulations 2005(4);

“New Deal for Young People programme” means a programme provided in pursuance of arrangements made by the Secretary of State under section 2 of the Employment and Training Act 1973(5) and specified in regulation 75(1)(a)(ii) or 75(1)(b)(ii) of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996(6).”;

(b)in regulation 2(1)(c) for the words after “pursuant to” substitute the following—

• “the Employment Zones Regulations in the previous twelve months but did not complete the programme.”;

(c)for regulation 2(2) substitute—

“(2) An employment officer may direct a claimant who is aged 18 years or over but less than 25 years who is ordinarily resident within an employment zone to participate in an employment zone programme if, in the period immediately preceding the date on which the direction is made, the claimant—

(a)was entitled to a jobseeker’s allowance for a continuous period of at least six months after participating in a New Deal for Young People programme or an employment zone programme pursuant to the Employment Zones Regulations;

(b)was entitled to a jobseeker’s allowance for a cumulative period of at least six months after participating in a New Deal for Young People programme or an employment zone programme pursuant to the Employment Zones Regulations provided that any breaks in that period of entitlement do not exceed a period of 28 days in total; or

(c)had participated in an employment zone programme pursuant to the Employment Zones Regulations in the previous twelve months but did not complete the programme.”;

(d)in regulation 4(1)(a) for the words “maximum period of 4 weeks;” substitute “maximum period of 28 days excluding public holidays;”;

(e)in regulation 4(3) for the words “Subject to paragraph (1)(a), the claimant” substitute “A claimant”;

(f)in regulation 4(5) for the words “Subject to paragraph (1)(b), the claimant” substitute “A claimant”;

(g)after regulation 4(5) insert the following—

“(6) In this regulation “public holiday” means Christmas Day, Good Friday or a day which is a bank holiday under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971(7) in any part of Great Britain.”;

(h)in regulation 7(1) for the words “where a person to whom a direction given under regulation 2 or 3 would otherwise apply informs the Secretary of State of a change of address that results in that person no longer being” substitute “where the Secretary of State is satisfied that a person to whom a direction given under regulation 2 or 3 would otherwise apply is no longer”.