Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 7th April 2003.

(2) In these Regulations the “Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents Regulations” means the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001(3).

(3) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(4) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

Amendment of the Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents Regulations

2.—(1) The Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents Regulations shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) In regulation 1(1) (citation, commencement and interpretation), for sub-paragraph (f)(5) there shall be substituted the following sub-paragraph–

“(f)subject to the preceding sub-paragraphs, where a lone parent–

(i)on 7th April 2003 is entitled to income support;

(ii)is responsible for and living in the same household as a child who reaches the age of 5 years and 3 months after 7th April 2003, and

(iii)is not on the date that child reaches that age responsible for and living in the same household as a younger child,

come into operation in respect of that lone parent on the date that child reaches the age of 5 years and 3 months.”.

(3) In regulation 4 (circumstances where requirement to take part in an interview does not apply) paragraph (a) shall be omitted.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 (“the principal Regulations”).

Regulation 2(2) of these Regulations amends regulation 1(1)(f) of the principal Regulations to provide that lone parents who are entitled to income support on 7th April 2003 and whose youngest child reaches the age of 5 years and 3 months after 7th April 2003 shall be required to take part in a work-focused interview from the date that child reaches that age.

Regulation 2(3) of these Regulations amends regulation 4 of the principal Regulations to extend the requirement for lone parents to participate in work-focused interviews to lone parents who make a claim for income support on or after 7th April 2003 regardless of the age of their youngest child.

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.

These Regulations do not impose any charge on business.