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

Made: 23rd June 2014

Laid before Parliament: 30th June 2014

Coming into force: 21st July 2014

The Social Security Advisory Committee has agreed that the proposals in respect of these Regulations should not be referred to it[^f00002].

Citation and commencement

1

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

Amendment of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996

2

• (1) Regulation 14 (circumstances in which a person is to be treated as available) of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996[^f00003] is amended as follows.

• (2) In paragraph (2), for “paragraph (2ZB)” substitute “paragraphs (2ZB), (2ZC) and (2ZD)”.

• (3) After paragraph (2ZB), 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

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Freud — Parliamentary Under Secretary of State — Department for Work and Pensions — 23rd June 2014

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations amend the provisions in the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/207) which require claimants to be treated as available for employment when suffering a domestic emergency.

In particular, regulation 1(3) inserts paragraph (2ZC) into regulation 14 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations to provide that claimants who have recently become homeless are to 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.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on businesses and civil society organisations. The instrument has no impact on the public sector.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1995 c.18. Section 35(1) is an interpretation provision and is cited because of the meaning given to the words “prescribed” and “Regulations”. Those definitions were amended by paragraph 62 of Schedule 3 to the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999 (c. 2).

[^f00002]: See sections 172(1) and 173(1)(b) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c. 5).

[^f00003]: S.I. 1996/207; relevant amending instrument S.I. 2008/3051.