Explanatory note

These Regulations are made by virtue of, or in consequence of, sections 62 to 65 of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 (c. 19) (“the Act”) and relate to restrictions in payment of certain benefits where a person has been found by a court to have breached a community service order.

The Regulations are made before the end of the period of six months beginning with the coming into force of the relevant provisions in the Act and are therefore exempt from the requirement in section 172(1) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c. 5) to refer proposals to make these Regulations to the Social Security Advisory Committee and are made without reference to that Committee.

Part I contains provisions relating to citation, commencement and interpretation. It also prescribes what payment under section 2 of the Employment and Training Act 1973 (c. 50) is to be a relevant benefit for the purposes of these provisions. Regulation 3 prescribes the period of the loss or reduction of benefit by reference to whether the offender was entitled to benefit on the day on which the Secretary of State examines his records pursuant to a notification that a Court has made a relevant determination in respect of him or whether he claims such a benefit within four weeks of that day.

Part II prescribes what are to be the reduced amounts of income support or joint-claim jobseeker’s allowance when the restrictions apply.

Part III makes provision for jobseeker’s allowance to be paid where the offender is a person in hardship and Part IV makes provision for a joint-claim jobseeker’s allowance to be paid where a joint-claim couple are a couple in hardship.

Part V makes provision in relation to exchanges of information which are necessary to enable the system to operate and for evaluation and monitoring purposes.

These Regulations do not impose a charge on business.