The Employment Zones Regulations 2000 (revoked)
S.I. 2000/721 · Made 10 March 2000 · Extends to England, Wales and Scotland
SOCIAL SECURITY
Made 10th March 2000
Laid before Parliament 13th March 2000
Coming into force 3rd April 2000
The Secretary of State for Education and Employment, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 60 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999M1 and section 19 of the Jobseekers Act 1995M2, hereby makes the following RegulationsM3:
Annotations to the whole text
Textual amendments
- F1
Regulations revoked by S.I. 2003/2438, art. 8 (as inserted (26.4.2004) by Employment Zones (Amendment) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/1043), regs. 1, 2(f))
Marginal citations
- M1
- M2
- M3
These regulations are made within 6 months of the coming into force of section 60 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 and accordingly, by reason of section 173(5)(a) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (1992 c. 5), reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee by the Secretary of State of his proposal to make the regulations is not required notwithstanding the provisions contained in Sections 170 and 172 of that Act, as amended by paragraph 81(a) of Schedule 12 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999.
Contents
- 1Commencement and citation
- 2Interpretation
- 3Areas designated as employment zones
- 4Meaning of employment
- 5Eligibility for participation in an employment zone programme
- 6The first stage
- 7Modifications to the provisions of the Act which apply to claimants during the first stage
- 8The Second Stage
- 9Modifications to the provisions of the Act which apply to claimants during the second stage
- 10Amendment of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996
- Signature
- Schedule Schedule
- Explanatory note
1Commencement and citationF1
These regulations may be cited as the Employment Zones Regulations 2000 and shall come into force on the 3rd of April 2000.
2InterpretationF1
In these regulations–
“the Act" means the Jobseekers Act 1995;“an action plan" means a plan setting out the action which a claimant will take with a view to securing employment or improving his prospects of securing employment;“an employment zone" means an area within Great Britain designated by these regulations for the purposes of section 60 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 and “an employment zone programme" means a programme established for such an area or areas designed to assist claimants for a jobseeker’s allowance to obtain sustainable employment;“an initial interview" means an interview with an employment officer following notice sent to the claimant to attend for the purpose of initiating participation in an employment zone programme.
3Areas designated as employment zonesF1
4Meaning of employmentF1
For the purposes of section 60 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 “employment" means employment whether under a contract of service or a contract of apprenticeship, or under a contract for services, or otherwise than under a contract, and includes in particular self employment and the holding of an office.
5Eligibility for participation in an employment zone programmeF1
A claimant for a jobseeker’s allowance is eligible to participate in an employment zone programme if he is ordinarily resident within an employment zone on the day when notice to attend an initial interview is sent to him pursuant to regulation 23 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 M1.
6The first stageF1
A claimant begins to participate in the first stage of an employment zone programme on the day when he attends an initial interview and ceases to participate on such day as may be specified by an employment officer by notice to the claimant in writing.
7Modifications to the provisions of the Act which apply to claimants during the first stageF1
In relation to a claimant participating in the first stage of an employment zone programme the requirements for receipt of a jobseeker’s allowance set out in subsection 1(2) of the Act are modified by the suspension of the requirement for the claimant to have entered into a jobseeker’s agreement which remains in force.
8The Second StageF1
A Claimant begins to participate in the second stage of an employment zone programme on such date as may be specified by an employment officer by notice to the claimant in writing and ceases to participate on such date as may be specified by an employment officer by notice to the claimant in writing.
9Modifications to the provisions of the Act which apply to claimants during the second stageF1
In relation to a claimant participating in the second stage of an employment zone programme the requirements for receipt of a jobseeker’s allowance set out in subsection 1(2) of the Act are modified by the suspension of the requirements for the claimant–
to be available for employment,
to have entered into a jobseeker’s agreement which remains in force, and
to be actively seeking employment.
10Amendment of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996F1
The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 shall be amended in accordance with the following paragraph of this regulation.
At the end of regulation 75(1)(a) (interpretation) there shall be inserted the word “and" followed by the following sub-paragraph
“(iii)
an employment zone programme, being a programme established for one or more areas designated pursuant to section 60 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 and subject to the Employment Zones Regulations 2000”.
Signature
F1F2
Explanatory note
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations designate 15 areas in Great Britain to be employment zones within which employment zone programmes can be run. The purpose of such a programme is to assist participants living within a zone and claiming a jobseeker’s allowance to obtain sustainable employment. Employment is defined widely to include any paid work whether carried out for an employer or in the course of any trade, business, profession, partnership, office or vocation.
Regulation 3 designates the areas by reference to lists of wards and electoral divisions set out in the schedule.
Regulation 4 contains the definition of employment.
Regulation 5 provides that eligibility to participate depends upon living within a zone.
Regulation 6 defines a first stage of participation during which Regulation 7 relaxes a requirement of the Jobseekers Act 1995 so as to allow participants to continue to be eligible to receive a jobseeker’s allowance without maintaining a jobseeker’s agreement.
Regulation 8 defines a second stage of participation during which Regulation 9 relaxes additional requirements of the Jobseekers Act 1995 so as to allow participants to continue to be eligible to receive a jobseeker’s allowance without remaining available for employment and without actively seeking employment.
Regulation 10 amends regulation 75 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 so as to apply the sanction provisions set out in section 19 of the Jobseekers Act 1995 to defaults arising in connection with employment zone programmes.
These regulations do not impose any charge on business.