{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-claims-and-information-regulations-1999/regulation-4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-claims-and-information-regulations-1999/regulation-4.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1999/3108",
  "legislation_title": "The Social Security (Claims and Information) Regulations 1999",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-claims-and-information-regulations-1999",
  "path": "regulation/4",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "4",
  "heading": "Additional functions of local authorities",
  "text": "(1) A local authority to whom Part I of Schedule I to these Regulations applies may conduct a work-focused interview with, or provide assistance to, a person to whom paragraphs (2) and (3) apply, where the interview or assistance is requested or consented to by that person.\n(2) This paragraph applies to a person who resides in a postcode district identified in Part I of Schedule 2 to these Regulations.\n(3) This paragraph applies to any person making a claim for, or entitled to, any benefit specified in paragraph (4) and applies whether or not a person has had an interview in accordance with regulations made under section 2A of the Administration Act .\n(4) The benefits specified in this paragraph are—\n(a) income support;\n(b) housing benefit;\n(c) council tax benefit;\n(d) widow’s benefit;\n(e) bereavement benefits;\n(ea) bereavement support payment under section 30 of the Pensions Act 2014;\n(f) incapacity benefit;\n(g) severe disablement allowance;\n(h) carer’s allowance;\n(i) a jobseeker’s allowance;\n(j) disability living allowance.\n(5) For the purposes of paragraph (1), the request or consent may be made or given to —\n(a) the local authority conducting the interview or giving the assistance;\n(b) any person who, or authority which, may be specified as a designated authority for the purposes of section 2A(8) of the Administration Act; or\n(c) a person designated an employment officer for the purposes of section 9 of the Jobseekers Act 1995 .\n(6) For the purposes of carrying out functions under paragraph (1), a local authority may in particular—\n(a) obtain and receive information or evidence for the purpose of any work-focused interview to be conducted with that person;\n(b) arrange for the work-focused interview to be conducted by one of the following —\n(i) the Secretary of State;\n(ii) a person providing services to the Secretary of State; or\n(iii) a person providing services to, or authorised to exercise any function of, the local authority;\n(c) forward information supplied for the purpose of a work-focused interview to any person or authority conducting that interview;\n(d) take steps to identify potential employment or training opportunities for persons taking part in work-focused interviews;\n(e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(f) take steps to identify—\n(i) obstacles which may hinder a person in taking up employment or training opportunities;\n(ii) educational opportunities which may assist in reducing or removing such obstacles; and\n(g) record information supplied at a work-focused interview.",
  "extent": "E+W+S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Reg. 4(4)(ea) inserted (coming into force in accordance with art. 1-3 of the amending S.I.) by The Pensions Act 2014 (Consequential, Supplementary and Incidental Amendments) Order 2017 (S.I. 2017/422), arts. 1(2), 16"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in reg. 4(4)(h) substituted (1.4.2003) by The Social Security Amendment (Carer's Allowance) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/2497), reg. 1(b), Sch. 2 paras. 1, 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Reg. 4(6)(e) omitted (14.8.2000) by virtue of The Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000/1926), reg. 1(2), 10, Sch. 2 para. 4(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M1",
      "text": "Section 2A was inserted by section 57 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999."
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M2",
      "text": "1995 c.18."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/3108/regulation/4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:35:12.448080+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}