Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000/1926 – “the Lone Parents Regulations”) and the Social Security (Jobcentre Plus) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/1703 – “the Jobcentre Plus Regulations”) to impose additional requirements on lone parents to take part in work-focused interviews. They also revoke the Social Security (Quarterly Work-focused Interviews for Certain Lone Parents) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/2244).

Regulations 2(2) and 4(2)(c) make amendments to the Lone Parents Regulations and the Jobcentre Plus Regulations respectively. They require lone parents entitled to income support to take part in a work-focused interview every six months.

The requirement to take part every six months is introduced in stages. The first stage begins on 30th April 2007 for lone parents with a youngest child aged 5 or above. Regulations 2(2) and 4(2)(c) introduce the first stage. The second stage begins on 28th April 2008 for lone parents with a youngest child aged under 5. Regulations 3 and 5 introduce the second stage.

Regulation 2(4) makes amendments which require some lone parents to take part in a work-focused interview every three months. The lone parents to whom this requirement applies are those with a youngest child aged 11, 12 or 13, who have been entitled to income support for at least 12 months and who live in certain areas of the country. Regulation 2(8) and the Schedule set out those areas.

Regulation 2(5) amends the Lone Parents Regulations to provide that lone parents cannot be required to take part in a work-focused interview under more than one set of Regulations at the same time.

Regulation 6 revokes S.I. 2004/2244.

Regulations 2(2) and (4) and 4(2)(c) make amendments for lone parents who were required to take part in work-focused interviews under S.I. 2004/2244. Such lone parents are required to take part in work-focused interviews under the Jobcentre Plus Regulations and the Lone Parents Regulations. The time and frequency of those interviews depends on a number of factors, such as the age of their youngest child and the date of their last interview.

A full Regulatory Impact Assessment has not been produced for this instrument because it has no impact on the costs of business, charities or voluntary bodies.