Statutory Instrument 2001 No. 2710

The Social Security (Literacy etc. Skills Training Pilot) Regulations 2001

(The document as of February, 2008)

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STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS

2001 No. 2710

SOCIAL SECURITY

The Social Security (Literacy etc. Skills Training Pilot) Regulations 2001

	Made	24th July 2001
	Coming into force	17th September 2001

Whereas a draft of this instrument was laid before Parliament in accordance with section 37(2) of the Jobseekers Act 1995[1] and approved by resolution of each House of Parliament;

    Now, therefore, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 19(10)(c), 29(1) and (3), 35(1) and 36(1), (2) and (4)(b) of the Jobseekers Act 1995[2] and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, after reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee[3], and whereas these Regulations are made with a view to ascertaining whether their provisions will, or will be likely to, encourage persons to obtain work or will, or will be likely to, facilitate the obtaining by persons of work[4], hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and duration
    1. - (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Literacy etc. Skills Training Pilot) Regulations 2001 and shall come into force on 17th September 2001.

    (2) These Regulations shall cease to have effect on 16th September 2002 unless revoked with effect from an earlier date.

Interpretation
    2. - (1) In these Regulations - 

"appropriate office" means an office, by whatever name it is from time to time known, of the Department for Work and Pensions which is identified by reference to its name as at the date these Regulations come into force in the Schedule to these Regulations and, where such an office closes, the references in the Schedule to that office shall be construed as a reference to the office which a person is required to attend instead of that office;

"benefit" means a jobseeker's allowance or any earnings credited to a person in accordance with regulation 8A of the Social Security (Credits) Regulations 1975[5];

"literacy and numeracy skills training" means a scheme provided in pursuance of arrangements made by the Secretary of State under section 2 of the Employment and Training Act 1973[6] for the attainment of appropriate literacy skills, language skills or numeracy skills (whether all or any of them) and which, in respect of any individual, is intended to last for a period not exceeding 12 months.

    (2) For the purpose of calculating the period of not less than 6 months referred to in regulation 3(2)(c) of these Regulations, a period of interruption to the receipt of benefit not exceeding 28 days, or any periods of such interruption which added together do not exceed a total of 28 days, shall be disregarded.

    (3) In respect of any period throughout which a member of a joint-claim couple is receiving a joint-claim jobseeker's allowance, the other member of that couple shall, for the purposes of regulation 3(2)(c) of these Regulations, also be treated as receiving benefit throughout that period.

Application of literacy and numeracy skills training
    3. - (1) In relation to a person to whom paragraph (2) below applies, "training scheme" in sections 19 and 20A of the Jobseekers Act 1995[7] means, in addition to the training schemes listed in regulation 75 of the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations 1996[8], literacy and numeracy skills training.

    (2) This paragraph shall apply to any person - 

(a) who, between 17th September 2001 and 16th March 2002, attends an appropriate office pursuant to a notification given or sent under regulation 23 or 23A of the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations 1996[9]; and

(b) who, on the day he so attends, is aged no less than 25 but no more than 49; and

(c) who has been receiving benefit for a period of not less than 6 months; and

(d) in respect of whom the Secretary of State considers it appropriate that he should participate in literacy and numeracy skills training; and

(e) who has been given or sent a notice in writing by an employment officer advising him that if he fails to participate in such training, his jobseeker's allowance could cease to be payable or could be payable at a lower rate.

Signed on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions


Malcolm Wicks
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions

24th July 2001

SCHEDULERegulation 2(1)

Region	Pilot Area	Appropriate Office
East Midlands and Eastern Region	North Nottinghamshire	Mansfield (Byron House) Jobcentre Mansfield (Stockwell Gate) Jobcentre Newark Jobcentre Retford Jobcentre Shirebrook Jobcentre Sutton-in-Ashfield Jobcentre Worksop Jobcentre
Yorkshire and Humber Region	Leeds	Guiseley Jobcentre Harehills Jobcentre Leeds (Dyson Chambers) Jobcentre Leeds (Eastgate) Jobcentre Morley Jobcentre Otley Jobcentre Pudsey Jobcentre Rothwell Jobcentre Seacroft Jobcentre South Leeds Jobcentre Stanningley Jobcentre

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations establish a pilot scheme relating to persons who claim a jobseeker's allowance and who fulfil the criteria specified in regulation 3 as to age, period over which they have been receiving benefit and the location of appropriate offices at which they are claiming benefit, as identified in the Schedule to these Regulations.

The Regulations have the effect that if such a person without good cause refuses or fails to participate in the training programme known as literacy and numeracy skills training, or loses his place on such a programme due to misconduct, he will receive a sanction under section 19 or 20A of the Jobseekers Act 1995 (c. 18) and regulation 69 of the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/207). The effect of this will be a loss or reduction of his jobseeker's allowance for a period of two weeks or four weeks.

The Report of the Social Security Advisory Committee dated 6th July 2001 on the proposals referred to them in respect of these Regulations, together with a statement showing the extent to which the proposals give effect to the Recommendations of the Committee, and in so far as they do not give effect to them, the reasons why not, are contained in Command Paper Cm. 5224, published by The Stationery Office Ltd.

These Regulations do not impose any charge on business.

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Notes:

[1] 1995 c. 18.back

[2] Section 35(1) is an interpretation provision and is cited because of the meaning ascribed to the words "prescribed" and "regulations".back

[3] See sections 170 and 176(1) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c. 5); paragraph 67 of Schedule 2 to the Jobseekers Act 1995 added that Act to the list of "relevant enactments" in respect of which regulations must normally be referred to the Committee.back

[4] See section 29(8) of the Jobseekers Act 1995.back

[5] S.I. 1975/556; the relevant amending instrument is S.I. 1996/2367.back

[6] 1973 c. 50; section 2 was substituted by the Employment Act 1988 (c. 19), section 25(1).back

[7] Section 20A was inserted by the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 (c. 30), Schedule 7, paragraph 13.back

[8] S.I. 1996/207; the relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1997/2863, 1998/1274, 2000/1978 and 2001/652.back

[9] Regulation 23A was inserted by S.I. 2000/1978.back

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ISBN 0 11 029790 3

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