The Employment Zones Regulations 2003
2003 No. 2438
SOCIAL SECURITY
The Employment Zones Regulations 2003
Made 22th September 2003
Laid before Parliament 26th September 2003
Coming into force 27th October 2003
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 60(1) to (3) and (9) and 83(4) and (6) of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 19991and section 19 of the Jobseekers Act 19952, and all other powers enabling him in that behalf, and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals in respect of these Regulations should not be referred to it3, hereby makes the following Regulations:
Citation, commencement and interpretation
1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Employment Zones Regulations 2003 and shall come into force on 27th October 2003.
(2) In these Regulations—
“claimant” means a claimant for a jobseeker’s allowance4;
“direction” means a direction to participate in an employment zone programme;
“employment officer” means an officer of the Secretary of State or such other person as may be designated for the purposes of sections 8 and 19 of the Jobseekers Act 1995 by an order made by the Secretary of State;
“employment zone” means an area within Great Britain subject to a designation for the purpose of these Regulations by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 60 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 as an area wherein an employment zone programme subject to these Regulations5is established;
“employment zone programme” means a programme designed to assist claimants for a jobseeker’s allowance to obtain sustainable employment established by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 60 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 for an employment zone.
(3) 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 a contract for services, or otherwise under a contract, and includes in particular self-employment and the holding of an office.
Referral to an employment zone programme
2.—(1) An employment officer may direct a claimant who is aged 25 years or over and ordinarily resident within an employment zone to participate in an employment zone programme if in the period immediately preceding the date on which the direction is made, the claimant—
(a)
(a) was entitled to a jobseeker’s allowance for a continuous period of at least 18 months; or
(b)
(b) was entitled to a jobseeker’s allowance for a cumulative total of at least 18 months out of the previous 21 months; or
(c)
(c) had participated in an employment zone programme pursuant to the Employment Zones Regulations 20006or these Regulations in the previous twelve months but left that programme before completing the programme.
(2) An employment officer may direct a claimant who is aged 18 years or over but less than 25 years who has participated in a programme of training known as New Deal for Young People7and is ordinarily resident within an employment zone to participate in an employment zone programme if in the period immediately proceeding the date on which the direction is made, the claimant—
(a)
(a) was entitled to a jobseeker’s allowance for a continuous period of at least 6 months;
(b)
(b) was entitled to a jobseeker’s allowance for a cumulative period of at least 6 months provided that any breaks in that claim do not exceed a period of 28 days in total; or
(c)
(c) had participated in an employment zone programme in the previous 12 months but left that programme before completing the programme.
Early entry to an employment zone programme
3. An employment officer may direct a claimant to participate in an employment zone programme provided that the claimant has requested the direction and—
(a) his personal circumstances place him at a significant disadvantage in obtaining employment; and
(b) he is ordinarily resident within an employment zone or his address for payment of his jobseeker’s allowance is located within an employment zone.
Stages of employment zone programme
4.—(1) An employment zone programme shall consist of two stages—
(a)
(a) the first stage shall last for a maximum period of 4 weeks;
(b)
(b) the second stage shall last for a maximum period of 26 weeks.
(2) A claimant begins to participate in the first stage of an employment zone programme on the day when he attends an initial interview with an employment officer who is an employment zone programme adviser following a direction given under regulation 2 or 3.
(3) Subject to paragraph (1)(a), the claimant shall cease to participate in the first stage on such day as may be specified by an employment officer in a written notification to the claimant.
(4) A claimant begins to participate in the second stage of an employment zone programme on the day specified by an employment officer in a written notification to the claimant.
(5) Subject to paragraph (1)(b), the claimant shall cease to participate in the second stage on such day as may...
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