
2000 No. 721
SOCIAL SECURITY
The Employment Zones Regulations 2000 (revoked)
 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 1999 and section 19 of the Jobseekers Act 1995, hereby makes the following Regulations:
 Commencement and citation
1 
These regulations may be cited as the Employment Zones Regulations 2000 and shall come into force on the 3rd of April 2000.
 Interpretation
2 
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.
 Areas designated as employment zones
3 
The areas within Great Britain designated as employment zones are the 15 areas comprising the districts, London boroughs, counties and county boroughs set out in the schedule as the boundaries to those districts, London boroughs, counties and county boroughs stand on the 5th June 2000.
 Meaning of employment
4 
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.
 Eligibility for participation in an employment zone programme
5 
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 .
 The first stage
6 
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.
 Modifications to the provisions of the Act which apply to claimants during the first stage
7 
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.
 The Second Stage
8 
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.
 Modifications to the provisions of the Act which apply to claimants during the second stage
9 
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–
(a) to be available for employment,
(b) to have entered into a jobseeker’s agreement which remains in force, and
(c) to be actively seeking employment.
 Amendment of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996
10 

(1) The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 shall be amended in accordance with the following paragraph of this regulation.
(2) 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”.
 Tessa Jowell
Minister of State,
Department for Education and Employment
10th March 2000
SCHEDULE

Employment Zone districts, London boroughs, counties and county boroughs
Birmingham The metropolitan district of Birmingham.
Brent 
The London borough of Brent

the London borough of Barnet, the London borough of Camden and the City of Westminster

Brighton and Hove The non-metropolitan district of Brighton and the non-metropolitan district of Hove and the district of Adur.
Doncaster The metropolitan district of Doncaster and the metropolitan district of Rotherhamand the
non-metropolitan district of
Bassetlaw.
Glasgow The metropolitan district of Glasgow.
Haringey The London borough of Haringey.
Liverpool and Sefton The metropolitan district of Liverpool and the metropolitan district of Sefton.
Heads of the Valleys and Caerphilly  The county borough of Blaenau
Gwent, the county borough of
Caerphilly, the county borough of
Merthyr Tydfil and the county
borough of Torfaen
Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland The non-metropolitan district of Middlesbrough and the non-metropolitan district of Redcar and Cleveland.
Newham The London borough of Newham.
North West Wales The county borough of Conwy, the county of Denbighshire, the county of Anglesey, the county borough of Wrexham and the county of Gwynedd.
Nottingham The non-metropolitan district of Nottingham.
Plymouth The non-metropolitan district of Plymouth and the districts of Caradon, South Hams and West Devon
Southwark The London borough of Southwark.
Tower Hamlets The London borough of Tower Hamlets.