Section 24 — Welfare Reform Act 2012: Imposition of requirements

Imposition of requirements 24 1 Regulations may make provision—

a where the Secretary of State may impose a requirement under this Part, as to when the requirement must or must not be imposed;

b where the Secretary of State may specify any action to be taken in relation to a requirement under this Part, as to what action must or must not be specified;

c where the Secretary of State may specify any other matter in relation to a requirement under this Part, as to what must or must not be specified in respect of that matter.

2 Where the Secretary of State may impose a work-focused interview requirement, or specify a particular action under section 16(1) or 17(1)(b), the Secretary of State must have regard to such matters as may be prescribed.

3 Where the Secretary of State may impose a requirement under this Part, or specify any action to be taken in relation to such a requirement, the Secretary of State may revoke or change what has been imposed or specified.

4 Notification of a requirement imposed under this Part (or any change to or revocation of such a requirement) is, if not included in the claimant commitment, to be in such manner as the Secretary of State may determine.

5 Regulations must make provision to secure that, in prescribed circumstances, where a claimant has recently been a victim of domestic violence—

a a requirement imposed on that claimant under this Part ceases to have effect for a period of 13 weeks, and b the Secretary of State may not impose any other requirement under this Part on that claimant during that period.

6 For the purposes of subsection (5)—

a “domestic violence” has such meaning as may be prescribed;

b “victim of domestic violence“ means a person on or against whom domestic violence is inflicted or threatened (and regulations under subsection (5) may prescribe circumstances in which a person is to be treated as being or not being a victim of domestic violence);

c a person has recently been a victim of domestic violence if a prescribed period has not expired since the violence was inflicted or threatened.