§ 35. Sir Anthony Meyerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now reconsider the ruling that unemployed persons studying more than 21 hours a week are ineligible for benefit.
§ Dr. BoysonFor people in receipt of unemployment benefit, there is no specific limit on hours of study, but the claimant must be able to satisfy the independent adjudicating authorities that he remains available for work.
Supplementary benefit recipients aged 19 and over may also undertake part-time study on this basis or, like younger claimants, they may take advantage of the "21-hour rule" which specifies that people attending a course of not more than 21 hours instruction per week are to be treated as available for employment provided they satisfy certain conditions. We have no plans to extend these arrangements.
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§ 46. Mr. Madelasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with the operation of the 21-hour and 15-hour rule; if he has any plans to change the regulations; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. BoysonThe current provisions are designed to ensure that unemployed young people in receipt of supplementary benefit are able to undertake part-time study without putting their benefit entitlement at risk, but to exclude from the scope of this concession young people continuing their normal full-time education outside the employment field. The latter group continue to be treated as dependent on their parents, to whom child benefit is payable.
The 21-hour rule and its three-month qualifying period are the best means that could be found of drawing the necessary distinctions between these two groups. We recognise that these arrangements have caused some problems and we continue to keep them under review. In particular, the Department is considering, in consultation with the Department of Education and Science, whether more could be done within the existing framework to help the unemployed make fuller use of available educational opportunities.