§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his Department's practice on the number of hours per day and the number of days in any one week that a person needs to be available for work in order to claim benefit.
§ Mr. BurtDecisions on whether a person is available for work are made by the independent adjudicating authorities.
Generally, in order to be entitled to income support, which is a weekly benefit, a person should be available for at least 24 hours per week.
Unemployment benefit is a daily benefit and, therefore, a person should be available for work on each day claimed.