Work and Families Act (Northern Ireland) 2015

Statutory paternity pay: notice requirement and period of payment

12.—(1) The Contributions and Benefits Act is amended as follows.

(2) In section 167ZC (further provision as to entitlement to statutory paternity pay)—

(a) in subsection (1) (requirement to give notice), for the words from “only if” to the end substitute “only if he gives the person who will be liable to pay it notice of the week or weeks in respect of which he expects there to be liability to pay him statutory paternity pay.”,

(b) after that subsection insert—

“(1A) Regulations may provide for the time by which notice under subsection (1) is to be given.”.

(3) In section 167ZE (rate and period of statutory paternity pay)—

(a) in subsection (2) (period of pay), for the words from “be payable” to the end substitute

“be payable in respect of—

(a) such week within the qualifying period; or

(b) such number of weeks, not exceeding the prescribed number of weeks, within the qualifying period,

as he may choose in accordance with regulations.”,

(b) after subsection (2) insert—

“(2A) Provision under subsection (2)(b) is to secure that the prescribed number of weeks is not less than two.”,

(c) after subsection (2A) (as inserted by paragraph (b)) insert—

“(2B) Regulations under subsection (2) may permit a person entitled to receive statutory paternity pay to choose to receive such pay in respect of non-consecutive periods each of which is a week or a number of weeks.”.

(4) In section 172 (Assembly control of regulations and orders), in subsection (2) (regulations to which confirmatory procedure applies), in paragraph (a), after “section 167ZE(1)” insert “or (2)(b)”.