148Period of incapacity for work
(1)The first condition is that the day in question forms part of a period of incapacity for work.
(2)In this Part of this Act “period of incapacity for work” means any period of four or more consecutive days, each of which is a day of incapacity for work in relation to the contract of service in question.
(3)Any two periods of incapacity for work which are separated by a period of not more than 8 weeks shall be treated as a single period of incapacity for work.
(4)The Department may by regulations direct that a larger number of weeks specified in the regulations shall be substituted for the number of weeks for the time being specified in subsection (3) above.
(5)No day of the week shall be disregarded in calculating any period of consecutive days for the purposes of this section.
(6)A day may be a day of incapacity for work in relation to a contract of service, and so form part of a period of incapacity for work, notwithstanding that—
(a)it falls before the making of the contract or after the contract expires or is brought to an end; or
(b)it is not a day on which the employee concerned would be required by that contract to be available for work.