Work and Families Act (Northern Ireland) 2015

Rate of statutory adoption pay

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

(2) In section 167ZN (rate and period of statutory adoption pay)—

(a) omit subsection (1) (rate of pay),

(b) after subsection (2D) (as inserted by section 6(6)) insert—

“(2E) Statutory adoption pay shall be payable to a person—

(a) at the earnings-related rate, in respect of the first 6 weeks in respect of which it is payable; and

(b) at whichever is the lower of the earnings-related rate and such weekly rate as may be prescribed, in respect of the remaining portion of the adoption pay period.

(2F) The earnings-related rate is a weekly rate equivalent to 90 per cent of a person’s normal weekly earnings for the period of 8 weeks ending with the week in which the person is notified that the person has been matched with a child for the purposes of adoption.

(2G) The weekly rate prescribed under subsection (2E)(b) shall not be less than the weekly rate of statutory sick pay for the time being specified in section 153(1) or, if two or more such rates are for the time being so specified, the higher or highest of those rates.”,

(c) in subsection (7), for “subsection (2)” substitute “subsections (2) and (2E)”.

(3) In section 172 (Assembly control of regulations and orders), in subsection (2) (regulations to which confirmatory procedure applies), in paragraph (a), omit the words “or section 167ZN(1)”.