The Social Security (Incapacity for Work) (Northern Ireland) Order 1994

43.—(1) Schedule 12 to the Contributions and Benefits Act (relationship of statutory sick pay with benefits and other payments, etc.) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph 1 (day of entitlement to statutory sick pay not to count as day of incapacity for work for certain purposes), after “period of interruption of employment” insert “for the purposes of unemployment benefit or a period of incapacity for work for the purposes of incapacity benefit”.

(3) For paragraphs 3 and 4 (sickness benefit) substitute—

“Incapacity benefit

3.— (1) This paragraph and paragraph 4 below have effect to exclude, where a period of entitlement as between an employee and an employer of his comes to an end, the provisions by virtue of which short-term incapacity benefit is not paid for the first three days.

(2) If the first day immediately following the day on which the period of entitlement came to an end—

(a) is a day of incapacity for work in relation to that employee; and

(b) is not a day in relation to which paragraph 1 above applies by reason of any entitlement as between the employee and another employer,

that day shall, except in prescribed cases, be or form part of a period of incapacity for work notwithstanding section 30C(1)(b) above (by virtue of which a period of incapacity for work must be at least 4 days long).

(3) Where each of the first two consecutive days, or the first three consecutive days, following the day on which the period of entitlement came to an end is a day to which paragraphs (a) and (b) of sub-paragraph (2) above apply, that sub-paragraph has effect in relation to the second day or, as the case may be, in relation to the second and third days, as it has effect in relation to the first.

4.— (1) Where a period of entitlement as between an employee and an employer of his comes to an end, section 30A(3) above (exclusion of benefit for first 3 days of period) does not apply in relation to any day which—

(a) is or forms part of a period of incapacity for work (whether by virtue of paragraph 3 above or otherwise); and

(b) falls within the period of 57 days immediately following the day on which the period of entitlement came to an end.

(2) Where sub-paragraph (1) above applies in relation to a day, section 30A(3) above does not apply in relation to any later day in the same period of incapacity for work.”.

(4) For paragraph 5 substitute—

“Incapacity benefit for widows and widowers

5.   Paragraph 1 above does not apply for the purpose of determining whether the conditions specified in section 40(3) or (4) or section 41(2) or (3) above are satisfied.”.