2.—(1) In these Regulations –
“the Act” means the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992(1);
“adopter”, in relation to a child, means a person by whom the child has been or is to be adopted;
“adoption from overseas” means the adoption of a child who enters Northern Ireland from outside the United Kingdom in connection with or for the purposes of adoption which does not involve the placement of the child for adoption under the law of any part of the United Kingdom;
“the Application Regulations” means the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (Application of Parts XIIZA and XIIZB to Adoptions from Overseas) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(2);
“enter Northern Ireland” means enter Northern Ireland from outside the United Kingdom in connection with or for the purposes of adoption, and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly;
“the General Regulations” means the Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002(3);
“official notification” means written notification, issued by or on behalf of the relevant domestic authority, that it is prepared to issue a certificate to the overseas authority concerned with the adoption of the child, or has issued a certificate and sent it to that authority, confirming, in either case, that the adopter is eligible to adopt, and has been assessed and approved as being a suitable adoptive parent;
“relevant domestic authority” means –
in the case of an adopter to whom the Intercountry Adoption (Hague Convention) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(4) apply, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety; and
in any other case, the Secretary of State;
“statutory paternity pay (adoption)” means statutory paternity pay payable in accordance with the provisions of Part XIIZA of the Act, as modified by the Application Regulations, where the conditions specified in section 167ZB(2) of the Act, as modified by the Application Regulations, are satisfied.
(2) References in these Regulations to the provisions of Parts XIIZA and XIIZB of the Act are to be construed as references to those provisions as modified by the Application Regulations.
(3) These Regulations apply to statutory paternity pay (adoption) and statutory adoption pay in respect of adoptions from overseas.