The Maternity and Adoption Leave (Curtailment of Statutory Rights to Leave) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015

PART 1 GENERAL

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Maternity and Adoption Leave (Curtailment of Statutory Rights to Leave) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 and come into operation on 15th March 2015.

Application

2.—(1) Part 2 of these Regulations has effect only in relation to children whose expected week of birth begins on or after 5th April 2015.

(2) Part 3 of these Regulations has effect only in relation to children placed for adoption on or after 5th April 2015.

Interpretation

3.—(1) In these Regulations—

“the 1996 Order” means the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996;

“A”, in relation to C, means the person with whom C is, or is expected to be, placed for adoption, or, in the case where two people have been matched jointly, whichever of them has elected to be C’s adopter for the purposes of the Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002(1);

“adoption agency” has the meaning given—

(a)

in relation to Northern Ireland, by Article 3(3) of the Adoption (Northern Ireland) Order 1987(2),

(b)

in relation to England and Wales, by section 2 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002(3), and

(c)

in relation to Scotland, by section 119(1) of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007(4);

“AP” means the person who is married to or is the civil partner or the partner of A;

“C” means—

(a)

in Part 2 of the Regulations, the child in relation to whom M has an entitlement to statutory maternity leave;

(b)

in Part 3 of the Regulations, the child in relation to whom A has an entitlement to statutory adoption leave;

“declaration of consent and entitlement” means—

(a)

in Part 2 of the Regulations, a written declaration signed by M stating that—

(i)

P has given a notice to his employer in accordance with regulations made under Article 107E(4)(d) of the 1996 Order(5); and

(ii)

M has consented to the amount of leave that P intends to take in accordance with regulations made under Article 107E(4)(e) of the 1996 Order;

(b)

in Part 3 of the Regulations, a written declaration by A stating that—

(i)

AP has given notice to AP’s employer in accordance with regulations made under Article 107G(4)(d) of the 1996 Order(6); and

(ii)

AP has consented to the amount of leave that AP intends to take in accordance with regulations made under Article 107G(4)(e) of the 1996 Order;

“expected week of birth” means the week, beginning with midnight between Saturday and Sunday, in which it is expected that the child will be born;

“leave curtailment date” means the date specified in a leave curtailment notice;

“leave curtailment notice” means—

(a)

in Part 2, a notice which complies with the requirements of regulation 6;

(b)

in Part 3, a notice which complies with the requirements of regulation 10;

“M” means the mother (or expectant mother) of C;

“notice of entitlement” means—

(a)

in Part 2 of the Regulations, a notice given by M in accordance with regulations made under Article 107E(1)(f) of the 1996 Order;

(b)

in Part 3 of the Regulations, a notice given by A in accordance with regulations made under Article 107G(1)(f) of the 1996 Order;

“P” means the father of C, or the person who is married to, or is the civil partner or partner of M;

“partner” in relation to M or A means a person (whether of a different sex or the same sex) who lives with M or A and with C in an enduring family relationship but is not M or A’s child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew;

“placed for adoption” means—

(a)

placed for adoption by virtue of regulation 12 of the Adoption Agencies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1989(7);

(b)

placed by an authority with a person who is an approved foster parent who is also an approved prospective adopter(8) where the authority—

(i)

is considering adoption for the child, or

(ii)

is satisfied that adoption is in the best interests of the child,

and is considering whether that person would be a suitable adoptive parent for that child;

(c)

placed for adoption under the Adoption and Children Act 2002(9) or the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007; or

(d)

placed in accordance with section 22C of the Children Act 1989(10) with a local authority foster parent who is also a prospective adopter;

“revocation notice”—

(a)

in Part 2, is a notice which complies with the requirements of regulation 8(3);

(b)

in Part 3, is a notice which complies with the requirements of regulation 12(2);

“shared parental leave” means leave under Article 107E or 107G of the 1996 Order;

“shared parental pay” means shared parental pay payable in accordance with the provisions of Part 12ZC of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992(11);

“statutory adoption leave” means leave under Article 107A of the 1996 Order (ordinary adoption leave) and leave under Article 107B of the 1996 Order (additional adoption leave);

“statutory maternity leave” means leave under Article 103 of the 1996 Order (ordinary maternity leave) and leave under Article 105 of the 1996 Order (additional maternity leave);

“week” means any period of seven consecutive days.

(2) References to relationships in the definition of “partner” in paragraph (1)—

(a) are to relationships of the full blood or half blood or, in the case of an adopted person, such of those relationships as would exist but for the adoption, and

(b) include the relationship of a child with his adoptive, or former adoptive, parents but do not include other adoptive relationships.

(3) For the purposes of these Regulations a person is matched with a child when—

(a) an adoption agency decides that that person would be a suitable adoptive parent for the child, either individually or jointly with another person;

(b) each of the following conditions is met—

(i) that person is an approved foster parent and an approved prospective adopter, and the child is, or is expected to be, placed by the authority with that person under Article 27(2)(a) of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995;

(ii) the authority—

(aa) is considering adoption for the child, or

(bb) is satisfied that adoption is in the best interests of the child;

(iii) the authority is considering whether that person would be a suitable adoptive parent for that child; or

(c) a decision has been made in accordance with regulation 22A of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010(12) and an adoption agency has identified that person as the person with whom the child is to be placed in accordance with regulation 12B of the Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005(13).

(4) In paragraph (d) of the definition of “placed for adoption” in paragraph (1)—

“local authority foster parent” means a person approved as a local authority foster parent in accordance with regulations made by virtue of paragraph 12F of Schedule 2 to the Children Act 1989(14);

“prospective adopter” means a person who has been approved as suitable to adopt a child and has been notified of that decision in accordance with regulation 30B(4) of the Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005(15).

Notices

4.—(1) Where a notice is to be given under these Regulations, it may be given—

(a) where paragraph (2) applies, by electronic communication;

(b) by post; or

(c) by personal delivery.

(2) This paragraph applies where the person who is to receive the notice has agreed that the notice may be given to the person by being transmitted to an electronic address and in an electronic form specified by the person for the purpose.

(3) Where a notice is to be given under these Regulations it is to be taken to have been given—

(a) if sent by electronic communication, on the day of transmission;

(b) if sent by post in an envelope which is properly addressed and sent by prepaid post, on the day on which it is posted;

(c) if delivered personally, on the day of delivery.

PART 2 CURTAILMENT OF STATUTORY MATERNITY LEAVE

Entitlement to curtail statutory maternity leave

5.—(1) M may bring forward the date on which her ordinary maternity leave period(16) or additional maternity leave period(17) ends by giving her employer a leave curtailment notice and either—

(a) a notice of entitlement; or

(b) a declaration of consent and entitlement.

(2) M must give her employer her leave curtailment notice at the same time as she gives her employer either a notice of entitlement or a declaration of consent and entitlement.

(3) If M has an entitlement to statutory maternity leave with more than one employer in relation to C, she must curtail her ordinary maternity leave period or additional maternity leave period in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2) with each of those employers at the same time.

(4) M’s obligation in paragraph (3) does not apply in relation to any employer with which she has returned to work on or before the date on which she gives notices in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2).

Leave curtailment notice

6.—(1) A leave curtailment notice must be in writing and must state—

(a) where M curtails her ordinary maternity leave period, the date on which M’s ordinary maternity leave period is to end;

(b) where M curtails her additional maternity leave period, the date on which M’s statutory additional maternity leave period is to end.

(2) The date specified in the leave curtailment notice must be—

(a) at least one day after the end of the compulsory maternity leave period;

(b) at least eight weeks after the date on which M gave the leave curtailment notice to her employer; and

(c) where M curtails her additional maternity leave period, at least one week before the last day of M’s additional maternity leave period.

(3) In paragraph (2) “the end of the compulsory maternity leave period” means whichever is the later of—

(a) the last day of the compulsory maternity leave period provided for in regulations under Article 104(2) of the 1996 Order; or

(b) where section 85 of the Factories Act (Northern Ireland) 1965(18) (women not to be employed in factories within four weeks after birth of child) applies to M’s employment, the last day of the period in which an occupier of a factory is prohibited from knowingly allowing M to be employed in that factory.

Effect of the leave curtailment notice

7.—(1) Where M has brought forward the date on which her ordinary maternity leave period or additional maternity leave period ends in accordance with regulation 5, her statutory maternity leave period will end on the leave curtailment date.

(2) In this regulation “statutory maternity leave period” means the period during which M is on statutory maternity leave.

Revocation

8.—(1) M may revoke a leave curtailment notice by giving a revocation notice if—

(a) neither M nor P are entitled to shared parental leave or statutory shared parental pay;

(b) M served her leave curtailment notice before the birth of C; or

(c) P dies.

(2) A revocation notice must be given to M’s employer before the leave curtailment date and—

(a) if given in accordance with paragraph (1)(a), within 8 weeks of the date on which M gave her leave curtailment notice to her employer in accordance with regulation 5(1);

(b) if given in accordance with paragraph (1)(b), within six weeks of the date of C’s birth; or

(c) if given in accordance with paragraph (1)(c), within a reasonable time of the date of P’s death.

(3) A revocation notice must—

(a) be in writing;

(b) state that M revokes her leave curtailment notice; and

(c) if given in accordance with paragraph (1)(c), must state the date of P’s death.

(4) If M has given a leave curtailment notice to more than one employer, she must give revocation notices to each of those employers.

(5) The obligation in paragraph (4) does not apply to any employer with which M has returned to work on or before the date on which she gives the revocation notice.

(6) M may not give her employer a leave curtailment notice subsequent to giving a revocation notice unless the revocation was made in accordance with paragraph (1)(b).

PART 3 CURTAILMENT OF STATUTORY ADOPTION LEAVE

Entitlement to curtail statutory adoption leave

9.—(1) A may bring forward the date on which A’s ordinary adoption leave period(19) or additional adoption leave period(20) ends by giving A’s employer a leave curtailment notice and either—

(a) a notice of entitlement; or

(b) a declaration of consent and entitlement.

(2) A must give A’s employer the leave curtailment notice at the same time as A gives the employer either a notice of entitlement or a declaration of consent and entitlement.

(3) If A has an entitlement to statutory adoption leave in relation to C with more than one employer, A must curtail the ordinary adoption leave period or additional adoption leave period in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2) with each of those employers at the same time.

(4) A’s obligation in paragraph (3) does not apply in relation to any employer with which A has returned to work on or before the date on which A gives notices in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2).

Leave curtailment notice: adoption

10.—(1) A leave curtailment notice must be in writing and must state—

(a) where A curtails A’s ordinary adoption leave period, the date on which A’s ordinary adoption leave period is to end; or

(b) where A curtails A’s additional adoption leave period, the date on which A’s additional adoption leave period is to end.

(2) The date specified in the leave curtailment notice must be—

(a) at least eight weeks after the date on which A gives the leave curtailment notice to A’s employer;

(b) at least two weeks after the first day of A’s ordinary adoption leave period; and

(c) where A curtails A’s additional adoption leave period, at least one week before the last day of A’s additional adoption leave period.

Effect of the leave curtailment notice: adoption

11.—(1) Where A has brought forward the date on which A’s ordinary adoption leave period or additional adoption leave period ends in accordance with regulation 9, A’s statutory adoption leave period will end on the leave curtailment date.

(2) In this Regulation “statutory adoption leave period” means the period during which A is on statutory adoption leave.

Revocation: adoption

12.—(1) A may revoke a leave curtailment notice by giving a revocation notice if—

(a) neither A nor AP are eligible for shared parental leave or statutory shared parental pay; or

(b) AP dies.

(2) A revocation notice must be given to A’s employer before the leave curtailment date and—

(a) if given in accordance with paragraph (1)(a), within 8 weeks of the date on which A gave the leave curtailment notice to A’s employer in accordance with regulation 9(1);

(b) if given in accordance with paragraph (1)(b), within a reasonable time of the date of AP’s death.

(3) A revocation notice—

(a) must be in writing;

(b) must state that A revokes the leave curtailment notice; and

(c) if given in accordance with paragraph (1)(b), must state the date of AP’s death.

(4) If A has given a leave curtailment notice to more than one employer, A must give revocation notices to each of those employers.

(5) The obligation in paragraph (4) does not apply to any employer with which A has returned to work on or before the date on which A gives the revocation notice.

(6) A may not give A’s employer a leave curtailment notice subsequent to giving a revocation notice.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Employment and Learning on 2nd March 2015.

Dr Stephen Farry

Minister for Employment and Learning