Social Security Act 1980

5 Maternity grant

(1) Where—

(a) the date of a woman's confinement is the same as or later than the appointed date ; or

(b) a woman claims a maternity grant by virtue of regulations under section 21(5) of the principal Act in a case where the week which is treated in pursuance of the regulations as that in which she is expected to be confined includes or begins after the appointed date,

the following provisions of the principal Act shall have effect in relation to the confinement or claim with the following amendments, namely—

(i) in section 12, in subsection (1)(d) (under which maternity benefit comprising maternity grant and maternity allowance is a contributory benefit under Chapter I of Part II of that Act) for the words from the beginning to " allowance " there shall be substituted the words " maternity allowance " and in subsection (2) (which specifies the benefits which are short-term benefits for the purposes of that Part) the words " maternity grant" shall be omitted;

(ii) in section 13(1) (which relates to contribution conditions) the words " Maternity grant. . . Class 1, 2 or 3 " shall be omitted;

(iii) in section 21 (under subsections (1) and (2) of which certain contribution conditions are to be satisfied in order to confer entitlement to a maternity grant) for the words from " and either " onwards in subsection (1) there shall be substituted the words " and satisfies prescribed conditions as to residence and presence in Great Britain " and subsection (2) and in subsection (5) the words from " and may modify the contribution conditions " onwards shall be omitted ;

(iv) at the end of section 135(2) (which specifies the benefits which are to be paid out of money provided by Parliament instead of from the National Insurance Fund) there shall be inserted the words " (g) a maternity grant ";

(v) in Schedule 3, paragraphs 2 and 11 (which relate to contribution conditions for a maternity grant) and in paragraph 8(3) the words " a maternity grant" shall be omitted;

(vi) in the definition of " short-term benefit" in Schedule 20 the words " maternity grant" shall be omitted.

(2) In the preceding subsection " the appointed date " means such date as the Secretary of State may appoint for the purposes of that subsection by order made by statutory instrument; and subsection (1) of section 23 of the principal Act (which among other things defines the expression " confinement" for the purposes of the Chapter which contains that section) shall have effect as if paragraphs (a) and (b) of the preceding subsection were provisions of that Chapter.

(3) References in any enactment to maternity benefit under the principal Act shall continue to be references to maternity grant and maternity allowance under that Act.

(4) Nothing in subsection (1) of this section affects the operation of paragraphs 9, 10,12 and 13 of Schedule 3 to the principal Act (which relate to entitlement to certain benefits by reference to other benefits which include a maternity grant) so far as they relate to a maternity grant to which that subsection does not apply.