Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992

4 (1) Paragraph 2(b) above does not apply in any case where—

(a) at the relevant date the contract of service has become a contract for a period exceeding three months; or

(b) the contract of service (the “current contract”) was preceded by a contract of service entered into by the employee with the same employer (the “previous contract”) and—

(i) the interval between the date on which the previous contract ceased to have effect and that on which the current contract came into effect was not more than 8 weeks; and

(ii) the aggregate of the period for which the previous contract had effect and the period specified in the current contract (or, where that period has been extended, the specified period as so extended) exceeds 13 weeks.

(2) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(b)(ii) above, in any case where the employee entered into more than one contract of service with the same employer before the current contract, any of those contracts which came into effect not more than 8 weeks after the date on which an earlier one of them ceased to have effect shall be treated as one with the earlier contract.