These Regulations apply Parts 12ZA, 12ZB and 12ZC of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, as modified by these Regulations, to parental order parents. A parental order parent is a person who has applied, or intends to apply, with another person, under section 54 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 for a parental order in respect of a child or someone who has such an order. Part 12ZA provides for entitlement to statutory paternity pay. Part 12ZB provides for entitlement to statutory adoption pay. Part 12ZC provides for entitlement statutory shared parental pay.

An impact assessment has not been prepared for these Regulations. These Regulations are part of a package of legislative measures and the relevant impacts were assessed within the document ‘Sharing parental rights, extending flexibility at work – public consultation’, published in May 2013 (www.delni.gov.uk/index/consultation-zone/archived-consultations/archived-consultations-2013/working-parents-rights.htm), and supplemented by a further publication in April 2014 (www.delni.gov.uk/index/publications/equality-good-relations/shared-parental-leave-and-pay.htm).