Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992

[F1 171ZV Entitlement: adoption U.K.

(1) Regulations may provide that, where all the conditions in subsection (2) are satisfied in relation to a person with whom a child is, or is expected to be, placed for adoption under the law of any part of the United Kingdom (“claimant A”), claimant A is to be entitled in accordance with the following provisions of this Part to payments to be known as “statutory shared parental pay”.

(2) The conditions are—

(a) that claimant A and another person (“X”) satisfy prescribed conditions as to caring or intending to care for the child;

(b) that X satisfies prescribed conditions—

(i) as to employment or self-employment,

(ii) as to having earnings of a prescribed amount for a prescribed period, and

(iii) as to relationship either with the child or with claimant A;

(c) that claimant A has been in employed earner's employment with an employer for a continuous period of at least the prescribed length ending with a prescribed week;

(d) that at the end of that prescribed week claimant A was entitled to be in that employment;

(e) that claimant A's normal weekly earnings for a prescribed period ending with a prescribed week are not less than the lower earnings limit in force under section 5(1)(a) at the end of that week;

(f) if regulations so provide, that claimant A continues in employed earner's employment (whether or not with the employer by reference to whom the condition in paragraph (c) is satisfied) until a prescribed time;

(g) that claimant A became entitled to statutory adoption pay by reference to the placement for adoption of the child;

(h) that claimant A satisfies prescribed conditions as to the reduction of the duration of the adoption pay period;

(i) that claimant A has given the person who will be liable to pay statutory shared parental pay to claimant A notice of—

(i) the number of weeks in respect of which claimant A would be entitled to claim statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child if the entitlement were fully exercised (disregarding for these purposes any intention of X to claim statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child),

(ii) the number of weeks in respect of which claimant A intends to claim statutory shared parental pay, and

(iii) the number of weeks in respect of which X intends to claim statutory shared parental pay;

(j) that claimant A has given the person who will be liable to pay statutory shared parental pay to claimant A notice of the period or periods during which claimant A intends to claim statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child;

(k) that a notice under paragraph (i) or (j)—

(i) is given by such time as may be prescribed, and

(ii) satisfies prescribed conditions as to form and content;

(l) that X consents to the extent of claimant A's intended claim for statutory shared parental pay;

(m) that it is claimant A's intention to care for the child during each week in respect of which statutory shared parental pay is paid to claimant A;

(n) that claimant A is absent from work during each week in respect of which statutory shared parental pay is paid to claimant A;

(o) that, where claimant A is an employee within the meaning of the Employment Rights Act 1996, claimant A's absence from work during each such week is absence on shared parental leave.

(3) Regulations may provide that, where all the conditions in subsection (4) are satisfied in relation to a person (“claimant B”), claimant B is to be entitled in accordance with the following provisions of this Part to payments to be known as “statutory shared parental pay”.

(4) The conditions are—

(a) that claimant B and another person (“Y”) who is a person with whom a child is, or is expected to be, placed for adoption under the law of any part of the United Kingdom satisfy prescribed conditions as to caring or intending to care for the child;

(b) that claimant B satisfies—

(i) prescribed conditions as to relationship with the child, or

(ii) prescribed conditions as to relationship with Y;

(c) that Y satisfies prescribed conditions—

(i) as to employment or self-employment, and

(ii) as to having earnings of a prescribed amount for a prescribed period;

(d) that claimant B has been in employed earner's employment with an employer for a continuous period of at least the prescribed length ending with a prescribed week;

(e) that at the end of that prescribed week claimant B was entitled to be in that employment;

(f) that claimant B's normal weekly earnings for a prescribed period ending with a prescribed week are not less than the lower earnings limit in force under section 5(1)(a) at the end of that week;

(g) if regulations so provide, that claimant B continues in employed earner's employment (whether or not with the employer by reference to whom the condition in paragraph (d) is satisfied) until a prescribed time;

(h) that Y became entitled to statutory adoption pay by reference to the placement for adoption of the child;

(i) that Y satisfies prescribed conditions as to the reduction of the duration of the adoption pay period;

(j) that claimant B has given the person who will be liable to pay statutory shared parental pay to claimant B notice of—

(i) the number of weeks in respect of which claimant B would be entitled to claim statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child if the entitlement were fully exercised (disregarding for these purposes any intention of Y to claim statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child),

(ii) the number of weeks in respect of which claimant B intends to claim statutory shared parental pay, and

(iii) the number of weeks in respect of which Y intends to claim statutory shared parental pay;

(k) that claimant B has given the person who will be liable to pay statutory shared parental pay to claimant B notice of the period or periods during which claimant B intends to claim statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child;

(l) that a notice under paragraph (j) or (k)—

(i) is given by such time as may be prescribed, and

(ii) satisfies prescribed conditions as to form and content;

(m) that Y consents to the extent of claimant B's intended claim for statutory shared parental pay;

(n) that it is claimant B's intention to care for the child during each week in respect of which statutory shared parental pay is paid to claimant B;

(o) that claimant B is absent from work during each week in respect of which statutory shared parental pay is paid to claimant B;

(p) that, where claimant B is an employee within the meaning of the Employment Rights Act 1996, claimant B's absence from work during each such week is absence on shared parental leave.

(5) Regulations may provide for—

(a) the determination of the extent of a person's entitlement to statutory shared parental pay in respect of a child;

(b) when statutory shared parental pay is to be payable.

(6) Provision under subsection (5)(a) is to secure that the number of weeks in respect of which a person is entitled to payments of statutory shared parental pay in respect of a child does not exceed the number of weeks of the adoption pay period reduced by—

(a) where the person who became entitled to receive statutory adoption pay takes action that is treated by regulations as constituting for the purposes of this section the person's return to work without satisfying conditions prescribed under subsection (2)(h) or, as the case may be, subsection (4)(i)—

(i) the number of relevant weeks in respect of which statutory adoption pay is payable to the person, or

(ii) if that number of relevant weeks is less than a number prescribed by regulations, that prescribed number of weeks, or

(b) except where paragraph (a) applies, the number of weeks to which the adoption pay period has been reduced by virtue of section 171ZN(2A).

(7) In subsection (6)(a) “relevant week” means a week falling before the week in which a person takes action that is treated by regulations as constituting for the purposes of this section the person's return to work, and for these purposes “week” has the meaning given by section 171ZN(8).

(8) In determining the number of weeks for the purposes of subsection (6)(b)—

(a) “week” has the same meaning as in subsection (7), and

(b) a part of a week is to be treated as a week.

(9) Provision under subsection (5)(a) is to secure that, where two persons are entitled to payments of statutory shared parental pay in respect of a child, the extent of one's entitlement and the extent of the other's entitlement do not, taken together, exceed what would be available to one person (see subsection (6)).

(10) Provision under subsection (5)(b) is to secure that no payment of statutory shared parental pay may be made to a person in respect of a child after the end of such period as may be prescribed.

(11) Provision under subsection (5)(b) is to secure that no payment of statutory shared parental pay in respect of a child may be made to a person who became entitled to receive statutory adoption pay in respect of the child before the end of the person's adoption pay period.

(12) Regulations may provide that, where the conditions in subsection (13) are satisfied in relation to a person who is entitled to statutory shared parental pay under subsection (1) or (3) (“V”), V may vary the period or periods during which V intends to claim statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child in question, subject to complying with provision under subsection (14) where that is relevant.

(13) The conditions are—

(a) that V has given the person who will be liable to pay statutory shared parental pay to V notice of an intention to vary the period or periods during which V intends to claim statutory shared parental pay;

(b) that a notice under paragraph (a)—

(i) is given by such time as may be prescribed, and

(ii) satisfies prescribed conditions as to form and content.

(14) Regulations may provide that, where the conditions in subsection (15) are satisfied in relation to a person who is entitled to statutory shared parental pay under subsection (1) or (3) (“V”), V may vary the number of weeks in respect of which V intends to claim statutory shared parental pay.

(15) The conditions are—

(a) that V has given the person who will be liable to pay statutory shared parental pay to V notice of—

(i) the extent to which V has exercised an entitlement to statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child,

(ii) the extent to which V intends to claim statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child,

(iii) the extent to which another person has exercised an entitlement to statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child, and

(iv) the extent to which another person intends to claim statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child;

(b) that a notice under paragraph (a)—

(i) is given by such time as may be prescribed, and

(ii) satisfies prescribed conditions as to form and content;

(c) that the person who is X or, as the case may be, Y in relation to V consents to that variation.

(16) A person's entitlement to statutory shared parental pay under this section is not affected by the placement for adoption of more than one child as part of the same arrangement.

[F2 (17) Regulations are to provide for entitlement to statutory shared parental pay in respect of a child placed, or expected to be placed—

(a) under section 22C of the Children Act 1989 by a local authority in England, or

(b) under section 81 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 by a local authority in Wales,

with a local authority foster parent who has been approved as a prospective adopter.

(18) This section has effect in relation to regulations made by virtue of subsection (17) as if—

(a) references to a child being placed for adoption under the law of any part of the United Kingdom were references to being placed under section 22C of the Children Act 1989 or section 81 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 with a local authority foster parent who has been approved as a prospective adopter;

(b) references to a placement for adoption were references to placement under section 22C of the Children Act 1989 or section 81 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 with such a person.]]

Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. 12ZC inserted (30.6.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 119(1), 139(6); S.I. 2014/1640, art. 3(1)(c)

F2 S. 171ZV(17)(18) substituted (6.4.2016) by The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/413), regs. 2(1), 138