The Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

[F1 Right to paid time off to attend adoption appointments: agency workers N.I.

85ZN— (1) An agency worker who has been notified by an adoption agency that a child is to be, or is expected to be, placed for adoption with the agency worker alone is entitled to be permitted by the temporary work agency and the hirer to take time off during the agency worker's working hours in order that he or she may attend by appointment at any place for the purpose of having contact with the child or for any other purpose connected with the adoption.

(2) An agency worker who—

(a) has been notified by an adoption agency that a child is to be, or is expected to be, placed for adoption with the agency worker and another person jointly, and

(b) has elected to exercise the right to take time off under this Article in connection with the adoption,

is entitled to be permitted by the temporary work agency and the hirer to take time off during the agency worker's working hours in order that he or she may attend by appointment at any place for the purpose of having contact with the child or for any other purpose connected with the adoption.

(3) An agency worker may not make an election for the purposes of paragraph (2)(b) if—

(a) the agency worker has made an election for the purposes of Article 85ZP(1)(b) in connection with the adoption, or

(b) the other person with whom the child is to be, or is expected to be, placed for adoption has made an election for the purposes of paragraph (2)(b) or Article 85ZJ(2)(b) in connection with the adoption.

(4) An agency worker is not entitled to take time off under this Article on or after the date of the child's placement for adoption with the agency worker.

(5) In relation to any particular adoption, an agency worker is not entitled to take time off under this Article on more than five occasions.

(6) On each of those occasions, the maximum time off during working hours to which the agency worker is entitled is six and a half hours.

(7) An agency worker is not entitled to take time off under this Article unless the appointment has been arranged by or at the request of the adoption agency which made the notification described in paragraph (1) or (2)(a).

(8) An agency worker is not entitled to take time off under paragraph (1) unless, if the temporary work agency or the hirer requests it, the agency worker gives that person a document showing the date and time of the appointment in question and that it has been arranged as described in paragraph (7).

(9) An agency worker is not entitled to take time off under paragraph (2) unless, if the temporary work agency or the hirer requests it, the agency worker gives that person—

(a) a declaration signed by the agency worker stating that the agency worker has made an election for the purposes of paragraph (2)(b) in connection with the adoption, and

(b) a document showing the date and time of the appointment in question and that it has been arranged as described in paragraph (7).

(10) A document or declaration requested under paragraph (8) or (9) may be given in electronic form.

(11) In cases where more than one child is to be, or is expected to be, placed for adoption with an agency worker as part of the same arrangement, this Article has effect as if—

(a) the purposes specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) were the purpose of having contact with any one or more of the children and any other purpose connected with any of the adoptions that are part of the arrangement,

(b) the references in paragraphs (2)(b) and (9)(a) to the adoption were references to all of the adoptions that are part of the arrangement,

(c) the references in paragraph (3) to the adoption were references to any of the adoptions that are part of the arrangement,

(d) the reference in paragraph (4) to the date of the child's placement for adoption were a reference to the date of placement of the first child to be placed as part of the arrangement,

(e) the reference in paragraph (5) to a particular adoption were a reference to the adoptions that are part of a particular arrangement.

(12) For the purposes of this Article the working hours of an agency worker are to be taken to be any time when, in accordance with the terms under which the agency worker works temporarily for and under the supervision and direction of the hirer, the agency worker is required to be at work.

(13) In this Article “adoption agency” has the same meaning as in Article 85ZJ.]

F1 Arts. 85ZJ-85ZS and cross-headings inserted (5.4.2015) by Work and Families Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 1), ss. 17(2), 23(1); S.R. 2015/86, art. 4(1)(e)