In these Regulations—

• “the Act” means the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992;

• “adopter”, in relation to a child, means the person with whom a child is, or is expected to be, placed for adoption under the law of the United Kingdom;

• “adoption from overseas” means the adoption of a child who enters Northern Ireland from outside the United Kingdom in connection with or for the purposes of adoption which does not involve the placement of the child for adoption under the law of any part of the United Kingdom;

• “EEA” means European Economic Area;

• “foreign-going ship” means any ship or vessel which is not a home-trade ship;

• “General Regulations” means the Statutory Shared Parental Pay (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 M1;

• “home-trade ship” includes—

  1. a

     every ship or vessel employed in trading or going within the following limits—

     1. i

        the United Kingdom (including for this purpose the Republic of Ireland),

     2. ii

        the Channel Islands,

     3. iii

        the Isle of Man, and

     4. iv

        the continent of Europe between the river Elbe and Brest inclusive;

  2. b

     every fishing vessel not proceeding beyond the following limits—

     1. i

        on the South, Latitude 48°30′N,

     2. ii

        on the West, Longitude 12°W, and

     3. iii

        on the North, Latitude 61°N;

• “mariner” means a person who is or has been in employment under a contract of service either as a master or member of the crew of any ship or vessel, or in any other capacity on board any ship or vessel where—

  1. a

     the employment in that other capacity is for the purposes of that ship or vessel or her crew or any passengers or cargo or mails carried by the ship or vessel; and

  2. b

     the contract is entered into in the United Kingdom with a view to its performance (in whole or in part) while the ship or vessel is on her voyage,

  but does not include a person in so far as their employment is as a serving member of the forces;

• “placed for adoption” means—

  1. a

     placed for adoption by virtue of regulation 12 of the Adoption Agencies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1989 M2;

  2. b

     placed by an authority with a person who is an approved foster parent who is also an approved prospective adopter M3 where the authority—

     1. i

        is considering adoption for the child, or

     2. ii

        is satisfied that adoption is in the best interests of the child,

     and is considering whether that person would be a suitable adoptive parent for that child;

  3. c

     placed for adoption under the Adoption and Children Act 2002 M4 or the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 M5; or

  4. d

     placed in accordance with section 22C of the Children Act 1989 M6 with a local authority foster parent who is also a prospective adopter;

• “serving member of the forces” means a person, other than one mentioned in Part 2 of Schedule 1, who, being over the age of 16, is a member of any establishment or organisation specified in Part 1 of that Schedule (being a member who gives full pay service) but does not include any such person while absent on desertion;

• “statutory shared parental pay (adoption)” means statutory shared parental pay payable where entitlement to that pay arises under regulation 17 or 18 of the General Regulations;

• “statutory shared parental pay (birth)” means statutory shared parental pay payable where entitlement to that pay arises under regulation 4 or 5 of the General Regulations.

For the purposes of these regulations, the expressions “ship” and “ship or vessel” include hovercraft, except in regulation 9(2).

In paragraph (d) of the definition of “placed for adoption” in paragraph (1)—

• “local authority foster parent” means a person approved as a local authority foster parent in accordance with regulations made by virtue of paragraph 12F of Schedule 2 to the Children Act 1989 M13;

• “prospective adopter” means a person who has been approved as suitable to adopt a child and has been notified of that decision in accordance with regulation 30B(4) of the Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005.