Part I Contributions

Preliminary

2 Categories of earners.

(1)

In this Part of this Act and Parts II to V—

(a)

“employed earner” means a person who is gainfully employed in Northern Ireland either under a contract of service, or in an office (including elective office) with F1general earnings ; and

(b)

“self-employed earner” means a person who is gainfully employed in Northern Ireland otherwise than in employed earner’s employment (whether or not he is also employed in such employment).

(2)

Regulations may provide—

(a)

for employment of any prescribed description to be disregarded in relation to liability for contributions otherwise arising from employment of that description;

(b)

for a person in employment of any prescribed description to be treated, for the purposes of this Act, as falling within one or other of the categories of earner defined in subsection (1) above, notwithstanding that he would not fall within that category apart from the regulations.

F2(2A)

Regulations under subsection (2) above shall be made by the Treasury and, in the case of regulations under paragraph (b) of that subsection, with the concurrence of the Department.

(3)

Where a person is to be treated by reference to any employment of his as an employed earner, then he is to be so treated for all purposes of this Act; and references throughout this Act to employed earner’s employment shall be construed accordingly.

(4)

Subsections (1) to (3) above are subject to the provision made by section 95 below as to the employments which are to be treated, for the purposes of industrial injuries benefit, as employed earner’s employments.

(5)

For the purposes of this Act, a person shall be treated as a self-employed earner as respects any week during any part of which he is such an earner (without prejudice to his being also treated as an employed earner as respects that week by reference to any other employment of his).