Part 3Miscellaneous and General

General

27General interpretation

1

In this Act—

  • “child” means—

    1. a

      a person under the age of 16, or

    2. b

      a person who is a qualifying young person for the purposes of Part 9 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 or Part 9 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (child benefit);

  • “parent” means—

    1. a

      any individual who has parental responsibility for a child, or

    2. b

      any other individual with whom a child resides and who has care of the child;

  • “prescribed” means prescribed by regulations;

  • “regulations” means regulations made by the Secretary of State under this Act.

2

In paragraph (a) of the definition of “parent” in subsection (1), the reference to “parental responsibility”—

a

in relation to England and Wales, is to be read in accordance with the Children Act 1989,

b

in relation to Northern Ireland, is to be read in accordance with the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, and

c

in relation to Scotland, is to be read as a reference to parental responsibilities within the meaning of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.