Part 3Miscellaneous and General
General
27General interpretation
1
In this Act—
“child” means—
- a
a person under the age of 16, or
- 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);
- a
“parent” means—
- a
any individual who has parental responsibility for a child, or
- b
any other individual with whom a child resides and who has care of the child;
- a
“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.