(1)A mother or expectant mother designated as a Minister on Leave under this section is to be paid an allowance in accordance with section 2.
(2)The Prime Minister may designate a mother or expectant mother as a Minister on Leave if—
(a)the mother or expectant mother appears to the Prime Minister to satisfy either of the conditions in subsection (3), and
(b)the mother or expectant mother ceases to hold a ministerial office (“the first ministerial office”) but remains a member of Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom by virtue of immediately being appointed to another ministerial office (“the designated ministerial office”) for the purposes of being designated under this section.
(3)The conditions in this subsection are that—
(a)the expectant mother is within 12 weeks before the expected week of childbirth;
(b)the mother has given birth to a child within the previous 4 weeks.
(4)In subsection (3)(b) “child” includes a still-born child within the meaning of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 (see section 41(1) of that Act).
(5)In this Act “ministerial office” means—
(a)an office specified in any of Parts 1 to 4 of Schedule 1 to the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975;
(b)the office of Lord Chancellor.
(6)A designation under this section ends—
(a)at the end of the period of 6 months beginning with the day on which the designation takes effect, or
(b)if earlier, when the mother or expectant mother designated ceases to hold the designated ministerial office.