Explanatory note

These Regulations relate to the treatment under Part 12ZC of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 of persons abroad, persons who work as mariners and persons who work on the continental shelf. The effect is that persons who would otherwise not fulfil the qualifying conditions for entitlement to statutory shared parental pay because of the nature of their employment or the fact that they are outside the United Kingdom will have an entitlement to such pay.

Regulation 4 limits the application of the Regulations to cases where the person would be treated as an employee under Part 12ZC of the Act if the employment were in Great Britain.

Regulation 5 provides for a person employed in another State of the European Economic Area but subject to the legislation of the United Kingdom to be treated as an employee for the purposes of Part 12ZC.

Regulation 6 provides for a person who is absent from Great Britain but in respect of whom an employer has secondary Class 1 national insurance contribution liability to be treated as an employee for the purposes of the Part 12ZC.

Where a person has worked for the same employer both in Great Britain and in another State of the European Economic Area, regulation 7 provides, in specified circumstances, for employment in the Member State to be treated as employed earner's employment for the purposes of Part 12ZC. Regulation 8 relaxes any time limit imposed by Part 12ZC of the Act or regulations made under it in relation to a person who cannot comply with the time limit because that person is outside the United Kingdom.

Regulation 9 treats certain classes of mariners as employees for the purposes of Part 12ZC and regulation 10 makes corresponding provision for persons working on the continental shelf.

Regulations 12 to 14 make a number of small amendments to the Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (Persons Abroad and Mariners) Regulations 2002 to provide new rights to pay for local authority foster parents who are prospective adopters if they have been notified that child is to be placed with them under section 22C of the Children Act 1989 following consideration in accordance with section 22C(9B)(c) of that Act.

Schedule 2 applies these Regulations, with modifications, to adoptions from overseas.

An impact assessment has not been prepared for these Regulations. These Regulations are part of a package of legislative measures and the relevant impact assessment is the Modern Workplaces: shared parental leave and pay administration consultation impact assessment which was published in February 2013. A copy of that impact assessment can be obtained from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Labour Market Directorate, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET. Copies have also been placed in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament.