The Department for Employment and Learning has made a Statutory Rule entitled “The Maternity and Parental Leave etc. (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015” (S.R. 2015 No. 104) which comes into operation on 15th March 2015 for certain provisions and 5th April 2015 for the remainder.

This Rule will amend the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 (S.R. 1999 No. 417). The purpose of doing so is to remove the limitation on parental leave so that it may be taken at any time before a child’s eighteenth birthday. The Rule will also amend the right to return after maternity and parental leave to reflect the introduction of shared parental leave by the Shared Parental Leave Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 (S.R. 2015 No. 93).

Copies of the Rule may be purchased from The Stationery Office (TSO) at www.tsoshop.co.uk or by contacting TSO Customer Services on 0870 600 5522 or viewed online at online at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr.