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19 2001

CARER'S LEAVE ACT, 2001

PART 1

Preliminary and General

Short title.

1. —This Act may be cited as the Carer's Leave Act, 2001.

Interpretation.

2. —(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

“Act of 1967” means the Redundancy Payments Act, 1967 ;

“Act of 1977” means the Unfair Dismissals Act, 1977 ;

“Act of 1993” means the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993 ;

“Act of 2000” means the Social Welfare Act, 2000 ;

“appeals officer” has the meaning assigned to it by the Act of 1993;

“associated employer” shall be construed in accordance with subsection (2);

“carer's leave” shall be construed in accordance with section 6 ;

“confirmation document” has the meaning assigned to it by section 10 ;

“continuous employment” shall be construed in accordance with section 7 (6);

“contract of employment” means—

(a) a contract of service or apprenticeship, and

(b) any other contract whereby an individual agrees with another person, who is carrying on the business of an employment agency, within the meaning of the Employment Agency Act, 1971 , and is acting in the course of that business, to do or perform personally any work or service for a third person (whether or not that third person is a party to the contract),

whether the contract is express or implied and, if express, whether it is oral or in writing;

“deciding officer” has the meaning assigned to it by the Act of 1993;

“dispute” shall be construed in accordance with section 17 ;

“employee” means a person of any age, who has entered into or works under (or, where the employment has ceased, entered into or worked under) a contract of employment and references, in relation to an employer, to an employee shall be construed as references to an employee employed by that employer; and for the purposes of this Act, a person holding office under, or in the service of, the State (including a civil servant within the meaning of the Civil Service Regulation Act, 1956 ) shall be deemed to be an employee employed by the State or Government, as the case may be, and an officer or servant of a local authority for the purposes of the Local Government Act, 1941 , or of a harbour authority, health board or vocational education committee shall be deemed to be an employee employed by the authority, board or committee, as the case may be;

“employer” means, in relation to an employee—

(a) the person with whom the employee has entered into or for whom the employee works under (or, where the employment has ceased, entered into or worked under) a contract of employment, subject to the qualification that the person who under a contract of employment referred to in paragraph (b) of the definition of “contract of employment” is liable to pay the wages of the individual concerned in respect of the work or service concerned shall be deemed to be the individual's employer, and

(b) includes, where appropriate, the successor of the employer or an associated employer of the employer;

“full-time care and attention” shall be construed in accordance with section 82A (inserted by the Act of 2000) of Chapter 11A of Part II of the Act of 1993;

“Minister” means the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment;

“prescribed” means prescribed by regulations made by the Minister under this Act;

“relevant person” has the meaning assigned to it by section 82A(1) (inserted by the Act of 2000) of Chapter 11A of Part II of the Act of 1993;

“successor” has the meaning assigned to it by section 14 (1)(a);

“Tribunal” means the Employment Appeals Tribunal.

(2) For the purposes of this Act, 2 employers shall be taken to be associated if one is a body corporate of which the other (whether directly or indirectly) has control or if both are bodies corporate of which a third person (whether directly or indirectly) has control and “associated employer” shall be construed accordingly.

(3) In this Act—

(a) a reference to a Part or section is a reference to a Part or section of this Act, unless it is indicated that a reference to some other enactment is intended,

(b) a reference to a subsection or paragraph is a reference to the subsection or paragraph of the provision in which the reference occurs, unless it is indicated that a reference to some other provision is intended, and

(c) a reference to any enactment shall, unless the context otherwise requires, be construed as a reference to that enactment as amended or adapted by or under any subsequent enactment.

Regulations.

3. —(1) The Minister may—

(a) by regulations, provide for any matter referred to in this Act as prescribed or to be prescribed, and

(b) make regulations generally for the purpose of giving effect to this Act.

(2) Before making regulations under this Act, the Minister shall consult with the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, any other Minister of the Government with whom, in his or her opinion, it is appropriate to consult and persons whom the Minister considers to be representative of employers and employees having regard to the regulations so made.

(3) Regulations under this Act may contain such consequential, supplementary and ancillary provisions as the Minister considers necessary or expedient.

(4) Every regulation under this Act shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the regulation is passed by either such House within the next 21 days on which the House has sat after the regulation is laid before it, the regulation shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

Voidance or modification of certain provisions in agreements.

4. —(1) A provision in any agreement shall be void in so far as it purports to exclude or limit the application of any provision of this Act or is inconsistent with any provision of this Act.

(2) A provision in any agreement which is or becomes less favourable in relation to an employee than a similar or corresponding entitlement conferred on the employee by this Act shall be deemed to be so modified as to be not less favourable.

(3) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as prohibiting the inclusion in an agreement of a provision more favourable to an employee than any provision in Parts 2 to 5.

(4) References in this section to an agreement are to any agreement, whether a contract of employment or not and whether made before or after the passing of this Act.

Expenses.

5. —Any expenses incurred by the Minister in the administration of this Act, shall, to such extent as may be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance, be paid out of monies provided by the Oireachtas.