Employees in Northern Ireland will gain a statutory right to at least 10 days of paid leave a year, to be known as “safe leave” under the Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Act (NI) 2022 (the “Act”). Although the Act was passed by the NI Assembly on 24 March 2022 and the consultation on the framework for the introduction of safe leave closed on 27 September 2024, detailed regulations are still to be introduced. The future regulations will likely set out how the right to safe leave will work, when it will be introduced and how it will be enforced. Recently (November 2025), the Economy Minister, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, confirmed her commitment to bring the right into force and noted that the introduction of legislation is planned to be in place before the end of the current Assembly Mandate, with implementation planned by May 2027. Therefore, employers should be aware of the introduction of “safe leave” and the legislative timeline particularly as NI is the first nation in the UK to take legislative steps to support victims of domestic abuse at work.

This article was provided by Madison Bowyer, an Associate in the Employment Law Group at Arthur Cox NI. 

T:+44 28 9026 5886 
E: Madison.bowyer@arthurcox.com 
https://www.arthurcox.com/