7.—(1) An employee shall, as soon as is practicable, notify his or her employer of any change in circumstances which affect the entitlement to carer’s leave.

(2) Notwithstanding sections 6(4), 8(4) and 9(1) and subject to subsections (4) and (5), an employee may, while on carer’s leave in respect of a relevant person, apply for carer’s leave for another person if that person resides with the relevant person.

(3) An employee who wishes to apply for carer’s leave for another person in the circumstances referred to in subsection (2) shall apply for carer’s leave under section 6.

(4) Where an application referred to in subsection (3) is made and an employee who is on carer’s leave in respect of a relevant person takes carer’s leave in respect of a second relevant person—

(a) the period of carer’s leave for the first-mentioned relevant person shall not exceed F5[104 weeks] from its commencement, and

(b) the period of carer’s leave for the second-mentioned relevant person shall commence on the date of the decision under section 6(5) or section 6(6) and shall not exceed F5[104 weeks] from its commencement,

and the total amount of weeks for such carer’s leave shall not exceed F5[208 weeks].

(5) An employee who is on carer’s leave in respect of a relevant person and who takes carer’s leave in respect of a second relevant person shall not make another application for carer’s leave in the circumstances referred to in subsection (2).

(6) The First Schedule to the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act, 1973, shall apply for the purpose of ascertaining the period of service of an employee and whether that service has been continuous.

(7) Regulations made under section 82B(3) (inserted by the Act of 2000) of Chapter 11A of Part II of the Act of 1993 shall apply to this Act with any necessary modifications.