S.I. No. 373/1996 - Social Welfare (Temporary Provisions) Regulations, 1996

S.I. No. 373 of 1996.

SOCIAL WELFARE (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) REGULATIONS, 1996

The Minister for Social Welfare in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 4 (as amended by section 37 of the Social Welfare Act, 1996 (No. 7 of 1996)) and 241 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993 (No. 27 of 1993), hereby makes the following Regulations:—

1 Citation.

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Temporary Provisions) Regulations, 1996.

2 Interpretation.

2. In these Regulations "the Principal Act" means the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993 .

3 Christmas bonus.

3. (1) subject to this article, where a person is or becomes entitled to any benefit, pension, assistance or allowance mentioned in this article, any amount payable to that person by way of that benefit, pension, assistance or allowance (including any increase thereof) shall be increased by a sum equal to 70 per cent. of the appropriate weekly amount due to the said person in respect of the week commencing on —

(a) the 27th day of November, 1996 in the case of unemployment assistance payable in accordance with section 121(1) (a) of the Principal Act, or

(b) the 4th day of December, 1996 in the case of disability allowance, or

(c) the 5th day of December, 1996 in the case of retirement pension, invalidity pension, deserted wife's benefit, pre-retirement allowance, deserted wife's allowance, prisoner's wife's allowance, lone parent's allowance (other than lone parent's allowance payable in respect of a widow or a widower) or carer's allowance, or

(d) the 6th day of December, 1996 in the case of disablement pension, death benefit under sections 60, 61 or 62 of the Principal Act, old age (contributory) pension, widow's (contributory) pension, widower's (contributory) pension, orphan's (contributory) allowance, old age (non-contributory) pension, blind pension, widow's (non-contributory) pension, orphan's (non-contributory) pension or lone parent's allowance in respect of a widow or widower, or

(e) the 28th day of November, 1996 in the case of unemployment benefit where the person entitled to or in receipt of the said benefit was, in the period of two months prior to that date, in receipt of unemployment assistance payable in accordance with section 121(1) (a) of the Principal Act:

Provided that a person (other than a person who by virtue of Regulations made under section 209 of the Principal Act is in receipt of more than one benefit, pension, assistance or allowance) shall not be entitled to more than one such increase.

(2) Where on the 5th or the 6th day of December, 1996, as the case may be, a pension is payable to a person by direct credit transfer in accordance with article 108(2) (c) of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Payments Provisions) Regulations, 1994 and 1996, the pension shall be deemed to include, for the purposes of sub-article (1) of this article, the appropriate weekly amount due to that person in respect of the week commencing on the 5th day of December, 1996 in the case of retirement pension and invalidity pension and on the 6th day of December, 1996 in the case of old age (contributory) pension, widow's (contributory) pension, widower's (contributory) pension and orphan's (contributory) allowance.

(3) Where the amount of the increase calculated pursuant to sub-article (1) of this article is less than £20 , the said increase shall be payable at the amount of £20.

4 Rounding.

4. Where, by virtue of the provisions of these Regulations, the amount of benefit, pension, assistance or allowance (including any increase thereof) is increased, the amount so payable shall be rounded up to the nearest 10p where it is a multiple of 5p but not also a multiple of 10p and shall be rounded to the nearest 10p where it is not a multiple of 5p or 10p.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Social Welfare

this 27th day of November, 1996

PROINSIAS DE ROSSA

Minister for Social Welfare.

The Minister for Finance hereby consents to the making of the foregoing Regulations.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Finance this

28th day of November, 1996

RUAIRI QUINN

Minister for Finance.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations provide for the payment of a Christmas Bonus to long-term social welfare recipients, equivalent to 70% of their normal weekly payments, subject to a minimum payment of £20.

The bonus payment applies to recipients of —

— disablement pension,

— death benefit by way of pension,

— old age (contributory and non-contributory) pensions,

— retirement pension,

— invalidity pension,

— widow's (contributory and non-contributory) pension,

— widower's (non-contributory) pension,

— orphan's (contributory and non-contributory) pensions,

— deserted wife's payments,

— pre-retirement allowance'

— blind pension'

— carer's allowance'

— lone parent's allowance'

— prisoner's wife's allowance'

— unemployment assistance at the long-term rate'

— disability allowance.

The Regulations also apply to certain recipients of unemployment benefit.