Social Welfare Act, 1997

Pre-retirement allowance—extension of entitlement.

24.—Section 127 of the Principal Act is hereby amended by the substitution for subsection (1) (c) (inserted by section 25 of the Act of 1996) of the following paragraph:

“(c) (i) who has been in receipt of unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance in respect of not less than 390 days of unemployment in any continuous period of unemployment in the immediately preceding period as construed in accordance with section 120 (3),

(ii) being a separated spouse, has not engaged in remunerative employment or self-employment at any time in such preceding period as may be prescribed, or

(iii) immediately before the week in respect of which pre-retirement allowance is claimed, was in receipt of—

(A) one-parent family payment, but has ceased to be entitled to such payment by virtue of no longer being regarded as a qualified parent within the meaning of section 157 (1), or

(B) carer's allowance, but has ceased to be entitled to such allowance by virtue of no longer being regarded as a carer within the meaning of section 163 (1).”.