Social Welfare Act, 1976

Amendments of Social Welfare (Pay-Related Benefit) Act, 1973.

12.—(1) Section 3 of the Act of 1973 is hereby amended by the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (2) (inserted by the Social Welfare (Pay-Related Benefit) Act, 1975):

“(2) In any period of interruption of employment a person shall not be entitled to pay-related benefit in respect of any day of incapacity for work after the three hundred and ninety-third day of incapacity for work in that period or in respect of any day of unemployment after the three hundred and ninety-third day of unemployment in that period.”.

(2) The following section is hereby substituted for section 4 (inserted by the Social Welfare (Pay-Related Benefit) Act, 1975) of the Act of 1973 :

“4. The weekly rate of pay-related benefit payable to a person in any period of interruption of employment shall be an amount equal to—

(a) for any part of that period up to and including the one hundred and fifty-ninth day of incapacity for work, or for any part of that period up to and including the one hundred and fifty-ninth day of unemployment, forty per cent.,

(b) for any part of that period on and from the one hundred and sixtieth day of incapacity for work up to and including the two hundred and thirty-seventh such day, or for any part of that period on and from the one hundred and sixtieth day of unemployment up to and including the two hundred and thirty-seventh such day, thirty per cent.,

(c) for any part of that period on and from the two hundred and thirty-eighth day of incapacity for work up to and including the three hundred and fifteenth such day, or for any part of that period on and from the two hundred and thirty-eighth day of unemployment up to and including the three hundred and fifteenth such day, twenty-five per cent., and

(d) for any part of that period on and from the three hundred and sixteenth day of incapacity for work up to and including the three hundred and ninety-third such day, or for any part of that period on and from the three hundred and sixteenth day of unemployment up to and including the three hundred and ninety-third such day, twenty per cent.,

of the part (if any) of his reckonable weekly earnings for the relevant income tax year that exceeds £14 but does not exceed such limit as stands prescribed for the time being, subject to such conditions as may be prescribed to restrict the total amount of benefit payable under the Acts to the person in respect of any week.”.

(3) (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2) of section 3 of the Act of 1973 (as amended by this section) but subject to the provisions of subsection (1) of that section, where, in a period of interruption of employment which began before the commencement of this section, a person has, before such commencement, received pay-related benefit and had not less than 315 days of incapacity for work, he shall be entitled to pay-related benefit in respect of each day, up to a maximum of 78 days, of incapacity for work occurring after such commencement but before the three hundred and ninety-fourth day of incapacity for work in that period of interruption of employment.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2) of section 3 of the Act of 1973 but subject to the provisions of subsection (1) of that section, where, in a period of interruption of employment which began before the commencement of this section, a person has, before such commencement, received pay-related benefit and had not less than 315 days of unemployment, he shall be entitled to pay-related benefit in respect of each day, up to a maximum of 78 days, of unemployment occurring after such commencement but before the three hundred and ninety-fourth day of unemployment in that period of interruption of employment.

(4) The Social Welfare (Extension of Duration of Pay-Related Benefit) Order, 1975 (S.I. No. 206 of 1975) is hereby revoked.

(5) In this section—

“the Act of 1973” means the Social Welfare (Pay-Related Benefit) Act, 1973 .

(6) This section shall come into operation on the 5th day of April, 1976.