Social Welfare Act, 1991

Amendment of section 19 of Principal Act (conditions for receipt).

18.—(1) Section 19 of the Principal Act is hereby amended—

(a) by the substitution for subsection (1) (as amended by section 8 of the Act of 1987) of the following subsection:

“(1) The contribution conditions for disability benefit are—

(a) that the claimant has qualifying contributions in respect of not less than 39 contribution weeks in the period between his entry into insurance and the day for which the benefit is claimed, and

(b) that the claimant has qualifying contributions or credited contributions in respect of not less than 39 contribution weeks in the last complete contribution year before the beginning of the benefit year which includes the day for which the benefit is claimed, and

(c) that the claimant has prescribed reckonable weekly earnings in excess of a prescribed amount in a prescribed period.”, and

(b) by the substitution for subsections (4) and (5) of the following subsections:

“(4) Subject to subsection (5), regulations may provide for entitling to disability benefit persons who would be entitled thereto but for the fact that the condition set out in subsection (1) (c) is not satisfied.

(5) Regulations for the purposes of subsection (4) shall provide that benefit payable by virtue thereof shall be payable at a rate less than that specified in the Second Schedule, and the rate specified by the regulations may vary with the extent to which the condition set out in subsection (1) (c) is satisfied.”.

(2) This section shall come into operation on such day or days as the Minister may appoint by order or orders and different days may be so appointed for different provisions of this section.