Public Assistance Act, 1939

Appropriation of property.

30.—(1) Where a person in receipt of public assistance in a district institution owns any money or security for money, the public assistance authority from whom such person receives such public assistance may—

(a) if such person has such money in his physical possession, take and appropriate such money and thereout reimburse themselves the cost of the public assistance given by such authority to such person at any time before such taking, and return to such person the balance (if any) of such money, or

(b) if such person has such security in his physical possession, take and realise such security or a sufficient portion thereof and out of the proceeds of such realisation reimburse themselves the cost of the public assistance given by such authority to such person at any time before such taking, and pay to such person the balance (if any) of such proceeds, or

(c) in any case, by appropriate legal proceedings make such money or security available for the reimbursement of such authority in respect of the cost of the public assistance given by such authority to such person at any time before the institution of such proceedings and reimburse themselves in respect of such cost accordingly.

(2) Where a person in receipt of public assistance dies and at his death owns any money or other property, the public assistance authority from whom such person received such public assistance may—

(a) where the circumstances so permit, take and appropriate out of such money a sum sufficient to reimburse themselves in respect of the expenses (if any) incurred by such authority in or about the burial of such person and the cost of the public assistance given by such authority to such person at any time before his death, or.

(b) where the circumstances so permit, take and realise such property or a sufficient portion thereof and out of the proceeds of such realisation reimburse themselves in respect of the said expenses (if any) of burial and the said cost of public assistance, or

(c) in any case, by appropriate legal proceedings make such money and property available for the reimbursement of such authority in respect of the said expenses (if any) of burial and the said cost of public assistance and reimburse themselves in respect thereof accordingly.

(3) In the foregoing sub-sections of this section, the word “money” includes money deposited in the Post Office Savings Bank or any other bank and the expression “security for money” includes a deposit book issued by the Post Office Savings Bank to a depositor and also includes a Savings Certificate, and the powers conferred by those sub-sections respectively on a public assistance authority shall include:—

(a) in the case of money in the Post Office Savings Bank, power, on obtaining possession of the deposit book issued in respect thereof by that Bank, to withdraw such money or a sufficient portion thereof in accordance with regulations in that behalf made by the Minister for Finance, and

(b) in the case of money in any other bank, power to apply to the District Court for and, if that Court so thinks proper, to obtain an order directing such bank to pay such money or a sufficient portion thereof to such public assistance authority, and

(c) in the case of a Savings Certificate, power, on obtaining possession of such Certificate, to realise such Certificate in accordance with rules in that behalf made by the Minister for Finance.