S.I. No. 215/1975:

SOCIAL WELFARE (VARIATION OF RATES OF PAYMENTS) REGULATIONS, 1975.

SOCIAL WELFARE (VARIATION OF RATES OF PAYMENTS) REGULATIONS, 1975.

The Minister for Social Welfare, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 3 of the Social Welfare Act, 1952 (No. 11 of 1952) and section 16 of the Social Welfare Act, 1975 (No. 1 of 1975) hereby makes the following Regulations:--

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Variation of Rates of Payments) Regulations, 1975.

2. In these Regulations--

"the Act of 1933" means the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1933 (No. 46 of 1933);

"the Act of 1935" means the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Act, 1935 (No. 29 of 1935);

"the Act of 1952" means the Social Welfare Act, 1952 ;

"the Act of 1966" means the Social Welfare (Occupational Injuries) Act, 1966 (No. 16 of 1966);

"the Act of 1967" means the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1967 (No. 18 of 1967);

"the Act of 1969" means the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1969 (No. 19 of 1969);

"the Act of 1970" means the Social Welfare Act, 1970 (No. 12 of 1970);

"the Act of 1973" means the Social Welfare Act, 1973 (No. 10 of 1973);

"the Act of 1974" means the Social Welfare (No. 2) Act, 1974 (No. 14 of 1974);

"the Act of 1975" means the Social Welfare Act, 1975 ;

"old age (non-contributory) pension" means a pension payable under the Old Age Pensions Acts, 1908 to 1975;

"unemployment assistance" means assistance payable under the Unemployment Assistance Acts, 1933 to 1975;

"widow's (non-contributory) pension" or "orphan's (non-contributory) pension" means, as the context requires, a pension payable under the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Acts, 1935 to 1975;

"single woman's allowance" means an allowance payable under section 8 of the Act of 1974;

"old age (care) allowance" means an allowance payable under section 21 of the Act of 1970;

"occupational injuries benefits" means benefits payable under the Act of 1966.

3. (1) The rates of old age (non-contributory) pension are hereby varied by--

( a ) the substitution for the rates set out in Tables A and B to subsection (2) (inserted by the Act of 1975) of section 77 of the Act of 1952 of the rates set out in the following Tables:

TABLE A.

RATE OF PENSION.

TABLE B.

INCREASE FOR AN ADULT DEPENDANT.

( b ) the increase of the sum of 70 new pence referred to in paragraph (a) (iii) of subsection (2) (inserted by the Act of 1975) of section 77 of the Act of 1952 to the sum of 75 new pence.

( c ) the increase of the sum of four pounds, ninety-five new pence (inserted by the Act of 1975) referred to in subsection (5) (inserted by the Act of 1969) of section 77 of the Act of 1952 to the sum of five pounds, twenty new pence.

(2) This article shall come into operation on the 3rd day of October, 1975.

4. (1) The rates of unemployment assistance are hereby varied by the substitution for the rates set out in the Schedule (inserted by the Act of 1975) to the Act of 1933 of the rates set out in the following Schedule:

SCHEDULE.

RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.

(2) This article shall come into operation on the 1st day of October, 1975.

5. (1) The rates of widows' (non-contributory) pensions are hereby varied by the substitution for the rates set out in Table B (inserted by the Act of 1975) in subsection (1) of section 20 of the Act of 1935 of the rates set out in the following Table:

TABLE B.

WEEKLY RATES OF WIDOWS' (NON-CONTRIBUTORY) PENSIONS.

(2) This article shall come into operation on the 2nd day of October, 1975, in the case of allowances payable by virtue of section 22 of the Act of 1970, section 8 of the Act of 1973 or section 9 of the Act of 1974, and on the 3rd day of October, 1975, in all other cases.

6. (1) The rates of orphans' (non-contributory) pensions are hereby varied by the substitution for the rates set out in the Table (inserted by the Act of 1975) to subsection (1) of section 25 of the Act of 1935 of the rates set out in the following Table:

TABLE.

WEEKLY RATES OF ORPHANS' (NON-CONTRIBUTORY) PENSIONS.

(2) This article shall come into operation on the 3rd day of October, 1975.

7. (1) The rate of single woman's allowance is hereby varied by the substitution for the rates set out in the Table (inserted by the Act of 1975) to section 8 of the Act of 1974 of the rates set out in the following Table:

TABLE.

RATE OF SINGLE WOMAN'S ALLOWANCE.

(2) This article shall come into operation on the 2nd day of October, 1975.

8. (1) The rate of old age (care) allowance is hereby varied by the substitution for the rate of £495 (inserted by the Act of 1975 in section 21 (1) of the Act of 1970) of the rate of £520.

(2) This article shall come into operation on the 2nd day of October, 1975.

9. (1) The rates of benefits under section 14 and of increases thereof under sections 26 and 27 of the Act of 1952 are hereby varied by the substitution--

( a ) for the rates set out in Part I (inserted by the Act of 1975) of the Third Schedule to the Act of 1952 of the following rates:

RATES OF PERIODICAL BENEFITS AND OF INCREASES THEREOF.

and

( b ) for the rates set out in the Table (inserted by the Act of 1975) to subsection (2) of section 5 of the Act of 1967 of the rates set out in the following Table:

TABLE.

(2) This article shall come into operation.

( a ) in so far as it relates to disability benefit, unemployment benefit and maternity allowance, on the 6th day of October, 1975,

( b ) in so far as it relates to deserted wife's benefit, invalidity pension and retirement pension, on the 2nd day of October 1975, and

( c ) in so far as it relates to any other benefit, on the 3rd day of October, 1975.

10. (1) The rates of occupational injuries benefits in the Act of 1966 (as substituted by the Act of 1975) mentioned in column (1) of the Table hereto are hereby varied by the substitution for the said rates of the rates set out in column (2) of the said Table opposite that mentioned in column (1):

TABLE.

(2) This article, in so far as it relates to the rates in sections 17 (2), 18 (2), 18 (3), 19, 20 and 21 (2) of the Act of 1966 shall come into operation on the 3rd day of October, 1975, and in all other cases shall come into operation on the 6th day of October, 1975.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Social Welfare

this 22nd day of September, 1975.

BRENDAN CORISH,

Minister for Social Welfare.

The Minister for Finance hereby consents to the foregoing Regulations.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Finance this 22nd

day of September, 1975.

RICHIE RYAN,

Minister for Finance.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

Section 16 of the Social Welfare Act, 1975 , provides that the Minister for Social Welfare may by regulations, made with the consent of the Minister for Finance, vary (but not so as to reduce) all or any of the rates of benefit, allowance, pension or assistance payable under the Old Age Pensions Acts, 1908 to 1975, the Unemployment Assistance Acts, 1933 to 1975, the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Acts, 1935 to 1975, and the Social Welfare Acts, 1952 to 1975.

These Regulations provide for increases in the existing statutory rates of old age contributory and non-contributory pensions, disability benefit, unemployment benefit and assistance, widows' and orphans' contributory and non-contributory pensions, deserted wife's benefit, invalidity and retirement pensions, occupational injuries benefits and social assistance allowances for deserted wives, unmarried mothers, prisoners' wives and elderly single women, with effect from appropriate dates in October, 1975.