S.I. No. 301 of 2001

SOCIAL WELFARE ACT, 2001 (SECTION 26) (COMMENCEMENT) ORDER, 2001

The Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 26 of the Social Welfare Act, 2001 (No. 5 of 2001) , hereby orders as follows:

Citation.

1. This Order may be cited as the Social Welfare Act, 2001 (Section 26) (Commencement) Order, 2001.

Commencement.

2. The 28th day of June 2001, is hereby appointed as the day on which section 26 of the Social Welfare Act, 2001 (No. 5 of 2001) , shall come into operation.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

This Order provides that Section 26 of the Social Welfare Act, 2001 shall come into effect on the 28th June 2001.

Section 26 provides for amendments to the qualifying conditions for entitlement to Carer's Benefit.

It provides for -

* an amendment to the definition of a ‘carer’ whereby he or she is no longer required to be under pensionable age,

* an amendment to the definition of ‘relevant person’ to include a person who is under 16 years, and

* regulations to prescribe an alternative three-month period to establish whether a person was engaged in full-time remunerative employment.