Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

"Iris Oifigiúil" of 8th May, 2012.

I, JOAN BURTON, Minister for Social Protection, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 4 (amended by section 96 of the section 5 (4) of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2012 (No. 12 of 2012)) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (No. 26 of 2005), hereby make the following Regulations:

Citation and construction.

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No. 4) (One-Parent Family Payment) Regulations 2012.

(2) These Regulations and the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007 to 2012 shall be construed together as one and may be cited together as the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007 to 2012.

Commencement.

2. These Regulations come into operation on 3 May 2012.

Persons regarded as receiving full-time education.

3. Article 14(1) (amended by article 4 of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control)(Amendment)(One-Parent Family Payment) Regulations 2011 ( S.I. No. 90 of 2011 )) of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007 ( S.I. No. 142 of 2007 ) is amended by substituting "sections 2(3) and 178B(3)" for "sections 2(3) and 178A(7)".

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

2 May 2012.

JOAN BURTON,

Minister for Social Protection.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

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

Section 5 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2012 provides for a range of transitional measures that will apply to existing claimants for One-Parent Family Payment following the phased reduction from 14 years to 7 years in the age of the youngest child for qualification purposes. One of these transitional measures provides for the continuation of payment of One-Parent Family Payment during the academic year which commences in 2012, where the youngest child is between 18 and 22 years of age and is receiving full-time education, as may be prescribed.

These Regulations prescribe the circumstances in which a child aged between 18 and 22 years of age will be regarded as receiving full-time education for the purposes of the transitional measure which provides for the continuation of the One-Parent Family Payment up to the end of the 2012/2013 academic year.