STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS.

S.I. No. 338 of 2000.

SOCIAL WELFARE (CONSOLIDATED CONTRIBUTIONS AND INSURABILITY) (AMENDMENT) (No. 1) (CARER'S BENEFIT) REGULATIONS, 2000.

S.I. No. 338 of 2000.

SOCIAL WELFARE (CONSOLIDATED CONTRIBUTIONS AND INSURABILITY) (AMENDMENT) (No. 1) (CARER'S BENEFIT) REGULATIONS, 2000.

The Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 4 (as amended by section 11 of the Social Welfare Act, 2000 ( section 12 of the Social Welfare Act, 1996 ( No. 7 of 1996 )) and 27 (as amended by section 24 of the Social Welfare Act, 1996 ) of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993 (No. 27 of 1993) , hereby makes the following Regulations.

Citation and construction.

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Consolidated Contributions and Insurability) (Amendment) (No. 1) (Carer's Benefit) Regulations, 2000.

(2) These Regulations and the Social Welfare (Consolidated Contributions and Insurability) Regulations, 1996 to 2000 shall be construed together as one and may be cited as the Social Welfare (Consolidated Contributions and Insurability) Regulations, 1996 to 2000.

Interpretation.

2. In these Regulations, “the Regulations of 1999” means the Social Welfare (Consolidated Contributions and Insurability) (Amendment) Regulations, 1999 ( S.I. No. 85 of 1999 ).

Commencement.

3. These Regulations shall come into operation on 26 October, 2000.

Credited contributions.

4. The Social Welfare (Consolidated Contributions and Insurability) Regulations, 1996 ( S.I. No. 312 of 1996 ) are hereby amended by--

(a) the substitution in article 58(1) for paragraph (b) (as amended by article 2 of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Contributions and Insurability) (Amendment) (No. 4) (Credited Contributions) Regulations, 1999 ( S.I. No. 323 of 1999 )), of the following paragraph:

“(b) in respect of any contribution week in which an insured person is in receipt of maternity benefit, health and safety benefit, adoptive benefit, carer's benefit, invalidity pension, pre-retirement allowance, carer's allowance and disability allowance,”,

(b) the substitution in paragraph (b) of article 81(2) (as amended by article 2(e) of the Regulations of 1999) for “widow's (contributory) pension” of “carer's benefit, widow's (contributory) pension”,

(c) the substitution in paragraph (b) of article 82(2) (as amended by article 2(f) of the Regulations of 1999) for “widow's (contributory) pension” of “carer's benefit, widow's (contributory) pension”,

(d) the substitution in paragraph (b) of article 83(2) (as amended by article 2(g) of the Regulations of 1999) for “widow's (contributory) pension” of “carer's benefit, widow's (contributory) pension”, and

(e) the substitution in paragraph (c) of article 87(2) (as amended by article 2(i) of the Regulations of 1999) for “treatment benefit” of “carer's benefit and treatment benefit”.

The Minister for Finance hereby consents to the making of the foregoing regulations.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

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

These Regulations provide for the award of credited contributions to recipients of the new Carer's Benefit scheme. The Regulations also provide that the modified rate contributions payable by Public Servants and members of the Defence Forces shall be reckoned for the purposes of qualifying for receipt of Carer's Benefit.