S.I. No. 437/1994:

SOCIAL WELFARE (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) REGULATIONS, 1994.

SOCIAL WELFARE (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) REGULATIONS, 1994.

The Minister for Social Welfare in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 4 and 241 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993 (No. 27 of 1993), hereby makes the following Regulations:--

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Temporary Provisions) Regulations, 1994.

2. In these Regulations "the Principal Act" means the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993 .

3. (1) Subject to this article, where a person is or becomes entitled to any benefit, pension, assistance or allowance mentioned in this article, any amount payable to him by way of that benefit, pension, assistance or allowance (including any increase thereof) shall be increased by a sum equal to 70 per cent. of that amount in respect of the week commencing on--

( a ) the 30th day of November, 1994 in the case of unemployment assistance payable in accordance with section 121 (1) (a) of the Principal Act, or

( b ) the 8th day of December, 1994 in the case of retirement pension, invalidity pension, deserted wife's benefit, pre-retirement allowance, deserted wife's allowance, prisoner's wife's allowance, lone parent's allowance (other than lone parent's allowance payable in respect of a widow or a widower) or carer's allowance, or

( c ) the 9th day of December, 1994 in the case of disablement pension, death benefit under sections 60, 61 or 62 of the Principal Act, old age (contributory) pension, survivor's pension, orphan's (contributory) allowance, old age (non-contributory) pension, blind pension, widow's (non-contributory) pension, orphan's (non-contributory) pension or lone parent's allowance payable in respect of a widow or widower:

Provided that a person (other than a person who by virtue of Regulations made under section 209 of the Principal Act is in receipt of more than one benefit, pension, assistance or allowance) shall not be entitled to more than one such increase.

(2) Where on the 8th or the 9th day of December, 1994, as the case may be, a pension is payable by direct credit transfer in accordance with article 12 (2) (c) of the Social Welfare (Claims and Payments) Regulations, 1993 ( S.I. No. 189 of 1993 ), the pension shall be deemed to be payable, for the purposes of sub-article (1) of this article, in respect of the week commencing on the 8th day of December, 1994 in the case of retirement pension and on the 9th day of December, 1994 in the case of old age (contributory) pension and survivor's pension.

(3) Where the amount of the increase calculated pursuant to sub-article (1) of this article is less than £20, the said increase shall be payable at an amount of £20.

4. Where, by virtue of the provisions of these Regulations, the amount of benefit, pension, assistance or allowance (including any increase thereof) is increased, the amount so payable shall be rounded up to the nearest 10p where it is a multiple of 5p but not also a multiple of 10p and shall be rounded to the nearest 10p where it is not a multiple of 5p or 10p.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Social Welfare,

this 2nd day of December, 1994.

MICHAEL WOODS,

Minister for Social Welfare.

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

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Finance, this

2nd day of December, 1994.

BERTIE AHERN,

Minister for Finance.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Regulations provide for the payment of a Christmas Bonus to long-term social welfare recipients, equivalent to 70% of their normal weekly payment, subject to a minimum payment of £20.

The Bonus payment applies to recipients of--

--disablement pension,

--death benefit by way of pension,

--old age (contributory and non-contributory) pensions,

--retirement pension,

--invalidity pension,

--survivor's pension,

--widow's (non-contributory) pension,

--orphan's (contributory and non-contributory) pensions,

--deserted wife's payments,

--pre-retirement allowance,

--blind pension,

--carer's allowance,

--lone parent's allowance,

--prisoner's wife's allowance, and

--unemployment assistance at the long-term rate.