Social welfare act, 2000

• Act Number: 4
• Enactment Date: 29 March 2000

Number 4 of 2000
SOCIAL WELFARE ACT, 2000
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
PART I
Preliminary
Section 1. Short title and construction. 2. Definitions. 3. Continuance of instruments.
PART II
Increases
4. Social insurance benefits (new rates). 5. Social assistance payments (new rates). 6. Child benefit (new rates). 7. Family income supplement (new weekly rates). 8. Employment contributions (exemption from payment, new rates of contributions and increases in earnings ceilings). 9. Self-employment contributions (increase in income ceiling).
PART III
Carer's Benefit
10. Carer's benefit. 11. Amendments consequential on section 10. 12. Commencement (Part III).
PART IV
Widowed Parent Grant
13. Widowed parent grant. 14. Amendments consequential on section 13. 15. Application of provisions.
PART V
Improvements in Social Welfare Schemes
16. Pensions for certain persons who entered insurance prior to 1953. 17. Assessment of means — improvements in assessment of property (capital). 18. Farm assist — improvements in assessment of income. 19. Assessment of means — fishermen. 20. Child dependants — retention of full-rate increase. 21. Disability allowance — improvements. 22. Carer's allowance — increase in respite care grant. 23. Return of contributions — maintenance arrangements. 24. One-parent family payment — saver provision. 25. Payments after death — improvements. 26. Supplementary welfare allowance — income disregards. 27. Entitlement to unemployment assistance.
PART VI
Miscellaneous Provisions
28. Carer's allowance — miscellaneous provisions. 29. Social Insurance Fund — expenditure on benefit. 30. Blind pension — increases for one of a couple. 31. Supplementary welfare allowance — transfer of functions. 32. Exchange of public service data. 33. Repeal.
PART VII
Amendment of Health Contributions Act, 1979
34. Amendment of Health Contributions Act, 1979.
PART VIII
Amendment of Pensions Act, 1990
35. Increases to pensions in payment. 36. Repeal.
SCHEDULE A
SCHEDULE B
SCHEDULE C
SCHEDULE D
SCHEDULE E
Acts Referred to
Education Act, 1998 1998, No. 51 Fire Services Act, 1981 1981, No. 30 Health Act, 1970 1970, No. 1 Health Contributions Act, 1979 1979, No. 4 Health (Provision of Information) Act, 1997 1997, No. 9 Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1992 1992, No. 18 Local Government Act, 1941 1941, No. 23 National Health Insurance Acts, 1911 to 1952 Pensions Act, 1990 1990, No. 25 Regional Technical Colleges Acts, 1992 to 1999 Social Welfare Act, 1990 1990, No. 5 Social Welfare Act, 1995 1995, No. 3 Social Welfare Act, 1996 1996, No. 7 Social Welfare Act, 1997 1997, No. 10 Social Welfare Act, 1998 1998, No. 6 Social Welfare Act, 1999 1999, No. 3 Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1981 1981, No. 1 Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993 1993, No. 27 Social Welfare (No. 2) Act, 1995 1995, No. 23 Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 1997, No. 39 Universities Act, 1997 1997, No. 24 Vocational Education Act, 1930 1930, No. 29
Number 4 of 2000
SOCIAL WELFARE ACT, 2000
AN ACT TO AMEND AND EXTEND THE SOCIAL WELFARE ACTS, SECTION 7A OF THE HEALTH CONTRIBUTIONS ACT, 1979, AND THE PENSIONS ACT, 1990.
[29th March, 2000]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
PART I Preliminary
	Short title and construction.	1.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Social Welfare Act, 2000.
	(2) The Social Welfare Acts and this Act (other than Parts VII and VIII) shall be construed together as one
	Definitions.	2.— In this —
	“the Act of 1995” means the Social Welfare Act, 1995 ;
	“the Act of 1996” means the Social Welfare Act, 1996 ;
	“the Act of 1997” means the Social Welfare Act, 1997 ;
	“the Act of 1998” means the Social Welfare Act, 1998 ;
	“the Act of 1999” means the Social Welfare Act, 1999 ;
	“the No. 2 Act of 1995” means the Social Welfare (No. 2) Act, 1995 ;
	“the Principal Act” means the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993 .
	Continuance of instruments.	3.— An instrument that is made under a provision of the Principal Act that is amended by this Act and that is in force immediately before the commencement of the amendment shall continue in force as if made under the provision so amended.
PART II Increases
	Social insurance benefits (new rates).	4.—(1) The Principal Act is amended by the substitution for Parts I to IV (inserted by section 4 of the Act of 1999) of the Second Schedule thereto of the Parts set out in Schedule A to this Act.
	(2) This section comes into operation—
	(a) in so far as it relates to unemployment benefit, on 27 April 2000,
	(b) in so far as it relates to disability benefit, health and safety benefit, injury benefit and disablement gratuity on 1 May 2000,
	(c) in so far as it relates to retirement pension, invalidity pension and a relevant payment by virtue of section 18(1)(a) of the Act of 1996, on 4 May 2000, and
	(d) in so far as it relates to disablement pension, death benefit under section 60, 61 or 62 of the Principal Act, old age (contributory) pension, widow's and widower's (contributory) pension and orphan's (contributory) allowance, on 5 May 2000.
	Social assistance payments (new rates).)	5.—(1) The Principal Act is amended by the substitution for Parts I and II (inserted by section 5 of the Act of 1999) of the Fourth Schedule thereto of the Parts set out in Schedule B to this Act.
	(2) This section comes into operation—
	(a) in so far as it relates to unemployment assistance and farm assist, on 26 April 2000,
	(b) in so far as it relates to supplementary welfare allowance, on 1 May 2000,
	(c) in so far as it relates to disability allowance, on 3 May 2000,
	(d) in so far as it relates to pre-retirement allowance, one-parent family payment (other than where payable in respect of a widow or widower), carer's allowance and a relevant payment by virtue of section 18(1)(b) or (c) of the Act of 1996, on 4 May 2000, and
	(e) in so far as it relates to old age (non-contributory) pension, blind pension, widow's and widower's (non-contributory) pension, one-parent family payment payable in respect of a widow or widower and orphan's (non-contributory) pension, on 5 May 2000.
	Child benefit (new rates).)	6.—(1) The Fourth Schedule to the Principal Act is amended by the substitution for Part III (inserted by section 6 of the Act of 1999) of the following Part:
	“PART III
	Amounts of Child Benefit
Amount for each of first 2 children Amount for each child in excess of 2 (1) (2) £42.50 £56.00
	”.
	(2) This section comes into operation on 1 September 2000.
	Family income supplement (new weekly rates).	7—(1) The Principal Act is amended by the substitution for section 198 (inserted by section 7(1) of the Act of 1999) of the following section:
	“198.—Subject to this Act, an allowance (in this Act referred to as ‘family income supplement') shall be payable out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas in respect of a family where the weekly family income is less than—
	(a) in the case of a family which includes only 1 child, £233,
	(b) in the case of a family which includes 2 children, £253,
	(c) in the case of a family which includes 3 children, £273,
	(d) in the case of a family which includes 4 children, £293,
	(e) in the case of a family which includes 5 children, £318,
	(f) in the case of a family which includes 6 children, £338,
	(g) in the case of a family which includes 7 children, £355, or
	(h) in the case of a family which includes 8 or more children, £372.”.
	(2) This section comes into operation on 4 May 2000.
	Employment contributions (exemption from payment, new rates of contributions and increases in earnings ceilings).	8—(1) Section 10 of the Principal Act is amended by—
	(a) the insertion after subsection (1)(a) of the following subsection:
	“(aa) where in any contribution week a payment of not more than £226 per week (or the equivalent thereof in respect of an employed contributor remunerated otherwise than on a weekly basis) is made to or for the benefit of an employed contributor in respect of reckonable earnings of that contributor relating to an employment, a contribution shall not be payable by that employed contributor in respect of those earnings from that employment.”,
	(b) the substitution in subsection (1)(b) for “a payment” of “a payment of more than £226”,
	(c) the substitution in subsection (1)(c) of “£26,500” for “£25,400” (inserted by section 8(1)(a) of the Act of 1999),
	(d) the substitution in subsection (1)(d) of—
	(i) “7.8 per cent.” for “8.5 per cent.”, and
	(ii) “11.3 per cent.” for “12 per cent.”,
	(both inserted by section 8(1)(c) of the Act of 1996),
	(e) the substitution in subsection (1)(e) (inserted by section 8(1)(c) of the Act of 1999) of “£36,600” for “£35,000”, and
	(f) the substitution in subsection (7) (inserted by section 12 of the Act of 1996) of “7.8 per cent.” for “8.5 per cent.” and of “11.3 per cent.” for “12 per cent.”.
	(2) This section, other than subsection (1)(d) and (f), comes into operation on 6 April 2000.
	(3) Subsection (1)(d) and (f) comes into operation on such day or days as the Minister may appoint by order.
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