S.I. No. 8/1968 - Redundancy (Resettlement Assistance) Regulations, 1968.

S.I. No. 8 of 1968.

REDUNDANCY (RESETTLEMENT ASSISTANCE) REGULATIONS, 1968.

I, P. S. Ó h-IRIGHILE, Minister for Labour, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 46 of the Redundancy Payments Act, 1967 (No. 21 of 1967), hereby make the following regulations:

General

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Redundancy (Resettlement Assistance) Regulations, 1968.

2. In these Regulations "the Minister" means the Minister for Labour.

3. These Regulations shall apply to—

(a) a person who is unemployed, and

(b) a person who is about to be declared redundant,

and is obliged to change his normal place of residence in order to take up employment offered or approved by the Employment Service.

4. These Regulations shall not apply to—

(a) a person under 18 years of age,

(b) a person not registered in the office of the Minister situate in the area in which that person has his normal place of residence,

(c) a person who is not, or was not immediately before the time he became unemployed, employed in employment which was insurable for all benefits under the Social Welfare Acts, 1952 to 1966, or in any other employment for which the remuneration did not exceed £1,200 per annum.

5. A grant under these Regulations shall not be payable unless the Minister is satisfied that—

(a) in relation to the person concerned, suitable employment is not available in the place where that person has his normal place of residence,

(b) there are, in relation to the employment which the person concerned proposes to take, no suitable workers available in the place where that employment exists,

(c) the person concerned could not reasonably be expected to take up the new employment concerned without having to change his normal place of residence, and

(d) there is a reasonable expectation that the new employment concerned will be of a permanent nature.

Removal Grant

6. (1) Subject to these Regulations, the Minister may make, to a person to whom these Regulations apply, a grant (hereinafter referred to as a removal grant) towards the cost of removal, from that person's normal place of residence to the place where the new employment concerned exists, of that person's ordinary household furniture and household effects and of such furniture and effects of that person's dependants.

(2) The amount of the removal grant shall be 80 per cent of the said cost of removal or £55, whichever is the lesser sum.

(3) A removal grant shall not be made until the Minister has been furnished by the person concerned with evidence satisfactory to the Minister of the said cost of removal.

Settling-In Grant

7. (1) Subject to these Regulations, the Minister may make, to a person to whom these Regulations apply, a grant (hereinafter referred to as the settling-in grant) of not more than £25 upon the completion of the removal of the household to the place where the new employment concerned exists.

(2) A settling-in grant shall not be made unless—

(a) the Minister is satisfied that expenses, other than those connected with the cost of removal as specified in paragraph 6, have been incurred by the person concerned or by a dependant of such person, and

(b) evidence satisfactory to the Minister of the said expenses has been furnished to the Minister.

Legal Grant

8. (1) Subject to these Regulations, the Minister may make to a person to whom these Regulations apply and who, in the course of changing his normal place of residence, has sold that residence and bought another residence or has either sold that residence or bought another residence, a grant (hereinafter referred to as a legal grant) towards the legal or house agent's fees incurred by that person in connection with such sale and purchase or sale or purchase.

(2) The amount of legal grant shall be £100 or 75 per cent of the fees involved, whichever is the lesser.

(3) A legal grant shall not be payable unless the sale and purchase (or, where only a sale or purchase is concerned, that transaction) are (or is) completed not later than two years from the date on which the person concerned takes up the employment concerned.

Travel Expenses

9. (1) Where a person to whom these Regulations apply is obliged to travel for interview in connection with a possible new employment in a place other than that where he has his normal place of residence, the Minister may, subject to these Regulations, recoup to that person such travel and other expenses as have, in the opinion of the Minister, been reasonably incurred by that person, by that person's wife or by both that person and his wife in attending that interview.

(2) Where a person to whom these Regulations apply obtains new employment in a place other than that where his normal place of residence is situated, the Minister may, subject to these Regulations, recoup to that person and to his dependants such travel expenses as have, in the opinion of the Minister, been reasonably incurred by that person and his dependants in travelling to the place where the new employment exists.

(3) Where a person is in receipt of a lodging allowance, the Minister may, subject to these Regulations, make to such person a grant or grants towards the costs of travel incurred by that person for the purpose of visiting his normal place of residence on not more than six occasions in the period of six months starting on the date on which the person takes up the new employment concerned.

(4) No grant under subparagraph (3) shall be made to a person who has not contributed ten shillings towards the cost of travel in respect of each occasion concerned.

Lodging Allowance

10. (1) Subject to these Regulations, where a person who has taken up employment in a place other than that where his normal place of residence is situated continues to maintain one or more than one dependant in the last-mentioned place, the Minister may make to such person an allowance (in these Regulations referred to as a lodging allowance) in respect of that person's lodgings in the place where the employment exists.

(2) A lodging allowance—

(a) shall not exceed £3 per week,

(b) shall not be payable in respect of a period later than six months after the date on which the employment commences.

(3) In determining the amount of a lodging allowance the Minister shall take into account the amount of any special allowance paid to the person by his employer by reason of that person's absence from his normal place of residence.

Miscellaneous

11. Subject to paragraph 12, a removal grant or a settling-in grant shall not be payable to a person who has not completed the removal of his household furniture and effects in the period of one year starting on the date on which the new employment concerned commenced.

12. Notwithstanding paragraph 11, in the case of a person to whom a legal grant has been made, the Minister may extend the period of one year mentioned in paragraph 11 to two years.

GIVEN under my Official Seal this 5th day of January, 1968.

P. S. Ó h-IRIGHILE,

Minister for Labour.

The Minister for Finance hereby consents to the above regulations.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Finance this

25th day of January, 1968.

CHARLES J. HAUGHEY,

Minister for Finance.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These regulations provide for a scheme of resettlement allowances under which financial assistance may be granted to unemployed workers, or to workers about to be declared redundant, who are obliged to move from their normal place of residence to a new area to take up employment offered or approved by the Employment Service. The regulations specify the allowances payable and the qualifying conditions for receipt of the allowances.