S.I. No. 333/1997 - Social Welfare (Consolidated Payments Provisions (Amendment) (No. 6) (Carer's Allowance) Regulations, 1997.

S.I. No. 333 of 1997.

SOCIAL WELFARE (CONSOLIDATED PAYMENTS PROVISIONS (AMENDMENT) (NO. 6) (CARER'S ALLOWANCE) REGULATIONS, 1997.

The Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 4 and 163 (as amended by section 23 of the Social Welfare Act, 1997 (No. 10 of 1997)) of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993 (No. 27 of 1993), hereby makes the following Regulations:

1 Citation and construction

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Consolidated Payments Provisions) (Amendment) (No. 6) (Carer's Allowance) Regulations, 1997.

(2) These Regulations and the Social Welfare (Consolidated Payments Provisions) Regulations, 1994 to 1997 shall be construed together as one and shall be cited as the Social Welfare (Consolidated Payments Provisions) Regulations, 1994 to 1997.

2 Definitions

2. In these Regulations "the Principal Regulations" means the Social Welfare (Consolidated Payments Provisions) Regulations, 1994 ( S.I. No. 417 of 1994 ).

3 Carer's allowance

3. The Principal Regulations are hereby amended by the substitution of article 86 for the following article:—

"Circumstances in which carer is to be regarded as providing fulltime care and attention.

86. A carer may, for the purposes of Chapter 10 of Part III and this Chapter, continue to be regarded as providing full-time care and attention to a relevant pensioner where

( a ) he or she would qualify for payment of an allowance but for the fact that either the carer or the relevant pensioner is undergoing medical or other treatment of a temporary nature in an institution for a period of not longer than 13 weeks, or

( b ) the relevant pensioner is attending

 (i) a non-residential course of rehabilitation training provided by the organisation (being an organisation recognised by the Minister for Health and Children) for the purposes of the provision of such training), or

 (ii) a non-residential place of day care approved by the Minister for Health and Children. ".

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

and Family Affairs this 21st day of July, 1997.

DERMOT AHERN

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations provide for the relaxation of the 'full-time care' requirement to extend entitlement to Carer's Allowance to carers of those attending rehabilitation courses or day-care centres.