S.I. No. 308/2020 - Social Welfare (Increase for Qualified Adult) (No. 3) Regulations 2020

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 21st August, 2020.

I, HEATHER HUMPHREYS, Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 4 (amended by section 96 of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 (No. 10 of 2011)), 40A (inserted by section 6 of the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 (No. 1 of 2020)) and 292 (amended by section 8 and Schedule 1 to the Social Welfare Act 2017 (No. 38 of 2017)) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 , with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, hereby make the following Regulations:

Citation

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Increase for Qualified Adult) (No. 3) Regulations 2020.

Definition

2. In these Regulations “Principal Act” means the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 .

Commencement

3. These Regulations come into operation–

(a) in so far as they relate to jobseeker’s allowance, on 5 August 2020,

(b) in so far as they relate to jobseeker’s benefit and jobseeker’s benefit (self-employed), on 6 August 2020, and

(c) in so far as they relate to illness benefit, on 10 August 2020.

Increase for Qualified Adult

4. (a) Schedule 2 (amended by article 4(a) of the Social Welfare (Increase for Qualified Adult) Regulations 2020 ( S.I. No. 96 of 2020 )) of the Principal Act is amended at reference 1 in column (3) of Part 1, by the substitution of “€147” for “€134.70”, and

(b) Schedule 4 (amended by article 4(b) of the Social Welfare (Increase for Qualified Adult) Regulations 2020 ( S.I. No. 96 of 2020 )) of the Principal Act is amended at reference 1 in column (3) of Part 1, by the substitution of “€147” for “€134.70” in each place that it occurs.

Cessation

5. These Regulations shall cease to have effect –

(a) in so far as they relate to jobseeker’s allowance, on 16 September 2020,

(b) in so far as they relate to jobseeker’s benefit and jobseeker’s benefit (self-employed), on 17 September 2020, and

(c) in so far as they relate to illness benefit, on 21 September 2020.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform consents to the foregoing Regulations.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

18 August, 2020.

MICHAEL MCGRATH,

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

18 August, 2020.

HEATHER HUMPHREYS,

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

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

The Social Welfare (Increase for Qualified Adult) Regulations 2020 ( S.I. No. 96 of 2020 ) provided that, in the context of the grave risk to human life and public health posed by the spread of the disease known as Covid-19 and the efforts being made to mitigate the economic effects of that disease, the rate of payment of the increase for qualified adults for claimants of Jobseeker’s Benefit, Jobseeker’s Benefit (self-employed), Illness Benefit and Jobseeker’s Allowance is temporarily increased from €134.70 to €147 for a period of 12 weeks.

The Social Welfare (Increase for Qualified Adult) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 ( S.I. No. 221 of 2020 ) extended this period for 7 weeks.

These Regulations extend this period for a further 6 weeks and will cease to have effect on 16 September 2020 in so far as they relate to Jobseeker’s Allowance, 17 September in so far as they relate to Jobseeker’s Benefit and Jobseeker’s Benefit (self-employed), and 21 September 2020 in so far as they relate to Illness Benefit.