Social Welfare Act, 2000

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Social Insurance Fund— expenditure on benefit.

29.—The Principal Act is amended by—

(a) the insertion after section 6 of the following section:

“6A.—(1) Benefit shall be paid or provided for out of the Social Insurance Fund.

(2) A reference to benefit in section 6 and this section includes:

(a) the benefits described in section 30,

(b) a relevant payment within the meaning of section 18 (1)(a) of the Social Welfare Act, 1996 ,

(c) schemes administered by the Minister and known as—

(i) Free Fuel Allowance,

(ii) Free Electricity Allowance,

(iii) Free Television Licence,

(iv) Free Telephone Rental Allowance,

(v) Free Natural Gas Allowance, and

(vi) Free Bottled Gas Allowance,

where such allowances are payable in respect of a person in receipt of a benefit under section 30(1) or a relevant payment within the meaning of section 18 (1)(a) of the Social Welfare Act, 1996 ,

(d) a payment under regulations made under section 117 in respect of dental treatment which would have been payable in respect of a person but for the fact that the person availed of a service in respect of dental treatment under sections 45 and 67 of the Health Act, 1970 ,

(e) any benefit to which section 30(1) refers which would have been payable in respect of a person but for the receipt by that person of old age (non-contributory) pension,

(f) any increase in any benefit to which section 30(1) refers which would have been payable in respect of a person, but for the receipt by that person of an old age (non-contributory) pension in his or her own right, and

(g) unemployment benefit which would have been payable in respect of a person but for the receipt by that person of unemployment assistance.

(3) Benefit to be paid or provided for out of the Social Insurance Fund shall include such sums as the Minister may estimate on such basis as may be agreed upon between the Minister and the Minister for Finance in respect of the benefits set out in subsection (2)(c), (d), (e), (f) and (g).

(4) There shall be paid out of the Social Insurance Fund—

(a) to the Minister for Health and Children the sum agreed between the Minister and the Minister for Finance in respect of the benefit set out in subsection (2)(d), and

(b) to the Exchequer in respect of the sums agreed between the Minister and the Minister for Finance in respect of the benefits set out in subsection (2)(c), (e), (f) and (g),

in such manner and at such times as the Minister may determine.”,

(b) the deletion in section 30 of subsection (3), and

(c) the substitution in section 135 for paragraph (b) of the following paragraph:

“(b) in any case where the old age (non-contributory) pension is so paid, entitlement to widow's (contributory) pension, widower's (contributory) pension, old age (contributory) pension or the increase thereof, as the case may be, shall continue but the amount of any such pension or increase payable during any such period shall not be paid to or in respect of the person.”.