S.I. No. 499/2024 - Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 (Part 3) (Commencement) Order 2024

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 4th October, 2024.

I, HEATHER HUMPHREYS, Minister for Social Protection, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 1 (3) of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 (No. 24 of 2024), hereby order as follows:

1. This Order may be cited as the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 (Part 3) (Commencement) Order 2024.

2. In this Order –

“Act of 2005” means the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (No. 26 of 2005);

“Act of 2024” means the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 (No. 24 of 2024).

3. The 1st day of October 2024 is appointed as the day on which the following provisions of the Act of 2024 shall come into operation:

(a) section 13, in so far only as it effects the insertion of the following provisions of the Act of 2005:

(i) subsections (1), (2) and (6) of section 68KC;

(ii) subsection (2) of section 68KD;

(iii) subsections (6) and (7) of section 68KE;

(iv) subsections (5) and (12) of section 68KF;

(b) section 14, in so far only as it relates to the amendments of section 4 of the Act of 2005 specified in column (3) of the Schedule to the Act of 2024 opposite reference 1 of that Schedule.

4. The 31st day of March 2025 is appointed as the day on which Part 3 of the Act of 2024, in so far as it is not already in operation on that day, shall come into operation.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

30 September, 2024.

HEATHER HUMPHREYS,

Minister for Social Protection.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

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

This Order provides for the commencement of Part 3 of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 .

Part 3 of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 amends the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 to provide for a new Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit scheme.

This Order provides that, apart from specified provisions of Section 13, Part 3 shall commence from 31^st March 2025. This is the date from which the Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit scheme shall come into effect.

A number of specified provisions of Section 13 shall commence from 1^st October 2024. This will enable regulations that shall be made under these provisions to be laid before, and the approval by resolution sought of, the Houses of the Oireachtas, as required by Section 4(5) of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005, in advance of the introduction of the Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit scheme.

The new Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit will be available to people who become fully unemployed on or after the date on which the scheme commences, who have a strong and recent attachment to the labour market, and who are available for and genuinely seeking employment.

Key features of the new scheme include:

The weekly rate of payment for people who have at least 5 years paid PRSI contributions will be set at 60% of previous earnings, subject to a maximum of €450 for the first 3 months.

After that, the rate will reduce to 55% of earnings, subject to a maximum of €375 for the following 3 months.

A further 3 months will be paid at the rate of 50%, up to a maximum €300 payment.

For people who have between 2 and 5 years paid contributions, the rate will be set at 50% of previous earnings subject to a maximum for €300 per week and 6 month’s duration.