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11 1952

SOCIAL WELFARE ACT, 1952

Chapter III.

Amendments of National Health Insurance Acts, 1911 to 1950.

Interpretation (Chapter III, Part VI).

85. —(1) In this Chapter, “the Principal Act” means the National Insurance Act, 1911.

(2) This Chapter shall be construed as one with the National Health Insurance Acts, 1911 to 1950.

Rates of sickness and disablement benefits.

86. —(1) The ordinary rate of sickness benefit, throughout the whole period of twenty-six weeks, and the rate of disablement benefit, shall be—

(a) the sum of twenty-four shillings a week in the case of a man, single woman or widow or married woman living apart from and unable to obtain any financial assistance from her husband or married woman entitled to an increase for a qualified child or each of two qualified children or for a husband, and

(b) the sum of eighteen shillings a week in the case of any other married woman.

(2) In subsection (1) of section 12 of the National Health Insurance Act, 1918 (as amended by subsection (3) of section 18 of the Act of 1948), the words “eighteen shillings” shall be substituted both for the words “sixteen shillings and sixpence” and for the words “thirteen shillings and sixpence”.

(3) The weekly rate of sickness benefit or disablement benefit shall be increased by twelve shillings in the case of a person to whom paragraph (a) of subsection (1) or subsection (2) of this section relates for any period during which—

(a) such person is living with or wholly or mainly maintaining his wife, or

(b) such person is wholly or mainly maintaining her husband who is incapable of self-support by reason of some physical or mental infirmity, or

(c) such person, being a single man or widower, is maintaining wholly or mainly a female person over the age of sixteen years having the care of one or more than one qualified child who normally resides or reside with him,

subject to the restriction that such person shall not be entitled for the same period to an increase of benefit under this subsection in respect of more than one person specified in paragraph (c) of this subsection.

(4) The weekly rate of sickness benefit or disablement benefit shall be increased in the case of a person referred to in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) or subsection (2) of this section by seven shillings in respect of a qualified child or each of two qualified children who normally resides or reside with the beneficiary.

(5) Section 18 of the Act of 1948 is hereby repealed.

(6) No person who was immediately before the 7th day of July, 1952, entitled to sickness benefit or disablement benefit shall receive less by way of sickness benefit or disablement benefit than he would have received if this section had not been enacted.

(7) Regulations may provide for adjusting any sickness or disablement benefit (including disallowing payment thereof wholly or partly) payable to a person who is in receipt of any pension or allowance which is in respect of any disability incurred in the armed forces of the State or of any other State, being a pension in the highest degree or, in the case of an allowance, an allowance in the highest degree or an allowance granted to a person who is undergoing a special course of medical treatment in any institution or receiving training in a technical institution.

(8) There shall be paid into the National Health Insurance Fund out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas such amount as, in the opinion of the Minister and of the Minister for Finance, is necessary to meet the additional expenditure resulting from this section during the period beginning on the 7th day of July, 1952, and ending on the 5th day of October, 1952, and the said amount shall be so paid in such manner and at such times as the Minister for Finance may determine.

(9) Subsections (1) to (8) of this section shall come into operation on the 7th day of July, 1952.

Rates of contributions.

87. —(1) The contributions payable under the Principal Act in respect of employed contributors shall be at the rates set out in the Table to this subsection, instead of the rates specified in section 16 of the Act of 1948, and references in any enactment to Part II of the Second Schedule to the Principal Act shall be construed as references to the Table to this subsection:

TABLE.

Rates of Contributions in Respect of Employed Contributors.

In the case of both men and women

1s. 2d. a week.

Contributions by Employers and Employed Contributors.

To be paid by the employer

7d. a week.

To be paid by the employed contributor (man or woman)

7d. a week.

(2) Subsection (1) of section 16 of the Act of 1948 is hereby repealed.

(3) Subsections (1) and (2) of this section shall come into operation on the 6th day of October, 1952.