asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in view of the fact that, under the provisions of the Social Welfare Act, 1952, persons who have paid contributions in respect of national health and unemployment insurance and who have reached the age of 70 are no longer insurable persons, he will introduce proposals for legislation to enable such persons to remain insurable persons under the Act in order to remedy this injustice done to persons who have paid contributions throughout their lives and who continue in employment after the age of 70.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Social Welfare Act, 1952.
The Social Welfare Act, 1952, was designed to confine insurance and its benefits to persons between the ages of 16 and 70 years and it is not proposed to introduce proposals for legislation to extend the upper age limit.
The upper age limit of 70 years for national health insurance was fixed in the National Insurance Act, 1911, and the Social Welfare Act, 1952, applied the same limit to unemployment insurance.
Persons who were entitled to benefit under the Unemployment Insurance Acts are entitled to continue to receive such benefit as a preserved right until such time as they qualify for unemployment benefit under the Social WelfareAct, or the 5th January, 1955, whichever is the earlier.