Social welfare payments, in general, provide income maintenance support in respect of specified contingencies, for example, unemployment, sickness, old age. Title to payment under the various social insurance and assistance schemes is vested in the person who meets the statutory conditions relating to such schemes. While supplements in respect of a claimant's spouse and children are incorporated into the various schemes, they do not have direct title to these payments.
Since as far back as 1952 there has been provision under social welfare legislation for making payment to people other than the claimants where they are unable to act or they make such a request. Provision was made in the Social Welfare Act, 1972, to enable the adult and child dependant increases payable under all schemes to be paid direct to the adult dependant where the circumstances so warrant.
In recognition, however, of the fact that the sharing implicit in the calculation of the basic payment for a couple and increases for their child dependants may not actually take place, I provided enabling powers in the Social Welfare Act, 1989, to improve the situation.
The Social Welfare (Claims and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations, 1990, and the Social Welfare (Payments to Appointed Persons) Regulations, 1990, which I signed last October, enable a greater proportion of the overall payment to be made to a dependent spouse where the husband and wife are living together. Where the circumstances so warrant the spouse can now receive, on behalf of the claiming spouse, half the combined sum of the personal rate of payment and the adult dependant increase together with the full child dependant increases. This has greatly improved the financial position of a dependent spouse in meeting the practical responsibility for children and housekeeping.
