Vol. 421 No. 1
20 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give details in respect of his Department (a) the legislation promised in the Oireachtas since 1989 and (b) the legislation introduced to the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
29 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give details of the legislation for which he is responsible enacted by the Oireachtas which has not yet gone into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 29 together.
All promised legislation has now been enacted by the Oireachtas. This includes the annual Social Welfare Acts, which are designed to give effect to the various improvements in the social welfare code, as provided for in the budget, and the Pensions Act, 1990, which provides for the establishment of the Pensions Board and for the regulation of occupational pension schemes.
I have recently announced my intention of having the social welfare legislation re-consolidated. I intend that a new Consolidation Bill will be enacted by the beginning of next year, prior to the introduction of the 1993 Social Welfare Bill. In order to facilitate the consolidation process, I will be introducing legislation shortly for the purposes of streamlining certain existing legislative provisions.
Apart from certain provisions contained in the recent Social Welfare Act, 1992, which will be brought into effect by Commencement Orders, all of the provisions contained in the Social Welfare Acts and the Pensions Act, 1990 have been brought into effect, other than the following provisions.
Sections 19 and 20 of the Social Welfare Act, 1991 provide for amendments to the contribution conditions for receipt of Unemployment Benefit and Invalidity Pension as a consequence of the extension of social insurance, from 6 April, 1991, to all workers earning £25 or more a week. These provisions will be brought into effect from the beginning of January, 1993, when the social insurance contributions paid since April, 1991 will become effective.
