S.I. No. 235/1966:

SOCIAL WELFARE (WIDOWS' AND ORPHANS' (CONTRIBUTORY) PENSIONS) REGULATIONS, 1966.

SOCIAL WELFARE (WIDOWS' AND ORPHANS' (CONTRIBUTORY) PENSIONS) REGULATIONS, 1966.

I, CAOIMHGHÍN Ó BEOLÁIN, Minister for Social Welfare, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 3 of the Social Welfare Act, 1952 (No. 11 of 1952) and section 28A of the said Act (inserted therein by section 10 of the Social Welfare (Amendment) Act, 1960 (No. 25 of 1960) and amended by section 6 of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1966 (No. 24 of 1966)) hereby make the following Regulations :--

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Widows' and Orphans' (Contributory) Pensions) Regulations, 1966.

2. These Regulations shall come into operation on the 31st day of October, 1966.

3. In these Regulations--

" the Act " means the Social Welfare Act, 1952 ; "

"pension " means widows' (contributory) pension;

"relevant period " means the period over which the yearly average of contributions per contribution year is calculated for widows' (contributory) pension purposes in accordance with paragraph 4 (b) (ii) of the Fourth Schedule to the Act or, in a case to which the Social Welfare (Widows' and Orphans' (Contributory) Pensions) (Transitional) (Amendment) Regulations, 1966 ( S.I. No. 234 of 1966 ) applies, in accordance with article 10 of those Regulations.

4. Where a person would be entitled to pension but for the fact that the relevant contribution conditions are not satisfied as respects the average number of contributions paid or credited per contribution year in the relevant period the following provisions shall apply :--

(a) where the average number of contributions paid in respect of or credited to the person per contribution year in the relevant period is not less than twenty-four, she shall be entitled to pension;

(b) where the average number of such contributions is a number included in one of the groups of numbers specified in the first column of the Schedule hereto, fractions of whole numbers being disregarded, the pension shall be payable at the appropriate weekly rate shown opposite to that group of numbers in the second column of the said Schedule.

SCHEDULE.

Reduced rates of widows' (contributory) pensions where contribution conditions are partially satisfied.

GIVEN under my Official Seal this 21st day of October, 1966.

CAOIMHGHÍN Ó BEOLÁIN,

Minister for Social Welfare.

I, SEÁN Ó LOINSIGH, Minister for Finance, hereby sanction the foregoing Regulations.

GIVEN under my Official Seal this 21st day of October, 1966.

SEÁN Ó LOINSIGH,

Minister for Finance.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Regulations provide for the payment, in accordance with the Schedule to the Regulations, of reduced rates of widows' (contributory) pension where the contribution condition which requires an average of not less than 48 contributions paid or credited per contribution year is not satisfied, provided the average of contributions paid or credited is not less than 24.