S.I. No. 699 of 2007

SOCIAL WELFARE AND PENSIONS ACT 2007 (SECTIONS 21 AND 24) (COMMENCEMENT) ORDER 2007

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

�Iris Oifigi�il� of 19th October, 2007.

The Minister for Social and Family Affairs, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 1 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 (No. 8 of 2007), hereby orders as follows:

1. This Order may be cited as the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 (Sections 21 and 24) (Commencement) Order 2007.

2. The 27th day of September 2007 is appointed as the day on which sections 21(b) and (c) and 24 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 (No. 8 of 2007) come into operation.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Social and Family Affairs,

this 27th day of September 2007.

MARTIN CULLEN.

Minister for Social and Family Affairs

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

This Order provides for the commencement of Sections 21(b), 21(c) and 24 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 .

Sections 21(b) and (c) contain amendments to the legislation governingPre-Retirement Allowance to ensure that a person currently in receipt of Carer's Allowance who had been in receipt of Pre-Retirement Allowance immediately prior to the beginning of their Carer's Allowance claim will not be prohibited from reverting to Pre-Retirement Allowance in order to benefit from the new arrangements for Carer's Allowance provided for in Section 24 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 , provided that he/she continues to satisfy the qualifying conditions for Pre-Retirement Allowance.

Section 24 provides for the introduction of a new means-tested payment, of up to half the Carer�s Allowance rate, which will be payable to carers who may, simultaneously, be in receipt of another social welfare payment, provided they satisfy the qualifying conditions for carer�s allowance.

These sections come into effect on and from 27 September 2007.