In short
This law, the Social Welfare Act, 1957, is about increasing the payment rates for old age pensions, unemployment assistance, and non-contributory widows' pensions.
What it regulates
- Increases in the rates of old age pensions.
- Increases in the rates of unemployment assistance.
- Increases in the rates of widows' (non-contributory) pensions.
Who it concerns
- Recipients of old age pensions.
- Recipients of unemployment assistance.
- Recipients of widows' (non-contributory) pensions.
Key points
- Old age pension rates of 24s. 0d., 19s. 0d., 14s. 0d., and 9s. 0d. are each increased by 1s. 0d., effective from May 17, 1957.
- New rates for unemployment assistance are introduced, varying by urban/other area residency and number of dependants (e.g., person without a dependant: 19s. 0d. in urban areas, 13s. 0d. elsewhere), effective from May 15, 1957.
- New weekly rates for widows' (non-contributory) pensions are set based on the widow's yearly means and number of qualified children (e.g., if yearly means do not exceed £52 10s., a widow with no qualified child receives 23s. 6d.), effective from May 17, 1957.
📄 Legal text
Social Welfare Act, 1957
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Social Welfare Act, 1957
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Number 8 of 1957.
SOCIAL WELFARE ACT, 1957.
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Section
1.
Increase of rates of old age pensions.
2.
Increase of rates of unemployment assistance.
3.
Increase of rates of widows' (non-contributory) pensions.
4.
Short title and collective citations.
Acts Referred to
Social Welfare Act, 1952
No. 11 of 1952
Social Welfare Act, 1955
No. 11 of 1955
Unemployment Assistance Act, 1933
No. 46 of 1933
Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Act, 1935
No. 29 of 1935
Number 8 of 1957.
SOCIAL WELFARE ACT, 1957.
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR INCREASES IN THE RATES OF PENSIONS UNDER THE OLD AGE PENSIONS ACTS, 1908 TO 1955, UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE UNDER THE UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE ACTS, 1933 TO 1952, AND WIDOWS' (NON-CONTRIBUTORY) PENSIONS UNDER THE WIDOWS' AND ORPHANS' PENSIONS ACTS, 1935 TO 1955. [12th June, 1957.]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:—
Increase of rates of old age pensions.
1.—(1) The rates of 24s. 0d., 19s. 0d., 14s. 0d. and 9s. 0d. set forth in the Table to subsection (2) of
section 77
of the
Social Welfare Act, 1952
(No. 11 of 1952), by virtue of
section 1
of the
Social Welfare Act, 1955
(No. 11 of 1955), are each hereby increased by 1s. 0d.
(2) Subsection (1) of this section shall be deemed to have come into operation on the 17th May, 1957.
Increase of rates of unemployment assistance.
2.—(1) In the
Unemployment Assistance Act, 1933
(No. 46 of 1933), for the Schedule thereto inserted by subsection (1) of
section 97
of the
Social Welfare Act, 1952
(No. 11 of 1952), there is hereby substituted the following:—
“SCHEDULE
Rates of Unemployment Assistance.
Classes of persons to whom the rates of unemployment assistance set out in this Schedule are applicable
Rate of unemployment assistance applicable to persons resident in any urban area
Rate of unemployment assistance applicable to persons resident in any other place
per
week
per
week
s.
d.
s.
d.
Person without a dependant
19
0
13
0
Person with an adult dependant
30
0
22
0
Person with an adult dependant and one child dependant
36
0
27
0
Person with an adult dependant and two or more child dependants
41
0
31
0
Person with one child dependant
25
0
18
0
Person with two or more child dependants
30
0
22
0
”
(2) Subsection (1) of this section shall be deemed to have come into operation on the 15th day of May, 1957.
Increase of rates of widows' (non-contributory) pensions.
3.—(1) In Table B to
section 20
of the
Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Act, 1935
(No. 29 of 1935), being the section inserted by
section 105
of the
Social Welfare Act, 1952
(No. 11 of 1952), for the rates set forth therein by virtue of subsection (1) of
section 2
of the
Social Welfare Act, 1955
(No. 11 of 1955), there are hereby substituted the rates set forth in the Table to this subsection.
TABLE.
Weekly Rates of Widows' (Non-Contributory) Pensions.
Means of Widow
Weekly Rates
Widow, no qualified child
Widow, one qualified child
Widow, two or more qualified children
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
s.
d.
s.
d.
s.
d.
Where the yearly means of the widow as duly calculated—
do not exceed £52 10s.
23
6
31
6
38
6
exceed
£52 10s.
but
do
not
exceed
£65 10s.
18
6
26
6
33
6
”
£65 10s.
”
”
”
”
£78 10s.
13
6
21
6
28
6
”
£78 10s.
”
”
”
”
£104 15s.
8
6
16
6
23
6
”
£104 15s.
”
”
”
”
£117 15s.
No pension
8
0
15
0
”
£117 15s.
”
”
”
”
£130 15s.
No pension
No pension
7
0
”
£130 15s.
No pension
No pension
No pension
(2) Subsection (1) of this section shall be deemed to have come into operation on the 17th May, 1957.
Short title and collective citations.
4.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Social Welfare Act, 1957.
(2) The Old Age Pensions Acts, 1908 to 1955, and
section 1
of this Act may be cited together as the Old Age Pensions Acts, 1908 to 1957.
(3) The Unemployment Assistance Acts, 1933 to 1952, and
section 2
of this Act may be cited together as the Unemployment Assistance Acts, 1933 to 1957.
(4) The Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Acts, 1935 to 1955, and
section 3
of this Act may be cited together as the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Acts, 1935 to 1957.
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