Social Welfare (Amendment) Bill 2013

BILL
Entitled

An Act to provide for an extension of social welfare benefits available to selfemployed persons by making provision allowing self-employed contributors pay additional self-employment contributions on a voluntary basis while at the same time continuing to be liable to pay the compulsory self-employment contribution and related matters

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:

1. This Act may be cited as the Social Welfare (Amendment) Act 2013 2. In this Act, save where the context otherwise requires the Act of 2005 means the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 compulsory contributions means those self-employment contributions as set out in section 21(1) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act of 2005 as amended by section 14 of the Social Welfare Act 2011 3. Section 21of the Act of 2005 (as amended by section 14 of the Social Welfare Act of 2011) is hereby amended by the insertion of a new subsection (5) as follows; (5) Self-employment contributions may be paid by self-employed contributors in accordance with the following provisions:

(a) Notwithstanding that which is set out in subsections (1), (2), (3) and (4) a self-employed contributor may, in any contribution year, pay an additional contribution on a voluntary basis, which shall be the greater of an amount equal to an additional 4% of the reckonable income or the amount of 253 (b) Notwithstanding that which is set out in subsection (1) (e), any or all self-employment contributions as set out in (5)(a), paid on a voluntary basis, shall be taken into consideration in determining whether the contribution conditions for any of the following benefits are satisfied; Jobseekers Benefit, Illness Benefit, Health and Safety Benefit, Invalidity benefit, State Pension (transition), Treatment Benefit, Occupational Injuries Benefit, Carers Benefit

4. Section 21of the Act of 2005(as amended by section 14 of the Social Welfare Act of 2011) is hereby amended by the insertion of a new subsection (6) as follows; any or all compulsory self-employment contributions paid by selfemployed persons who opt to pay additional contributions as that set out in subsection (5)(a) on a voluntary basis, shall be given a 50 per cent recognition rate in terms of the number of contributions required in determining whether the contribution conditions for any of the benefits listed in section 3(b) and or section 21(e) of the Act of 2005 (as amended) are satisfied. 5. (1) The Minister may make regulations for the general purpose of this Act and may, by regulation, provide for any matter referred to in this Act as prescribed or to be prescribed. (2) Every regulation under this Act shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the regulation is passed by either such House within the next 21 days on which that House has sat after the regulation is laid before it, the regulation shall be annulled accordingly but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under the regulation. (3) Regulations under this Act may contain such incidental, supplementary and consequential provisions as appear to the Minister to be necessary or expedient for the purposes of the regulations.

ACTS REFERRED TO: Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 Social Welfare Act 2011 Introduced by: Deputies Willie ODea and Michael McGrath.