No. 59/1924:

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE (No. 2) ACT, 1924

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

1 Calculation of amount of benefit.

2 Advances by Minister for Finance.

3 Special benefit in respect of military service of persons not insured contributors.

4 Modification of section 17 of Principal Act.

5 Short title.

AN ACT TO AMEND THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ACTS, 1920 TO 1924, AND FOR PURPOSES CONNECTED THEREWITH.

[20th December, 1924.]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS OF SAORSTÁT EIREANN AS FOLLOWS:—

1.—For the purpose of determining the amount of benefit to which, having regard to the proportion of benefit to contributions fixed by paragraph 3 of the Second Schedule to the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1920, hereinafter referred to as the Principal Act, any person is entitled, but for no other purpose, no account shall be taken after the passing of this Act notwithstanding anything contained in the Unemployment Insurance Acts, 1920 to 1924, of any benefit which may have been received by such person during or in respect of the Third Benefit Year established by the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1924 .

2.—(1) The Minister for Finance may out of the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof advance any sums required for the purpose of discharging the liabilities of the Unemployment Fund under the Unemployment Insurance Acts 1920 to 1924 as amended by this Act, and for the purpose of providing the sums to be so advanced the Minister for Finance may borrow money in such manner as he may think proper.

(2) Any sums advanced under the foregoing sub-section together with any interest thereon (if any) at such rate as may be fixed by the Minister for Finance shall be charged on and be repayable out of the Unemployment Fund.

(3) The principal and interest of any securities issued by the Minister for Finance for the purpose of borrowing under this section and the expenses incurred in connection with the issue of such securities shall be charged on the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof.

3.—(1) Every person enlisted in the military forces of Saorstát Eireann whose period of service terminated on or before the 29th day of June, 1924, not being a person to whom section 4 of the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1924 , applies shall, subject to the provisions of the Unemployment Insurance Acts 1920 to 1924 relating to the payment of Unemployment Benefit so far as they are not inconsistent with this section, be entitled to receive payments (in this Act referred to as "Special Benefit") at weekly or other prescribed periods during the Fourth Benefit Year, at such rates as are authorised by or under the Unemployment Insurance Acts 1920 to 1924 for persons entitled to Unemployment Benefit and Increased Benefit so long as the Statutory conditions specified in the Principal Act continue to be fulfilled and so long as he is a person who would not be disqualified under that Act to receive Unemployment Benefit:

Provided that proof of continuous unemployment prior to the date of the passing of this Act shall be accepted for the purpose of a claim to Special Benefit.

(2) For the purpose of qualifying any person to receive Special Benefit under this section, but for no other purpose, there shall be deemed to have been paid in respect of him into an Unemployment Fund (in this Act referred to as "The Special Unemployment Fund") such number of contributions as are sufficient so to qualify him.

(3) No person shall receive more Special Benefit than in the proportion of one week's Special Benefit for every six contributions deemed to have been paid for him under the last preceding sub-section.

(4) No person shall receive Special Benefit for more than fourteen weeks in the Fourth Benefit Year or in respect of any period of less than one day.

(5) For the purposes of this section there shall be established, under the control and management of the Minister for Industry and Commerce (hereinafter referred to as "the Minister") a fund called the Special Unemployment Fund into which shall be paid, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, out of moneys to be provided by the Oireachtas such sum or sums as may be required for providing Special Benefit under this section and out of which Special Benefit shall be payable.

(6) Section 11 of the principal Act and sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1922, shall apply to all claims for Special Benefit and all questions which shall arise in connection with such claims and as to whether any person is a person to whom this section applies.

(7) The Minister may make rules providing for any matters incidental to the receipt of Special Benefit.

4.—Notwithstanding anything in any Act it shall not be necessary for the Minister to require any Society or other Association to which section 17 of the Principal Act applies to make before the end of the Fourth Benefit Year any greater provision for Unemployment Benefit than such Society or Association could have been required to make under paragraph (a)of sub-section (1) of the said section 17 as originally enacted.

5.—This Act may be cited as the Unemployment Insurance (No. 2) Act, 1924 , and shall be construed as one with the Unemployment Insurance Acts, 1920 to 1924, and these Acts and this Act may be cited together as the Unemployment Insurance Acts, 1920 to 1924.