S.I. No. 98/1978:

HEALTH CONTRIBUTIONS (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1978.

HEALTH CONTRIBUTIONS (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1978.

The Minister for Health in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 3 , 7 and 12 of the Health Contributions Act, 1971 (No. 21 of 1971) as amended by section 1 of the Health Contributions (Amendment) Act, 1974 (No. 32 of 1974), section 1 of the Health Contributions (Amendment) Act, 1976 (No. 9 of 1976), section 1 of the Health Contributions (Amendment) Act, 1977 (No. 2 of 1977) and section 1 of the Health Contributions (Amendment) Act, 1978 (No. 6 of 1978), hereby makes the following Regulations:

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Health Contributions (Amendment) Regulations, 1978.

2. "the Principal Regulations" means the Health Contributions Regulations, 1971 ( S.I. No. 278 of 1971 ).

3. The Principal Regulations are hereby amended by the deletion of subarticles (6) and (7) of article 6 (as substituted by article 3 of the Health Contributions (Amendment) Regulations, 1977 ( S.I. No. 86 of 1977 ) and the substitution therefor of the following subarticles:

"(6) in the contribution year beginning on the 1st day of October, 1977 health contributions payable at the annual rate of £18, being the rate specified in section 3 (1) (b) of the Act (as substituted by section 1 of the Health Contributions (Amendment) Act, 1977 ) shall be due and payable on the 1st day of October, 1977 in respect of that contribution year and health contributions at the rate specified in section 3 (1) (b) of the Act (as substituted by section 1 of the Health Contributions (Amendment) Act, 1978 ) shall be due and payable on the 1st day of April, 1978 in respect of the part of that contribution year from that day to the end of that contribution year but so that in that contribution year health contributions due and payable in the case of a person referred to in section (3) (1) (b) of the Act shall not, in all, exceed £21.00.

(7) in the period beginning on the 1st day of October, 1978 and ending on the date specified by order for the purposes of section 3 (2) of the Act, health contributions payable at the rate specified in section 3 (1) (b) of the Act (as substituted by section 1 of the Health Contributions (Amendment) Act, 1978 ) in respect of any contribution year shall be due and payable on the first day of that contribution year.

(8) A person who has paid a health contribution in respect of a contribution year at an annual rate and for whom health contributions at a weekly rate have been paid by himself or his employer in respect of any period in the year shall be entitled to recover the amount by which the total of the health contributions so paid in respect of the year exceeds:

( a ) where the contribution year occurs in the period referred to in subarticle (2)-- £7.80;

( b ) in the contribution year ending on the 30th day of September, 1975--£12.09;

( c ) in the contribution year ending on the 30th day of September, 1976--£15.34;

( d ) in the contribution year ending on the 30th day of September, 1977--£18.72;

( e ) in the contribution year ending on the 30th day of September, 1978--£23.14;

( f ) where the contribution year occurs in the period referred to in subarticle (7)-- £26.00."

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Health this 31st day

of March, 1978.

CHARLES J. HAUGHEY,

Minister for Health.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Regulations make provision for the payment on 1st April, 1978 of the increased health contribution payable at an annual rate under the Health Contributions (Amendment) Act, 1978 and make other necessary changes in the existing Regulations, consequential on the increase in the rate of contribution.