Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 12th January, 2016.

I, JOAN BURTON, Minister for Social Protection, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 28 (inserted by section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2002 (No. 9 of 2002) and adapted by the Finance (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011) of the Housing (Private Rented Dwellings) Act 1982 (No. 6 of 1982), with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, and by section 4 (adapted by sections 23 and 28 of the Housing (Private Rented Dwellings) Act 1982 ) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (No. 26 of 2005), hereby make the following Regulations:

Citation and construction

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Rent Allowance) (Amendment) (No. 1) Regulations 2016.

(2) These Regulations and the Social Welfare (Rent Allowance) Regulations 1998 to 2015 shall be construed together as one and may be cited together as the Social Welfare (Rent Allowance) Regulations 1998 to 2016.

Commencement

2. These Regulations come into operation on 7 January 2016.

Amount of allowance

3. Article 7 (amended by the Social Welfare (Rent Allowance) (Amendment) (Civil Partnership) Regulations 2011 ( S.I. No. 600 of 2011 )) of the Social Welfare (Rent Allowance) Regulations 1998 ( S.I. No. 188 of 1998 ) is amended—

(a) in sub-article 1(a), by substituting “€442.30” for “€436.60”,

(b) in sub-article 1(b), by substituting “€233.30” for “€230.30”,

and

(c) by substituting the following sub-article for sub-article (2):

“(2) An allowance, in the case of persons whose weekly means exceed the amounts specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of sub-article (1), as the case may be, shall be the amount of allowance that would arise if the provisions of sub-article (1) applied, reduced—

(a) in the case of a person who is one of a couple, by 50 cent for each €1 of weekly means in excess of €442.30, but not exceeding €642.30, and by €1 for each €1 of weekly means in excess of €642.30, and

(b) in any other case, by 50 cent for each €1 of weekly means in excess of €233.30, but not exceeding €433.30, and by €1 for each €1 of weekly means in excess of €433.30.”.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform consents to the foregoing Regulations.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

5 January 2016.

BRENDAN HOWLIN,

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

5 January 2016.

JOAN BURTON,

Minister for Social Protection.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

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

These Regulations provide for increases in the amount of means disregarded for people affected by the decontrol of rents for the Rent Allowance scheme with effect from 7 January 2016.