PART V

Miscellaneous

22. —(1) The Principal Act is hereby amended by the insertion after section 300B (inserted by section 31 of this Act) of the following section:

“300BB.—In the case of a person whose claim for benefit, assistance or family income supplement is disallowed or reduced in accordance with section 300B (a), a deciding officer may, having regard to the circumstances of the case, disqualify that person for receiving any benefit, assistance or family income supplement, as the case may be, for a period of up to 9 weeks and the period of disqualification shall commence—

(a) where any such benefit, assistance or family income supplement is so reduced, on the day on which the revised decision is given, or

(b) in any other case, on the day on which that person subsequently becomes entitled to any benefit, assistance or family income supplement, as the case may be,

and any such period of disqualification shall be treated as though it were a period in respect of which such benefit, assistance or family income supplement, as the case may be, was paid.”.

(2) The Principal Act is hereby amended by the insertion after section 203 (as amended by section 13 of the No. 2 Act of 1987) of the following section:

“203A.—In any case where a person is disqualified for receiving any benefit, assistance or family income supplement in accordance with section 300BB or section 294H (3), his needs for the period of disqualification shall be disregarded for the purpose of ascertaining his entitlement to supplementary welfare allowance except in so far as such needs include the need to provide for his adult or child dependants.”.

(3) This section shall come into operation on such day as the Minister may appoint by order.

23. —(1) The Minister may allocate and issue a personal social services number to a person in such manner as he deems fit.

(2) A claimant or beneficiary under the Social Welfare Acts shall be required to furnish to an officer of the Minister such information, as may be prescribed, which is necessary for the allocation and issue of a personal social services number under subsection (1).

(3) For the purposes of the Social Welfare Acts, including the making of a claim for benefit as defined in section 294A (inserted by section 27 of this Act) or the payment of any such benefit, a person shall furnish to an officer of the Minister, his personal social services number and that of his spouse, if any, and any child dependant.

(4) In this section, a reference to a “personal social services number” shall be construed as including a reference to a number known as a revenue and social insurance number.

24. —Paragraph (4) (as amended by section 56 of the Act of 1991) of Rule 1 of the Third Schedule to the Principal Act is hereby amended by the substitution for “the net cash value of any non-cash earnings derived from personal exertions and also including such other non-cash benefits and such income received by a qualified child or qualified children as may be prescribed” of “the net cash value of such non-cash benefits as may be prescribed, and such income received by a qualified child or qualified children as may be prescribed”.

25. —(1) Section 29 (4) (a) (inserted by section 28 of the Act of 1989) of the Principal Act is hereby amended by the substitution for subparagraph (iii) of the following subparagraph:

“(iii) he is genuinely seeking, but is unable to obtain, employment suitable for him having regard to his age, physique, education, normal occupation, place of residence and family circumstances,”.

(2) Section 136 (1) (inserted by section 27 of the Act of 1992) of the Principal Act is hereby amended by the substitution for paragraph (f) of the following paragraph:

“(f) he is genuinely seeking, but is unable to obtain, employment suitable for him having regard to his age, physique, education, normal occupation, place of residence and family circumstances, and”.

26. —(1) Section 38 (as amended by section 29 of the Act of 1988) of the Principal Act is hereby amended by the substitution for subsection (11) of the following subsection:

“(11) A person who is unemployed shall, while in attendance at such course as may be prescribed and provided by such person as may be prescribed, be deemed, for the purposes of this Part, to be in insurable (occupational injuries) employment and to be employed by the person by whom the course is being provided.”.

(2) This section shall come into operation on such day as the Minister may appoint by order.