asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a person (details supplied) in Dublin in receipt of a pension from the British Government, is entitled to credit for the period of time during which he was living and paying stamps in this country, in order to increase his pension to the maximum; and if any such reciprocal arrangement exists between the EEC countries.
Written Answers. - British Government Pension.
115.
Reciprocal arrangements between EEC member states in matters of social security are governed by EEC Regulation No. 1408/71, chapter 3 of which deals with the procedures to be followed in calculating pension entitlements.
In accordance with the provisions of this chapter, the person concerned would be entitled to have periods of insurance which he completed in Ireland after 5 July 1948 taken into account for pension purposes in the United Kingdom. This is the date from which the United Kingdom authorities reckon periods of insurance for retirement pension purposes.
However, his Irish insurance would be taken into account (a) only if he was unable to satisfy the conditions for receipt of pension on the basis of his United Kingdom insurance alone or (b) If aggregation of his Irish and United Kingdom insurance resulted in the award of a proportionate United Kingdom pension at a higher rate than the pension to which he would be entitled on the basis of his United Kingdom insurance alone.
Details of his Irish insurance were furnished to the United Kingdom authorities in accordance with the Regulations. However, they advised my Department and the pensioner that the amount to which he is entitled on the basis of his United Kingdom insurance alone is greater than the proportionate pension to which he would be entitled on aggregation of his Irish and United Kingdom insurance. His Irish insurance would not, therefore, increase the amount of his United Kingdom pension and, if used for aggregation with his British insurance, would only serve to provide a proportionate pension which would be of lesser amount.
The Irish insurance record of the person concerned is not sufficient to entitle him to any pension in this country.