Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 4 Dec 1990

Vol. 403 No. 4

Written Answers. - Social Security Agreement with US.

Enda Kenny

Question:

155 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Social Welfare the present position with regard to negotiations between the Irish and United States Governments to allow Irish based recipients of US social security payments the right of eligibility to receive social welfare benefits in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Dinny McGinley

Question:

160 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has any plans to extend free electricity allowances, natural gas allowances, free television licences, free telephone rental allowances and other benefits to United States social security pensioners living in this country.

Minister for Social Welfare (Dr. Woods)

It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 155 and 160 together.

The Deputies will be aware of my urgent programme to complete social security agreements with countries which are outside the EC. Our emigrants will benefit directly where these agreements are completed. I have already completed an agreement with Austria and last Thursday I signed a further agreement with Canada. This agreement with Canada will benefit thousands of Irish people who emigrate to Canada to work and who also have spent time working at home. Many of these people come back to Ireland to retire.

With regard to the United States, considerable progress has already been made between officials of my Department and officials of the US Department of Health and Human Services on a bilateral agreement on social security between Ireland and the US. Further negotiations are taking place this week in Washington involving the officials who accompanied me to Canada for the signing of the agreement between Ireland and Canada. I would hope to have the US agreement in place towards the latter half of 1991.

The agreement will cover the Irish social welfare schemes of contributory old age pension, retirement pensions, contributory widows and orphans pension, invalidity pension and death grant and on the US side the federal programmes of old age, survivors and disability insurance. The main purpose of the agreement will be to allow periods of employment in one country to be counted towards satisfying the conditions for pension entitlement in the other country. In addition, on the Irish side, when the agreement becomes operational recipients of US social security pensions who are resident in Ireland will become eligible on a par with Irish pensioners for free travel, free electricity, free TV licence, free telephone rental and free fuel. This is as a result of the initiative which I introduced as part of the social welfare improvements announced in this year's budget.