Vol. 460 No. 3
475 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social Welfare the proposed international agreements under the auspices of his Department which are currently being drafted or prepared; and the international organisation, if any, responsible for the proposed agreement in each case. [19429/96]
476 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social Welfare the international agreements under the auspices of his Department which, as of 1 January 1996, have been signed by the State but have not been ratified; the international organisation, if any, responsible for the agreement in each case; the date and place each agreement was adopted or opened for signature; the date it was signed by the State; whether it is proposed to ratify each agreement; and if so, when. [19448/96]
477 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social Welfare the international agreements under the auspices of his Department which, as of 1 January 1996, have not been signed by the State and which it is proposed that the State should sign or become a party to; the international organisation, if any, responsible for the agreement in each case; the date and place each agreement was adopted or opened for signature; and when it is proposed to sign each agreement or become a party to it. [19463/96]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 475 to 477, inclusive, together.
The Department of Social Welfare currently has no multilateral international agreements pending finalisation, in the drafting or negotiation process or awaiting ratification. From time to time my Department has an involvement in multilateral agreements which are primarily the responsibility of other Departments. Information in relation to these will be provided by other Ministers.
Ireland has concluded bilateral social security agreements with Australia, Austria, Canada, New Zealand, the United States of America and Quebec, all of which have been put into operation. The main purpose of such agreements is to protect the pension rights of workers who have had periods of social insurance in both countries. The agreements also allow workers who are sent by their Irish employer to work in the other State, for short periods, to remain in the Irish social insurance system, thereby being exempt from double payment of social security contributions.
