Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 May 2013
157. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is considering making the disability payment to Irish citizens portable across the EU when persons leave Ireland to work within the EU (details supplied). [24593/13]
View answerThe social security rights of people moving within the EU are coordinated under EU Regulations 883/2004 and 987/2009. While the general conditions for qualifying for benefits and the design and financing of schemes remain a matter for the individual Member States, the EU Regulations determine, amongst other things, where a person is to be insured and what benefits must be exported outside the State.
Generally speaking, the competent State for payment of social insurance is the country of last employment and that country is usually responsible for the payment of benefits. With regard to the export of benefits, the position is that most contributory payments can be paid to someone resident in another country provided that Ireland remains the competent State under the EU Regulations. If a person becomes employed in another Member State then competency will usually change.
However, the Regulations also provide for a particular class of benefit known as a special non-contributory benefit. These benefits are generally social assistance type non-contributory payments which are financed from general taxation. Such benefits are provided in the Member State in which the person resides and in accordance with its legislation. Accordingly, such benefits are not exportable.
In Ireland the benefits classed as special non-contributory benefits include blind pension, jobseekers’ allowance, State pension non-contributory, widow's, widower's (non contributory) pension, disability allowance and mobility allowance. There are no plans to request a re-classification of any Irish benefit to make it exportable to another EU or EEA State.
