asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has hopes of eventually being successful in achieving a better reciprocal arrangement in respect of social welfare benefit recipients with Britain, now that they have conceded a better arrangement in respect of the much lesser number of old age pensioners.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Reciprocal Social Welfare Arrangement.
23.
The existing reciprocal arrangements on social security with Great Britain are kept under review and any opportunity of improving them that present itself is taken. The recent agreement with the United Kingdom, for example, not only covered completely new arrangements in regard to pensions but also some improvements in the existing arrangements in regard to disability benefit.
The Deputy may rest assured that further improvements will be made in these arrangements as soon as they become acceptable to both sides.
Does the Minister not think that his, and his predecessor's failure to achieve any sort of decent reciprocal arrangements in respect of unemployment benefit shows a great lack of persuasive power, to say the least of it?
There have to be two parties to these agreements.
It is the Minister's job to bargain for us.
No doubt, if we could write our own it would be better for us.
The Minister could not persuade anybody to do anything for anybody.