Vol. 546 No. 3
306 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of countries with which Ireland has bilateral agreements in respect of the payment of and qualification for social welfare benefits; his plans to extend this number; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31929/01]
Ireland has concluded bilateral social security agreements with seven countries: Austria, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the USA and Switzerland. Ireland also entered into a bilateral understanding with Quebec on 1 October 1994. All these agreements are in operation. The main purpose of these agreements is to protect the social security pension rights of workers who have worked both in Ireland and the other country to which the agreements apply.
The following Irish benefits are normally covered: old age (contributory) pension; retirement pension; invalidity pension; widow's and widower's (contributory) pension; orphan's (contributory) allowance; and bereavement grant.
The bilateral agreements mainly provide for the adding together of periods of insurance and, where appropriate, periods treated as equivalent to periods of insurance completed in Ireland and the other country involved, for the purposes of calculating and awarding pensions.
These pensions can also be paid to those residing in the territory of the other country. Consideration is given to concluding further such bilateral agreements if warranted by the numbers employed in Ireland and the other country concerned or where a request is received from another country. Requests for such agreements have been received from the Republic of Korea and the Czech Republic and negotiations with the authorities in these countries have commenced.
