Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

The habitual residence test is available in several EU member states. However, Ireland has never insisted on legal status within the EU. For example, if one wishes to work in Belgium, one must seek permission to live there and, as a consequence, one can apply for a bank account and so on. The habitual residence test will apply to all EU citizens, including ourselves, and it only applies in the common travel area. In other words, if one has lived in the UK, that country's habitual residence requirement of two years can be taken into consideration if one applies in Ireland. This is a special bilateral reciprocal arrangement to which the State is entitled.