Written answers

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Pension Provisions

9:00 pm

Photo of Paul GogartyPaul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 714: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the pension contributions made by an Irish national working in the United Kingdom are transferable should that person return to here; if a similar situation exists for United Kingdom citizens working here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48496/09]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Social insurance contributions are not transferable between here and the UK, and vice versa. However, in accordance with EU Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72, which coordinate social security entitlements for those who have worked in more than one Member State, contributions made in the UK, and other EU countries, can be aggregated with Irish contributions to help a person qualify for pensions and other benefits.

When a person makes a claim in Ireland for a contributory state pension and they indicate that they have worked in the UK, or other EU Member States, the countries involved will not be notified that a claim has been made and request details of the insurance contributions made in those other countries will be requested.

The contributions made in the other countries may be added to the Irish record to satisfy the basic qualifying conditions and to determine the pension a person would be entitled to if all the contributions had been made in Ireland. A calculation is then performed to arrive at the actual rate of pension to be paid which will reflect the proportion of Irish contributions in a person's overall insurance record. Other countries in which the person has contributed will carry out a similar operation and the person may, depending on the basic qualifying conditions in the different Member States, receive a number of different pensions.

A person's position would, as part of the process, also be assessed under domestic legislation looking only at their Irish contributions. The Irish pension to be paid from Ireland will be either the rate determined under EU Regulations or domestic legislation, which ever is higher. The same applies to other Member States.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.