Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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217. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if all the social insurance contributions paid by a person (details supplied) in two countries can be aggregated for consideration for State contributory pension purposes on the person reaching pension age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10600/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As Ireland does not have a bilateral social security agreement with the Republic of South Africa, it is not possible to take into account insurance periods completed in that country for pension eligibility purposes.

Ireland has with Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Japan, the United Kingdom (covering Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man), The Republic of Korea and Quebec (which has a separate system from the rest of Canada). These agreements provide that in addition to the standard assessment of state pension (contributory) entitlement based on an applicant’s Irish social insurance contribution record, the person’s contribution record can be aggregated with the insurance contribution record following employment in another bilateral country in order to carry out a second assessment on pro-rata pension entitlement. In such cases, the most financially beneficial pension entitlement is awarded.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.