Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Since 1923 various reciprocal bilateral arrangements governing social welfare benefits have been in place between Ireland and the UK. The current agreement is the Convention on Social Security between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland which was signed in Dublin on 14 December 2004 (Schedule 1 to S.I. No. 701/2007). This Reciprocal Agreement covers the following social protection payments:

- Illness Benefit;

- Occupational Injuries Benefit;

- Maternity Benefit;

- Jobseeker’s Benefit;

- Invalidity Benefit;

- State Pension [Contributory];

- Widow/er’s and Surviving Partner’s [Contributory] Pension; and

- Guardian’s Payment [Contributory].

It also consolidated the terms of earlier agreements, modified them to take account of legislative changes both in Ireland and the UK and extended their scope to the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Herm and Jethou [Channel Islands].

The Bilateral Agreement with the UK provides, therefore, for broadly similar entitlements as apply under the EU Regulations on the Coordination of Social Security Systems. The latter commenced to apply to the UK, as with Ireland, on the accession of both countries to the then EEC, now EU, on 1 April 1973. The provisions of the EU Regulations on the Coordination of Social Security Systems, in general, replace the provisions of any existing bilateral social security agreements where the EU Regulations apply to an EU Member State. In the case of our bilateral agreement with the UK, it only applies to people to whom EU Regulations on the Coordination of Social Security Systems do not apply.