Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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366. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to include carer’s benefit in the long-term payments included in bilateral social security agreements with certain countries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60710/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has negotiated Bilateral Social Security Agreements with a number of countries. The main purpose of these agreements is to protect the pension rights of people who have worked and paid social security contributions in Ireland and the countries with which Ireland has such agreements.  This is achieved by allowing reckonable social security contributions paid in one or more of these countries to be aggregated with Irish full-rate social insurance contributions for the purposes of qualifying for certain contributory payments in Ireland or in these countries.  Short-term schemes, such as Carers Benefit, or means tested schemes do not fall within the scope of Bilateral Agreements - nor does it appear likely that they will as such a proposal would require detailed consultation and mutual acceptance and reciprocity.

It should be noted that carer’s benefit may be paid to a carer resident in any country within the EU who is providing full-time care and attention to another person(s) in that country, provided the qualifying conditions have been met in relation to the Carer's Benefit legislation

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.