§ 62. Dame Patricia Hornsby-Smithasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total annual sum transmitted for social security benefits to citizens of the Irish Republic to the nearest convenient year.
§ Mr. DeanAbout 17,000 British national insurance retirement pensions, widows' pensions and industrial disablement pensions are being paid to persons in the Irish Republic. These pensions are derived from British insurance. It is not possible to say how many of the pensioners are citizens of the Irish Republic. For the year ended 31st March, 1971, the cost of these pensions (mainly retirement pensions) was about £3.3 million. There were also nearly 6,000 persons drawing British war pen-316W sions in the Republic at a cost of £1.9 million. Other social security benefits are not normally paid outside Great Britain, but in respect of the same year adjusting payments of £330,000 were made to the Republic under the terms of a reciprocal agreement. These payments were related to the extent to which insurance in one country was used to give entitlement to benefit (mainly sickness benefit) under the legislation of the other country.