§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on his Department's work and achievements during the UK presidency of the European Union. [54281]
§ Angela EagleThe Department's objective for Social Security business during the UK Presidency was to promote measures which facilitated legitimate social protection coverage for EU citizens living and working in another Member State. This supported the UK's overall Presidency objectives of promoting employment, completing the single market and making the EU more relevant to its citizens.
Three Social Security measures were adopted by the Council in June.
(1) The Supplementary Pensions Directive is a first step in protecting the occupational and personal pension rights of EU citizens living and working in another Member State. It requires: preservation of pension rights for people moving to another Member State; the cross-border payment of pensions to pensioners living in another Member State; and the facility for people to remain in their "home" scheme while working for the same employer on a short-term basis in another member State.
(2) The existing Community provisions which co-ordinate statutory social security rights for EU citizens across the Member States—Council Regulation 1408/71—were extended to civil servants in special social security schemes, thus resolving an issue that had been under discussion in the Council for 7 years.
(3) A package of miscellaneous amendments to Council Regulation 1408/71, designed to keep the regulations in good working order, was adopted.
At a meeting of the Social Affairs Council on 7 April, the UK Presidency adopted Conclusions on the importance of proceeding with a wide-ranging review of Council Regulation 1408/71, to ensure that the co-ordination mechanism continues to meet the needs of today's citizens.
Outside the Council, Departmental officials took the opportunity of the UK Presidency to launch initiatives to improve the effectiveness of EU-wide bodies in which the Department represents UK interests, including the Administrative Commission on Social Security (which oversees the operation of Council Regulation 1408/71) and the advisory board which supervises the Consensus programme of technical assistance to central and eastern European states. The Department also hosted the, bi-annual MISSOC (Mutual Information System on Social Security) conference in York in May.
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§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list each Ministerial visit made outside Great Britain in connection with the UK presidency of the European Union. [54282]
§ Angela EagleVisits related to Social Security business are set out in the following table. My hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Bradley), the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security, made the visits in his capacity as the Minister responsible for co-ordinating the Department's EU social security business.
Date Place visited Purpose of visit 23 September 1997 Brussels Allan Larsson, Director-General of Directorate-General V of the European Commission (employment, training and social policy) 8 October 1997 Bonn Horst Gunther, German Minister for Labour and Social Affairs 17 December 1997 Strasbourg Padraig Flynn, European Commissioner for Social Affairs and MEPs on the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee 24 February 1998 Vienna Eleonora Hostasch, Austrian Minister for Labour, Health and Social Affairs 28 April 1998 Paris Raoul Briet, Director of Social Security
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimated total additional cost to his Department arising from meetings and events specifically connected with the UK presidency of the European Union. [54283]
§ Angela EagleThe total additional expenditure was approximately £29,000, excluding the activities of the Ministers for Women.