§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he anticipates announcing the outcome of his discussions with the Canadian Government on the possibility of a social security arrangement to make possible the payment of United Kingdom retirement pensions to former United Kingdom residents now living in Canada and qualified to receive such retirement pensions.
§ Mr. PrenticeUnited Kingdom retirement pensions are already payable to former United Kingdom residents now living in Canada and qualified to receive such pensions. They are, however, held at the rates payable on departure from the United Kingdom or when entitlement first arises, if later.
Any reciprocal agreement aimed at raising such pensions to the rates currently payable in the United Kingdom would require additional United Kingdom expenditure of over £14 million a year. No financial provision for this amount can be made in view of the present need to contain public expenditure.
§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is able to 51W give an estimate of the extra annual cost of paying retirement and widow's pension at the current rate to former United Kingdom residents living abroad who currently receive the rate payable when they left the United Kingdom or when they first became entitled when living abroad.
§ Mr. PrenticeAbout £75 million.
§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will list by
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Country Retirement pensions in payment at 31 December 1979 Widows pensions in payment at 31 December 1979 Albania 2 — Algeria 1 — Andorra 39 2 Antigua 54 1 Argentina 100 9 Australia 63,115 3,393 Bahamas 68 5 Bahrein 10 4 Bangladesh (see footnote) 158 58 Barbados 295 17 Belize 7 1 Bolivia 3 — Botswana 15 1 Brazil 108 9 Brunei 7 1 Bulgaria 6 — Burma 4 1 Cameroon 2 — Canada 25,990 1,440 Cayman Islands 19 2 Chile 26 2 China 3 — Colombia 13 1 Cook Islands 3 1 Costa Rica 2 — Czechoslovakia 21 1 Dominica, Commonwealth of 107 3 Dominican Republic 13 — East Germany 9 1 Ecuador 5 — Egypt 18 — El Salvador 1 — Ethiopia 3 — Falkland Islands and Dependencies 8 — Fiji 11 3 Finland 8 5 Gabon — 1 Gambia 5 1 Ghana 23 3 Gilbert Islands 1 — Greece 301 58 Grenada 110 12 Guadelupe (includes French Guiana, Martinique and Reunion Island) 3 — Guatemala 3 — Guyana 94 7 Hong Kong 132 27 Hungary 93 6 Iceland 5 2 India (see footnote) 296 69 Indonesia 5 1 Iran 2 1 Iraq 2 — Ivory Coast 3 — country the number of former United Kingdom residents entitled to retirement and widow's pensions which are still paid at the rate prevailing when they left the United Kingdom or when they first became entitled when living abroad.
§ Mr. PrenticeThe information requested for Great Britain is given in the table below. I regret that corresponding details of Northern Ireland pensioners living outside the United Kingdom, totalling about 2,900, are not available.
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Country Retirement pensions in payment at 31 December 1979 Widows pensions in payment at 31 December 1979 Japan 23 9 Jordan 4 — Kenya 225 19 Kuwait 3 2 Lebanon 15 2 Lesotho 5 — Liberia 8 — Libyan Arab Republic 3 3 Macao 1 — Malawi 33 6 Malaya 29 3 Mauritius 37 2 Mexico 37 5 Monaco 123 5 Montserrat 117 3 Morocco 36 4 Mozambique 1 — Nepal 6 — Netherlands Antilles 3 2 New Zealand 17,766 669 Nigeria 61 22 Norfolk Island 19 1 Norway 42 12 Oman 4 — Pakistan (see footnote) 347 530 Panama 2 1 Papua New Guinea 19 2 Paraguay 1 — People's Democratic Republic of Yemen 11 2 Peru 21 2 Philippines 10 — Poland 2,532 72 Puerto Rico 2 — Qatar 2 2 Rhodesia 2,468 182 Romania 17 1 Sabah 1 — St. Helena and Dependencies 21 — St. Kits-Nevis-Anguilla 132 4 St. Lucia 118 6 St. Vincent 100 4 Sarawak 2 — Saudi Arabia 14 21 Senegal 12 — Seychelles 22 1 Sharjah — — Sierra Leone 27 3 Singapore 37 3 Solomon Islands 4 — Somalia 81 11 South Africa 9,083 515 South Korea 3 — South West Africa or Namibia 13 2 Sri Lanka 63 5 Sudan 5 1 Swaziland 20 1 Sweden 38 6 Syria 1 — Taiwan 4 — Tanzania 29 2 Thailand 24 — Tonga — 1 Trinidad and Tobago 147 14 Tunisia 9 1 Tuvalu 1 — Uganda 13 — United Arab Emirates 5 4 USSR 504 51 Uruguay 10 — Venezuela 22 3
Country Retirement pensions in payment at 31 December 1979 Widows pensions in payment at 31 December 1979 Virgin Islands (British) 13 1 Western Samoa 3 — Yemen Arab Republic 60 8 Zaire 11 — Zambia 63 8 Totals (see footnote) 126,080 7,388 Note: There are an additional 4,200 pensions payable to pensioners in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan which are not included in the figures above.
§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will list in the Official Report the countries with whom the United Kingdom has special arrangements for the payment of retirement and widow's pensions to former United Kingdom residents entitled to receive these, indicating in which countries the full current United Kingdom rate of benefit is payable and those where some lesser amount is paid.
§ Mr. PrenticeThe information requested is as follows
(a) Countries in which United Kingdom retirement and widows' pensions are paid at the rates current in the United Kingdom:Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Irish Republic, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jersey, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Sark, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Yugoslavia.(b) Countries in which some United Kingdom retirement and widows pensions are paid at rates lower than the rates current in the United Kingdom:Bermuda, Jamaica, Portugal, United States of America.
§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how long United Kingdom nationals who have retired to live in other member States of the European Economic Community have received pension upratings on the same basis as British pensioners living in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; under what arrangements, bilateral or European Economic Community, these upratings are paid; in which other countries United Kingdom nationals in receipt of United Kingdom pensions may also receive United Kingdom upratings; and whether there are any negotiations in hand, and with what countries, which may result in similar arrangements regarding upratings applying where at the moment they do not.
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§ Mr. PrenticeUnited Kingdom pensioners in other member States of the European Community have been able to receive payment on the same basis as pensioners in the United Kingdom since 1 April 1973 under Community regulations. Broadly similar arrangements existed prior to that date, under bilateral agreements, for pensioners in all those countries except Denmark, from the dates listed below:
Country of residence Date from which arrangements applied Belgium 1 June 1958 Fiance 1 May 1958 Germany 1 August 1961 Irish Republic 4 April 1966 Italy 1 May 1953 Luxembourg 1 April 1955 Netherlands 1 June 1955 The Community regulations will apply to Greece, with whom there is no bilateral agreement, with effect from 1 January 1981.
United Kingdom pensioners may also receive United Kingdom upratings in Austria, Bermuda, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Israel, Jamaica, Jersey, Malta, Portugal, Sark, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States of America and Yugoslavia. An agreement with Finland has been signed, but not yet ratified, which will permit United Kingdom upratings to pensioners in that country.
Discussions about possible reciprocity on social security, which could include the payment of United Kingdom uprating increases to United Kingdom pensioners in those countries, are being held or are likely to take place soon with Barbados, Iceland, Mauritius, Norway and Sweden.