§ Mr. KilfedderTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to obtain from the Irish Republic an estimate of the number of young people between the ages of 18 and 30 years who are citizens of the Republic and who have come to live in Great Britain in the last five years; and if he will ask the Government of the Irish Republic to make a contribution towards their welfare and accommodation if they are unemployed or homeless.
§ Mr. PortilloI have been asked to reply.
No. Given the freedom of movement between the two countries, neither the Irish nor the United Kingdom Government are in a position to give accurate estimates. Social assistance benefits are available to all persons in need who are lawfully present in Great Britain, without discrimination on grounds of nationality. The Republic of Ireland makes its social assistance benefits available to United Kingdom nationals on the same terms. A system of cross-accounting would not be practical or appropriate in this context.