§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how the Government intends to respond to the termination of the Anglo-Australian Social Security Agreement; [137611]
(2) what estimate he has made of the effect on social security expenditure of the termination of the Anglo-Australian Social Security Agreement; [137612]
(3) how many people living in (a) Australia, (b) Britain and (c) elsewhere will be affected by the termination of the Anglo-Australian Social Security Agreement. [137614]
§ Mr. RookerPeople who are already receiving benefit with the help of the agreement when it terminates will not be affected. We are actively considering the full implications of Australia's decision and in particular what we can do to protect the position of those residing in the UK who have previously lived in Australia but not yet retired.
§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many people living in Australia are earning credits towards British contributory benefits; [137613]
(2) how many people retired in each of the past five years with part of their pension coming from credits earned while in Australia; and what was the average amount of pension earned by these credits. [137610]
529W
§ Mr. RookerPeople cannot earn credits while they are resident in Australia. Under the terms of the Social Security Agreement with Australia, when someone who is permanently resident in the United Kingdom claims Retirement Pension, previous residence in Australia can be treated as periods during which Class 3 contributions have been paid.
We estimate that an average of about 1,000 pensioners have benefited from these provisions each year during the last five years. The estimated average basic pension enhancement under the Agreement was around £15 a week over this period.
Source:
Pensions Strategy Computer System