§ Lord Shore of Stepneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why national insurance retirement pensions are uprated for United Kingdom pensioners residing in the countries of the European Economic Area, including the European Union, and are frozen for United Kingdom pensioners residing in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. [HL968]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Baroness Hollis of Heigham)Annual upratings have never been generally paid abroad. The exception is those countries with which we have reciprocal agreements which allow for upratings. These countries are: members of the European Economic Area (EEA), Barbados, Bermuda, the Channel Islands, Cyprus, Israel, Jamaica, Malta, Mauritius, Philippines, Switzerland, Turkey and USA. The Republics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are all covered by a reciprocal agreement between the UK and Yugoslavia from 1958.