HC Deb 27 June 2002 vol 387 cc1060-2W
Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list in chronological order each reciprocal bilateral agreement involving the UK for the vertical payment of social security benefits, indicating restrictions on their payment in full to beneficiaries resident abroad. [64291]

Malcolm Wicks

The main purpose of such reciprocal agreements is to protect the social security position of workers moving between the two countries during their working lives. They prevent employees, their employers and the self-employed from having to pay social security contributions to both the home state and the state of employment at the same time and ensure that such workers' rights to certain benefits are maintained. They vary to some extent from country to country depending on the nature and scope of the other country's social security scheme. Generally, they cover contributory benefits in respect of the following contingencies: sickness, invalidity, unemployment, retirement, bereavement and industrial injuries. Workers who have contributed to both countries schemes during their working lives can usually receive an old age pension from each country which reflects the proportionate amount of their insurance in, or contributions to, each country's scheme.

The reciprocal bilateral social security agreements involving the UK are as follows: The National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Italy) Order 1953/884 The National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Luxembourg) Order 1955/420 The National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Netherlands) Order 1955/874 The National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (France) Order 1958/597 The Family Allowance, National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Belgium) Order 1958/771 The Family Allowance, National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Yugoslavia) Order 1958/1263 The Family Allowance, National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Denmark) Order 1960/211 The National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Republic of Ireland) Order 1960/707 The National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Turkey) Order 1961/584 The Family Allowance, National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Germany) Order 1961/1202 The National Insurance (Republic of Ireland) Order 1966/707 The Family Allowance, National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Switzerland) Order 1969/384 The Social Security (Bermuda) Order 1969/1686 The National Insurance (Republic of Ireland) Order 1971/1742 The Family Allowance, National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Gibraltar) Order 1974/555 The Family Allowance, National Insurance and Industrial Injuries (Spain) Order 1975/415 The Social Security (Isle of Man) Order 1977/2150 The Social Security (Portugal) Order 1979/921 The Social Security (Austria) Order 1981/605 The Social Security (Mauritius) Order 1981/1524 The Social Security (Cyprus) Order 1983/1698 The Social Security (New Zealand) Order 1983/1894 The Social Security (Finland) Order 1984/125 The Social Security (Israel) Order 1984/354 The Social Security (United States of America) Order 1984/1817 The Social Security (Iceland) Order 1985/1202 (as amended by SI 1982/3211) The Social Security (Sweden) Order 1988/590 (as amended by SI 1982/3213) The Social Security (Philippines) Order 1989/2002 The Social Security (Norway) Order 1991/767 (as amended by SI 1982/3212) The Social Security (Barbados) Order 1992/812 The Social Security (Jersey and Guernsey) Order 1994/2802 The Social Security (Canada) Order 1995/2699 The Social Security (Malta) Order 1996/1927 (replaced 1956/1987 and 1958/727) The Social Security (Jamaica) Order 1997/871 (replaced 1972/1587) The Social Security (United States of America) Order 1997/1778 (supplementary to SI 1984/1817 above).