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Dept of Social Security

Answer

Mr. Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list those countries outside the EU where British state pensioners (a) do and (b) do not receive the annual uprating; and if he will set down the guiding principles behind the decision to place non-EU countries chosen by British pensioners for their retirement into the uprated or the frozen category. [3301] Mr. Heald: The information is in the lists. Lists A and B show the overseas countries outside the European Economic Area{1} where United Kingdom retirement and widow's pensions were paid in July 1996. Annual pension upratings are payable in the countries listed in A. Upratings are not payable in the countries listed in B. The general rule is that annual pension increases are not payable outside the United Kingdom unless European Community regulations or reciprocal social security agreements provide otherwise. Reciprocal agreements with the countries listed in A were entered into with a view to providing a measure of social protection for workers, and members of their families, when moving from one country to the other during their working lives. In order to enter into an agreement with the UK the other country's social security scheme had to be sufficiently similar to provide for reciprocity. Increasingly, there had to be sufficient movement of workers between the two countries to justify the outlay of resources to negotiate, operate and maintain the agreement. Above all, any additional costs had to be affordable. List A: Non-EEA countries where annual upratings are payable Barbados Bermuda Bosnia-Herzegovina{2} Croatia{2} Cyprus Guernsey Isle of Man Israel Jamaica Jersey Macedonia{2} Malta Mauritius Philippines Slovenia{2} Switzerland Turkey USA Yugoslavia {1} Comprises EC member states plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. EC regulations on social security for migrant workers apply throughout the European Economic Area. {2} Formerly a constituent republic of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). Annual pension increases payable by virtue of the 1958 reciprocal agreement with FRY. List B: Countries where annual upratings are not payable Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiqua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Ascension Island Australia Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Belarus Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burma Burundi Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Islands Cayman Islands Chile China Colombia Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Cuba Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Gambia Ghana Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Japan Jordan Kampuchea Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea (South) Kuwait Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Macau Malagasy Republic Malawi Malaysia (including Sabah and Sarawak) Maldive Islands Mexico Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nepal Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria Norfolk Island Norway Oman Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Poland Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia St. Helena and Dependencies St. Kitts-Nevis St. Lucia St. Martin St. Vincent San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovak Republic Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Sri Lanka Sudan Swaziland Syria Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay Vanuatu (New Hebrides) Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands (USA) Western Samoa Yemen, Republic of Zaire Zambia Zimbabwe.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

3301; 285 c93-7W

Session

1996-97

Subjects

British nationality Overseas residence State retirement pensions