S.I. No. 57/1994:

SOCIAL WELFARE (AGREEMENT WITH NEW ZEALAND ON SOCIAL SECURITY) ORDER, 1994.

SOCIAL WELFARE (AGREEMENT WITH NEW ZEALAND ON SOCIAL SECURITY) ORDER, 1994.

WHEREAS the arrangements in respect of matters relating to social security set out in the Agreement in the Schedule to this Order (hereinafter called "the Agreement") were made by the Government of Ireland with the Government of New Zealand;

AND WHEREAS it is provided in Article 27 of the Agreement that the Agreement will be subject to compliance with all the statutory and constitutional requirements for its entry into force;

AND WHEREAS it is provided in Article 27 of the Agreement that the Agreement will come into force on the first day of the second month following the month in which each Party to the Agreement shall have received from the other Party written notifications that it has complied with all statutory and constitutional requirements for entry into force of the Agreement;

AND WHEREAS the aforesaid written notifications were exchanged in London on 25 January, 1994.

NOW THEREFORE the Minister for Social Welfare, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 4 and 238 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993 (No. 27 of 1993), hereby makes the following Order:--

1. This Order may be cited as the Social Welfare (Agreement with New Zealand on Social Security) Order, 1994.

2. The Agreement shall come into force on the 1st day of March, 1994.

3. On and from the 1st day of March, 1994 the Social Welfare Acts and the regulations made under those Acts insofar as they relate to old age (contributory) pension, retirement pension, widow's (contributory) pension, invalidity pension, orphan's (contributory) allowance and the liability of a person employed outside the State to the payment of employment and self-employment contributions, shall be modified to the extent necessary to take account of and to give effect to the provisions of the Agreement.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Social Welfare, this 1st day of March, 1994.

MICHAEL WOODS,

Minister for Social Welfare.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

This Order gives effect to the Bilateral Agreement on Social Security made between Ireland and New Zealand which comes into effect from 1 March 1994. The Order provides that the Social Welfare Acts and relevant regulations will be modified to take account of the provisions of the Agreement.

The primary purpose of the Agreement is to allow social insurance contributions paid in Ireland to assist a person to qualify for certain benefits in New Zealand and for periods of residence in New Zealand to count towards satisfying the contribution conditions for certain Irish benefits. In the case of Ireland the Agreement covers old age (contributory) pension, retirement pension, widow's (contributory) pension, invalidity pension and orphan's (contributory) allowance.

The Agreement also deals with the liability, for Irish social insurance contributions (PRSI), of "detached" workers who are seconded to work in New Zealand for a temporary period by an employer who has business in Ireland. Such workers will continue to remain attached to the Irish PRSI system for periods of absences up to two years.