UK/Switzerland: Convention on Social Security Coordination

International agreement in relation to social security.

Committee report, 9 November 2021

Further action:

UK/Switzerland: Convention on social security coordination

This international agreement was laid in the UK Parliament on 29 September. Its scrutiny deadline, as required by the CRaG Act 2010, is 22 November 2021.

The aim of this agreement is to establish new post-Brexit social security coordination arrangements between the UK and Switzerland in respect of certain benefits, including access to reciprocal healthcare. As a Member State, EU-Swiss social security coordination arrangements applied between the UK and Switzerland. Outside the EU, social security coordination between the UK and Switzerland would take place on the terms of a 1968 bilateral agreement in the absence of a new agreement.

The Explanatory Memorandum states that the devolved governments were consulted and involved in the preparation of the Convention. This included officials from the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland.

It also explains that the negotiation of reciprocal healthcare agreements and the welfare of UK nationals abroad are reserved matters, but some of the areas that reciprocal healthcare agreements cover are devolved including domestic healthcare and the recovery of overseas visitor costs.

Accordingly, the UK Government has engaged and consulted with health officials from the devolved administrations throughout, sharing draft legal text, coordinating changes in guidance and regulations where needed, and liaising on health implications.

However, it is not clear whether the Welsh Government will be represented at the new UK/Swiss Joint Administrative Committee established by the Convention, where discussions held and decisions taken could relate to devolved areas of competence.

We noted the agreement and agreed to:

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>>>seek further information from the Welsh Government on a number of issues including the agreement’s implications on devolved competence;

>>>draw the agreement to the attention of the Senedd’s Health and Social Care Committee in light of the impact on UK/Switzerland healthcare arrangements in devolved areas.

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