Sir, – Perhaps Newton Emerson is closer to the thinking of the British Treasury than most of us (“United Ireland is still in the realm of fantasy as serious questions are avoided”, Opinion, October 6th). But the idea that it would refuse to honour the insurance contribution records of the North’s pensioners, in the event of Irish reunification, is not credible.
The starting point for negotiations over pension liabilities will be law and practice going back to 1924, including EU law on the co-ordination of social security which, in the case of the UK, is now superseded by the post-Brexit 2019 Convention, signed in Dublin February 1st, 2019.
Under Articles 66 and 67, Britain agrees to give six months’ notice if it wishes to “denounce” the agreement, but even if it does, “any right to benefit acquired by a person shall be maintained”.
The most important benefit right referred to is the state pension.
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Further, it is a red herring to liken the convention rights, built up over many years, to the memorandum on reciprocal healthcare covering access to healthcare in the here and now.
While British governments have a growing reputation for breaching international agreements, we must proceed on the basis that it will honour the historic contribution records of the North’s pensioners. For your columnist to describe this argument as “absurd” is neither rational nor fair comment. – Yours, etc,
MIKE TOMLINSON,
Belfast,
Co Antrim.
Sir, – Newton Emerson is quite right that unionist interests will need to be fully protected in any putative united Ireland. Creative and innovative thinking is required here.
Apart from protections set out in constitutional law, in practice it is likely that the UK embassy will have to be upgraded to become a “British partnership office” or suchlike in order to protect the rights of British citizens in the new unified state.
Such an office would be a bigger and more complex version of the “Maryfield Secretariat” set up under the Anglo-Irish Agreement, where Irish civil servants had a permanent presence in Northern Ireland.
Laws made by the Oireachtas in the new state will also have to be “equality-proofed” to ensure that British citizens are not discriminated against. – Yours, etc,
JOSEPH G O’HANLON,
Clontarf,
Dublin.