OFFICIAL JOURNAL , ENGLISH SPECIAL EDITION 1971 ( II ), P . 416 ) WITH REGARD TO INVALIDITY AND SICKNESS BENEFITS .
2 THE QUESTIONS WERE RAISED IN PROCEEDINGS CONCERNED WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM INSURANCE OFFICER ' S REFUSAL TO GRANT A UNITED KINGDOM INVALIDITY PENSION TO LUIGI COPPOLA , A WORKER OF ITALIAN NATIONALITY RESIDING IN ITALY .
3 FROM OCTOBER 1960 TO AUGUST 1973 MR COPPOLA WAS EMPLOYED IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND PAID CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEME THERE . ON HIS RETURN TO ITALY HE WORKED FOR A PERIOD AS A BUILDING LABOURER AND WAS INSURED UNDER THE ITALIAN SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEME . HE FELL ILL AND ON 30 NOVEMBER APPLIED FOR AN ITALIAN INVALIDITY PENSION WHICH WAS AWARDED TO HIM IN 1976 WITH EFFECT FROM 1 DECEMBER 1974 ON THE BASIS OF PARTIAL INVALIDITY .
4 IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMMUNITY LEGISLATION , THE APPLICATION FOR ITALIAN INVALIDITY BENEFIT WAS PASSED TO THE UNITED KINGDOM AUTHORITIES TO ENABLE THEM TO CONSIDER WHETHER MR COPPOLA WAS ENTITLED TO UNITED KINGDOM INVALIDITY BENEFIT . HOWEVER , THE INSURANCE OFFICER CONSIDERED THAT MR COPPOLA DID NOT SATISFY THE MEDICAL CONDITIONS AS TO THE DEGREE OF INCAPACITY FOR WORK LAID DOWN BY UNITED KINGDOM LEGISLATION FOR THE AWARD OF SICKNESS OR INVALIDITY BENEFITS . HE THEREFORE REFUSED TO GRANT HIM A UNITED KINGDOM INVALIDITY PENSION . FOLLOWING AN APPEAL BY MR COPPOLA , THAT DECISION WAS UPHELD BY THE LOCAL TRIBUNAL AFTER A FURTHER MEDICAL REPORT .
5 THE CASE WAS BROUGHT BEFORE THE SOCIAL SECURITY COMMISSIONER WHO TOOK THE VIEW THAT HE HAD TO CONSIDER NOT ONLY WHETHER MR COPPOLA WAS ENTITLED TO INVALIDITY BENEFIT BUT ALSO WHETHER HE WAS ENTITLED TO SICKNESS BENEFIT . SINCE CONSIDERATION OF MR COPPOLA ' S ENTITLEMENT TO UNITED KINGDOM SICKNESS AND INVALIDITY BENEFITS RAISED CERTAIN QUESTIONS OF COMMUNITY LAW , THE SOCIAL SECURITY COMMISSIONER STAYED THE PROCEEDINGS AND REFERRED A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS TO THE COURT FOR A PRELIMINARY RULING CONCERNING THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 OF THE COUNCIL .
SICKNESS BENEFIT
6 AS REGARDS SICKNESS BENEFIT , THE SOCIAL SECURITY COMMISSIONER FOUND THAT WITH RESPECT TO ONE OR POSSIBLY TWO PERIODS DURING WHICH MR COPPOLA WAS IN HOSPITAL OR CONVALESCENT , AS SHOWN BY HIS FILE , NAMELY FROM 30 MARCH TO 15 MAY 1975 AND FROM 22 TO 26 JUNE 1976 , THE MEDICAL CONDITIONS REGARDING INCAPACITY FOR WORK WERE SATISFIED . BUT MR COPPOLA DID NOT SATISFY , MERELY BY HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED KINGDOM SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEME DURING THE PERIOD TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT FOR THAT PURPOSE , THE CONTRIBUTION CONDITIONS LAID DOWN BY UNITED KINGDOM LEGISLATION . THE SOCIAL SECURITY COMMISSIONER NEVERTHELESS RAISED THE QUESTION WHETHER THE CONTRIBUTIONS PAID BY MR COPPOLA TO THE ITALIAN SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEME AFTER HIS RETURN TO ITALY MIGHT BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT BY VIRTUE OF THE PROVISIONS OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 OF THE COUNCIL .
7 IN THAT RESPECT , THE SOCIAL