The progress of the demographic and family policy action plan, was today the focus of the ad Hoc Committee for the Study of the Demographic Problem in Cyprus. The session was presented by the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Kyriakos Kousios and the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Anastasia Anthousi the various measures and incentives given to address the problem with the MPs admitting that work is being done, but much more needs to be done as the birth rate is currently only 1.4%.
In her intervention to the Committee, Anthousi referred to the actions of the Ministry of State. The first project concerns the Subsidy for Tuition and Feeding of Children up to 4 years old, and provides for the subsidy of part of the monthly cost of schooling for children up to 4 years old. As mentioned, families who have children up to the age of four and receive Child Benefit are eligible.
The scheme was implemented in September 2022 and already more than €1.8 million has been granted. The government's main aim is to narrow the gender employment gap by offering low-cost childcare and education from the early stages of a child's life. The amount of the subsidy is 80% of the monthly childcare allowance, with a maximum amount ranging from €100 to €350 per child.
The second plan involves the creation of at least 27 Multipurpose Children's Centres and Childcare Centres and residential facilities for children, adolescents with behavioural disorders and adults with long-term care needs.
[/P] The second plan involves the creation of at least 27 Multipurpose Children's Centres and Childcare Centres and residential facilities for children, adolescents with behavioural disorders and adults with long-term care needs. The total investment amounts to 23 million 725 thousand euros and the beneficiaries are Non-Governmental Organisations and Local Authorities.[/P]For the State Aid Scheme for Social Welfare Services, according to Ms. Anthousi, in 2021 a grant was granted for the operation of 127 programmes (45% of all programmes - 281) aimed at children (operation of nurseries, Child Protection and Employment Centres, etc.), with a total investment of €2.7 million, representing 20% of the total expenditure (€12.7 million).
Another measure to address the problem of under-generation concerns the strengthening of infrastructure in mountainous areas, with the operation of a crèche in Kalopanagiotis over the last two years, the creation of a crèche in the community of Pachna which is in the final stage of completion, as well as the allocation of €140.000 for the development of a similar project in the Community of Trimiklini.
The Baby Dowry Project has benefited 2,500 vulnerable families, at a total cost of €2.9 million. Through the Plan, basic consumer goods for baby care, worth a total of €1,649, are provided to families in need.
In the field of housing, the Ministry of Social Welfare offers financial support, in the form of a rent allowance, for the provision of housing, which is included under the Minimum Guaranteed Income. For the year 2021, according to Ms Anthoussi, an amount of €11.2 million was granted, and by October 2022, the amount amounted to €8.9 million.
In addition, 17,829 large mothers benefited from new benefits or the reinstatement of benefits that had been abolished by the previous administration, totalling €8.9 million.
In addition, according to the Deputy Minister, the income criteria of the Child Benefit were increased with regard to families with three or more children, adding to the threshold of €59.000 plus €5,000 for each child after the second.
Ms. Anthousi also referred to the One-off grant to support vulnerable population groups to cope with inflationary pressures and consequent increases in goods and services, as well as the One-off grant "Back to School" to families with children aged 4-18 years, aimed at supporting population groups affected by inflationary pressures.
Finally, reference was made to the Scheme to grant benefits to families having triplets or more.
In a statement after the meeting of the Committee, its Chairman Linos Papagiannis said that today before the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Kyriakos Kousios and the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Anastasia Anthousi, the Committee discussed the issue of under-birth rate in Cyprus, asking all Ministries for information if there is any differentiation in the framework of the National Strategy.
The Ministers and the representatives of the Ministries, Papagiannis said, informed about the strategy followed by the State, which is a continuation of the policy that was followed last year as well.
He said that there is a difference in the way the Government is dealing with the problem in relation to what the Government is following. He said that there are some data on the problem of under birth rate indicators have not improved, but it cannot be said that efforts are not being made.
"Unfortunately, however, there are some data that cannot be disputed, the problem continues to grow and at the same time our country faces the threat called demographic alteration," he said.
"Unfortunately, however, there are some data that cannot be disputed, the problem continues to grow and at the same time our country faces the threat called demographic alteration," he said.
Papagiannis said that the birth rate looks set to hover close to 1.4%, which means that the minimum increase from 1.3%, as has been said in the past, comes from the births of foreign couples and not from the native population.
"We are sounding the alarm once again and I want to hope that with the revision of the National Strategy we will also get some better results," he concluded.
DISY MP Prodromos Alabritis[/B] congratulated the Minister of Labour and the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare for the issues that were initiated and implemented, among which were the extension of maternity leave, the implementation of paternity leave and the institutionalization of parental leave with pay.
At the same time, he welcomed the subsidisation of tuition fees in nursery schools, the increase in income criteria for child allowance, the reintroduction of the mother's allowance, the housing plans of the Ministry of Interior to support families and the increase in the number of optional all-day schools.
Alabritis noted, however, that in order to support the family and tackle the problem of under-birth rate much more should be done within the framework of an integrated planning.
In DISY's proposals on the issue of under-birth rate, Mr. Alabritis referred to increasing the family tax-free income to 39.5 thousand euros in order to increase the family's purchasing power, expanding the child allowance to cover many more families with the total amount increasing with each additional child to help families have a second, third or more children.
He also proposed, on behalf of DISY, the extension of parental leave, the implementation of flexible working, the creation of crèches in workplaces and in cooperation with local government, the introduction of a newborn package for all children, the study of a lump sum for the birth of each child with a larger increase for the 3rd and 4th child, the expansion of the full-day school and the expansion of the housing programmes of the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs.
Finally, Mr. Alabritis congratulated the Deputy Minister of Welfare for her reflexes in the case of the birth of quadruplets in Aradippou. Due to income criteria of the parents, they were not entitled to a benefit and Ms Anthousi managed to support this family with her actions.
The PPP MP Alekos Tryfonidis said that the situation in Cyprus with births is tragic as for a state to have good prospects, the minimum birth rate should be 2.6%.
Despite the diligent efforts made by all ministers, the situation remains at these dangerous levels in Cyprus, in 30 years Cyprus will be left with half the population.
Despite the diligent efforts made by all ministers, the situation remains at these dangerous levels in Cyprus, in 30 years Cyprus will be left with half the population. The first thing that needs to be done, he said, is the coordination of the Ministries so that the actions of one are complementary to the other and there is no disharmony.
On this particular issue, Kyriakos Kousios told the Committee that the actions of the Ministries are taken at Cabinet level and therefore one Minister knows what the other Ministry will do, but admitted that there is room for better coordination.
Mr Tryfonides then referred to the need to reduce the procedures that need to be done by the Ministry of Social Welfare, with Ms Anthousis acknowledging this need. For example, as Mr. Tryfonidis explained, the baby's dowry, which is granted based on income criteria, should be given directly to the mother. However, it was noted that it can take up to 18 months for this allowance to be given.
Other recommendations of the DPA call for an increase in full-day primary and secondary schools, as well as incentives related to housing policy on agricultural land or land in reclamation.
"It is imperative that this national problem of under-birth rate be addressed immediately and collectively as a state because if we stay with the same conditions there will be tragic results for our country and for all of us in the future," he concluded.
Source: CNA
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