The law on the transfer of benefits to the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare
The Plenum of the Parliament unanimously amended the law on the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare and the transfer, as of 1 January 2022, of the competence to examine benefits is implemented, from the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance to the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare and completes the legislative framework for the transfer of the Department of Social Integration of Persons with Disabilities from the Ministry of Labour to the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare at a later stage.
The law on the consequent renaming of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance to the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance was also unanimously adopted.
During the debate preceding the vote, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Labour Andreas Kavkalias said that the Government is partially implementing the law on the Deputy Ministry, as the competence to examine benefits is transferred, but the regulation on the transfer of the social integration of persons with disabilities is missing and called on the Government to initiate this transfer as well. He added that the important thing is political will and the decisions taken or not taken.
DISY MP Demetris Demetriou said that the promotion of such an important reform was done gradually, adding that social integration will be transferred in a third stage. We could put it all in together and burn it, he said, adding that everyone agrees that benefits should be given to beneficiaries on time.
DIKO MP Zacharias Koulias said that the Ministry of Labour and the Social Insurance Fund have lost control, resulting in a long delay in the payment of new pensions, which contributes to the perpetuation of undeclared work.
EDEK MP Andreas Apostolou, after stating that the Deputy Ministry was very much needed, expressed the view that it is very important to properly operate the benefits department which has the biggest problems.
DPA MP Alekos Tryfonidis said that the Deputy Ministry should be staffed in order to examine the objections that are pending by the thousands.
DIKO MP Chrysanthos Savvidis said the Welfare Office in Paphos is working under a state of terror and called on the government to provide solutions for the safety of workers.
As stated in the Report of the Parliamentary Labour Committee to the Plenary of the Parliament, the law transfers certain competences, the Minimum Guaranteed Income and, more generally, the Social Benefits Law and the Child Benefit Law, from the Minister of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance and the Director General of the same Ministry to the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare under the President and the Director General of the same Deputy Ministry, respectively.
Source: CNA
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