Government ups spending on social assistance by €540 million

Minister Chris Said has announced that it has spent €540 million more on social assistance services over the course of the outgoing legislature than the previous one.

Said was speaking during a tour of the Social Services Department in Rabat, Gozo, on Tuesday afternoon, during which he met with the department's workers.

During a brief address, Said that that government has upped social services spending each year between 2008 and 2012, so much so that it currently stands at €540 million more than what it stood at in 2007.

He said that this includes spending on retirement pensions, invalidity pensions, and widows' pensions.

He added that there was another €50 million increase in non-contributory social assistance which include Child Allowances and other family assistance measures

Said insisted that the increase in expenditure was a decision that was taken "consciously" by the Nationalist government so as to ensure that families and elderly people have access to more disposable income.

Said also said that this additional expenditure yielded the following results:

- An increase of 112,000 people who received some sort of benefit are now benefiting from the cost of living adjustment,

- 80,000 pensioners who are enjoying the totality of the COLA, and are today receiving €1,200 in pensions than five years ago.

- The government carried out a reform of the Children Allowance benefit, with the result that around 45,000 families annually are receiving a minimum of €350 for each child, which the PN government wants to increase to €450.

- Solid increases in Children's' Allowance for families which offer fostering, from €12 weekly in 2007 to €70 weekly today.

Said also reiterated how pension benefits were expanded over the past five years, and that the PN government extended maternity leave to 18 weeks.