State to combat low birthrates with family policy
With the aim of tackling low birthrates and the demographic aging of the population, the government is drafting a comprehensive family policy, which will include incentives for large families and the reconciliation of work and family life.
Deputy Social Welfare Minister Marilena Evangelou said progress had already been made under the current government.
Addressing an event in Larnaca to celebrate large families, Evangelou mentioned that the House had recently unanimously voted in favour of a government proposal to provide large families with 50 per cent of child allowances for their university-going children.
The House also voted to increase the child allowance by 5 per cent plus the cost-of-living allowance (CoLA), with retrospective implementation from January 1, 2024. Evangelou said that the cabinet recently approved a proposal by her deputy ministry for a new scheme to subsidize tuition and food for children aged four to four-and-a-half years old for 2024-2025.
Furthermore, a sum was allocated for March, April, May, and June 2024 to all eligible for the child allowance – €100 for the first child and €50 for every additional child, with a ceiling of €250. Additionally, €100 extra was given to families with more than four dependents.
In May 2023, a summer allowance was paid to families with three or more children, with a total cost of €2 million, benefiting 25,000 children.
During the same period, Evangelou noted that the honorary allowance for mothers with four or more children was increased for all income groups, benefiting more than 16,000 mothers.
Maternity leave has been increased by one month to allow working mothers more time with their newborns. Maternity leave was also extended by two weeks for mothers with hospitalised newborns.
Self-employed individuals have been included in parental leave measures.
Evangelou said the timeframe for examining applications for childbirth benefits has been shortened so that eligible applicants receive their benefits within a fortnight of submission. Additionally, the allowance for large families to purchase a new electric vehicle has increased from €9,000 to €20,000.
Evangelou highlighted that qualitative childcare services are being upgraded with the creation of 30 new infant stations or the expansion of existing ones, as part of the recovery and resilience plan. These stations will also operate in the afternoons to meet the needs of modern families.
She added that in 2023, the deputy ministry funded 61 infant stations and 65 child centres with a total cost of about €3 million.
“We will work consistently and decisively to draft a comprehensive family policy, with the purpose of supporting the society and the demographic growth of our country,” Evangelou said.