Parents eligible for a supplementary allowance will as of next year also receive a €150 cheque previously reserved for people classified as at risk of poverty, Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said on Monday.

An estimated 20,000 people are expected to be eligible for the added assistance, the minister said during his Budget 2021 speech.

Supplementary allowances, which range from €4.57 to €12.54 per week and are intended to help impoverished children, are given to couples earning up to a maximum of €13,798 a year or single people making up to €9,701 yearly.

As part of Budget 2021, that allowance will rise by €70 a year for families which fall on the lower rungs of those income thresholds.

The assistance will complement increases in the children's allowance, also announced by Scicluna during his Budget speech. 

Aid for carers for the disabled

A grant previously given to help cover the costs of hiring a carer to look after an elderly person will now be open to people who need professional care for a person with a disability. The grant, which previously stood at €5291 per year, is also being upped to €6000.

Parents who had to quit their job to look after a disabled child aged 16 or over will be given a €300 grant, the minister said.

Taxi drivers will also be incentivised to make their vehicles wheelchair-accessible, with a specific grant for such modifications.