Parents caring for disabled children to qualify for pension – Abela
Abela was speaking as parliament debates the budget’s financial estimates.
Parents who stay at home to take full-time care of children with severe disabilities will be eligible for an old-age pension even though they do not pay social security contributions, Robert Abela said on Tuesday.
Currently, parents who stay at home because of their disabled children receive a Carer’s Grant of €5,190 per year. They do not pay social security contributions.
"This meant that they would not be eligible for a pension when they reached old age, Abela said" on Tuesday.
“But from now on, those parents will have their social security contributions covered and so will be eligible for a pension,” Abela said.
He said the measure will take effect soon.
Abela was speaking as parliament debates measures to implement the budget.
In his 30-minute speech Abela said that, unlike other countries, the government had continued to focus on social spending while reducing the deficit.
“We have been able to do that because the government’s revenue is increasing and because the economy is growing,” he said.
Other countries were increasing debts while cutting social spending. This was because other economies their stagnating and because EU countries were shifting their spending from welfare to weapons, he said.
Abela said that Eurobarometer surveys showed that the people wanted to see more efforts to combat inflation, improve environmental protection, a strong social state and quality public healthcare.
The Maltese government was listening to the will of the people.