The Riigikogu continued to review the motions to amend the Family Benefits Act

At its today’s sitting the Riigikogu continued to review the motions to amend the Family Benefits Act. By the end of the sitting, the plenary had voted on 117 of nearly 1200 amendments.

At the beginning of the sitting, the Riigikogu observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the 1949 June deportation.

At the beginning of the sitting, Martin Helme submitted to the Riigikogu the motion of no confidence in Minister of Education and Research Liina Kersna. 39 members of the Riigikogu from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction and the Estonian Centre Party Faction have signed the motion of no confidence. Under the Riigikogu Rules of Procedure and Internal Rules Act, a motion to express no confidence in a minister is included in the agenda not earlier than on the second day after the presentation of the motion, unless the Government requests a speedier decision. At its extraordinary sitting today, the Government decided to apply for the motion to be deliberated at the earliest opportunity.

The second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Family Benefits Act (619 SE), initiated by 54 members of the Riigikogu, continued at the sitting of the Riigikogu. The Riigikogu has been voting on the motions to amend the Bill and taking ten-minute recesses before votings in all regular sittings since last Wednesday.

The Bill will raise the child allowance for the first and second child from EUR 60 to EUR 100, that is, to the same level as the child allowance for the third and subsequent children. According to the Bill, the allowance for families with many children will rise from 300 euro to 700 euro per month for families with three to six children, and from 400 euro to 900 euro for families with seven or more children. In order that the allowance for families with many children would continue to be proportional to the rise in the standard of living, and that the amount of the allowance would not need to be changed every year, the allowance will be indexed by 1 April of each year. The value of the index will depend to the extent of 20 per cent on the annual increase in the consumer price index and to the extent of 80 per cent on the annual increase in the receipt of the pension insurance part of social tax.

At present, the payment of the allowance for families with many children stops when the first child attains the age of majority. In the future, however, it will be paid in the full amount for as long as the family is raising at least three children who are minors. In the case of families with many children, the allowance will be paid to the extent of two thirds of the allowance if two of the children are minors, and to the extent one third if one child is a minor. Before the second reading, the Social Affairs Committee had amended the Bill by adding a provision under which, in the case of a multiple birth, the allowance for families with many children would be paid until the children attain the age of 21 years. The committee had also incorporated into the Bill the amendment under which the single parent’s child allowance would rise to 40 euro.

The Reform Party Faction had submitted about 1660 motions to amend the Bill, and the Social Democratic Party Faction had submitted four. The lead committee had not incorporated the motions. 1191 motions had been entered on the list of motions to amend. About 460 motions intended to amend the Act on this year’s state budget, submitted by the Reform Party Faction, had been excluded from the list.

The review of the motions entered on the list of motions to amend will continue at the Riigikogu sitting starting at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The deliberation of all other items on today’s agenda will also be deferred.

Source: Parliament of Estonia