A new round of Covid-19 benefits has been announced for parents who have been forced to stop their private sector jobs to take care of their children in view of the COVID-19 restrictions.
The government on Tuesday said the new scheme that will run from March 15 till April 11.
The measures come in response to a month-long closure of schools and other services in response to a spike in Covid-19 cases.
The scheme is targeted towards parents in the private sector who do not have the option of teleworking.
Full-time workers with children under the age of 16 can benefit from aid of €166.15 per week and part-time workers are eligible for aid of €103.85 per week.
Retirees to benefit from pre-COVID pension over the coming years maltatoday.com.mt - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from maltatoday.com.mt Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Almost 45,000 pensioners will be receiving an annual payment of up to €350 from this coming Saturday, in the form of improvements to two existing social measures.
Family Minister Michael Falzon, along with his ministry s permanent secretary Mark Musu, announced the payments on Wednesday.
The Senior Citizens Grant will be given to persons who are still living in the community and are aged 75 years and over. Those aged between 75 and 79 will receive €300, while those aged over 80 years will receive €350.
This grant will also be given to people living in a private home for the elderly and are paying for the service directly.
Newsbook
Miguela Xuereb
Family Minister Michael Falzon argued that Malta was not yet mature enough to have a third party in Parliament as he argued against any mechanism which would help smaller parties gain a seat.
Falzon was speaking during debate on another proposed electoral mechanism â to increase the proportion of women in Parliament.
Earlier this week, Nationalist Party MP Hermann Schiavone had lamented that the proposal as it stands would only apply if only two parties make it to Parliament. The PN is suggesting that the proposed bill should be amended so that any third party electing more than 5 MPs â a situation that has not occurred in independent Malta â would also benefit from the mechanism, which would add up to 12 MPs of the âunder-represented sexâ in a bid to increase its proportion to 40%.
Three in ten pensioners at risk of poverty timesofmalta.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from timesofmalta.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.