More than 402,000 children were born in Poland in 2017, the highest number in “many years", the country’s family and social policy minister said on Friday.

Elżbieta Rafalska was responding to reporters' questions about the results of the Polish government’s flagship “500+” child benefits programme.

Poland’s socially conservative Law and Justice party, which came to power in late 2015, aims to ease the burdens of child rearing by giving families with two or more children a handout of PLN 500 (USD 134, EUR 116) a month per child.

Poorer families receive the allowance even if they have just one child.

Government ministers have lauded the benefits programme for reducing poverty in Poland.

(pk)

Source: PAP