The Polish government next year plans to begin paying out special minimum pensions to mothers of four or more children, the country’s family minister said on Thursday.

Elżbieta Rafalska, the minister for family, labour and social policy, told public broadcaster Polish Radio that a preliminary draft budget for 2019 adopted by Poland’s government this week ensured financing for key social assistance programmes, including planned “maternal pensions” for women who have given birth to at least four children.

“The cost of this programme is PLN 915,000 (EUR 213,700, USD 247,000), according to our estimates,” Rafalska said.

She added that the draft 2019 budget also included funds for the government’s flagship "500-plus" child benefit programme and subsidised school supplies for children nationwide.

With its "500-plus" programme, Poland’s socially conservative government aims to ease the burdens of child rearing by giving families with two or more children a handout of PLN 500 (USD 133, EUR 116) a month per child.

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

Meanwhile, the government’s "Good Start" programme aims to subisidise the purchase of school supplies for children by offering parents a handout of PLN 300 for every child before the start of each school year.

(gs)

Source: Polish Radio