Elzbieta Rafalska, the Minister for Family, Labour and Social Policy, told private Polish broadcaster Radio Zeto that March 1, 2019 would be “a realistic and safe date” to introduce the new benefits.
Rafalska has previously said that there was public funding for next year’s key social assistance programmes would be sufficient. That included funds for “maternal pensions” aimed at mothers who have given birth to at least four children.
Rafalska told public broadcaster Polish Radio in August that the estimated cost of the new programme was 213 700 euros.
The government expects that its new “Mom 4 plus” programme will benefit about 85 800 citizens, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.
Family 500 is already a child benefit scheme introduced by the Polish government in 2016 with the aim to increase fertility from a low level and reduce child poverty.
The estimates suggest that by mid-2017 the labour force participation of women decreased by 2,4 percent as a result of the 500+ benefit.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said the flagship child benefits programme will continue for “many years” in order to boost the birthrate.
“I can promise that in the years ahead, for many years ahead, it will be a key, permanent part of our programme,” Morawiecki in March, as the government marked two years since the child benefits were introduced.
He said that when the Law and Justice government came to power in late 2015, “public finances were in poor shape,” but the government had cracked down on tax fraud, resulting in a large cash injection for state coffers.
Rafalska said the existing child benefits programme had already reduced poverty among families, especially those with many children.