Speaker tilting bill restricting rights of mothers to obtain aid for birth of child

Ukrainian Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn has been tilting a draft law on amendments to the law on state aid to families with children and is ready to return the document to the government.

“On Sunday I’ll read and analyze documents, and I hope that the [letter on the cabinet to withdraw the draft] us among them. I’ll order to return [the bill] back with pleasure,” he told the press in Novohrad-Volynsky, Zhytomyr region, on Saturday.

He did not see the letter of the Ukrainian government on the withdrawal of the draft law, but he knows about it from media reports.

Lytvyn said that he is critical of the bill.

Earlier First Vice Premier of Ukraine Andriy Kliuyev ordered to withdraw draft law No. 9516 on amendments to the law on state aid to families with children from the parliament.

The public expressed indignation with a requirement of the law that foresees the considerable restriction of rights of mothers for obtaining of aid for the birth of a child.

At present, a Ukrainian family obtains around UAH 27,000 for the birth of a first child, UAH 54,000 for the birth of the second child and UAH 109,000 for the birth of the third child. The Social Policy Ministry, which is the author of the draft, proposes to introduce the submission of a certificate on the family structure and wages of all family members. If the wages exceed child’s subsistence wage and average wages in the economy, aid would not be paid to a family.

A source in the government said that an internal investigation in the cabinet into operations of the government’s social block will be initiated.