LATVIA: State family benefit will be increased as from 2007

It?s amount will increase up to 8. lats (relavant 11,5 Euro) per month for the first child in the family, for the second child ? 9.6 lats; for the third one ? 12.8 lats per month and for the fourth and next children ? 14.4 lats per month. This decision was supported by government earlier this year, by adopting the amendments in regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers ?Regulations on Amount of State Family Benefit and Supplement to State Family Benefit for Disabled Child, the Procedures for Review thereof and the procedures for Granting and Disbursement of Benefit and Supplement? prepared by the Ministry of Welfare. Until now an amount of the state family benefit for the first child makes 6 lats per moth (relavant 9 Euro), for the second child ? 7.20 lats, for the third one ? 9.60 but for the fourth and next children ? 10.80 lats a month. According to calculations by the Ministry of Welfare for payment of the state family benefit there will be additionally requisite for about 11.4 million lats that is planned to pay for more than 414 thousand children. Just to remind that in budget project for 2006 Ministry of Welfare had already planned to increase the state family benefit but unfortunately this idea was not supported. In the previous year the state family benefit was received for 410 941 children while in this year the state family benefit is planned to pay for 413 500 children. www.bm.gov.lv/