Vasco Cordeiro announces social support increase as a result of dialogue and conciliation at the Parliament
The President of the Government announced today at the Legislative Assembly the increase of social support in force in the Region for next year in the scope of several proposals presented by the CDS/PP and the PCP parties during the debate of the proposals for the 2020 Plan and Budget.
“These proposals result from the dialogue and conciliation with those who wanted to dialogue with us. These proposals are good for the Azoreans. These are proposals that we are going to put into practice," said Vasco Cordeiro, who spoke at the closing session of the parliamentary debate on the documents presented by the Azorean Government.
“That is why, under the terms of the proposal presented by the CDS/PP party, I can assume, before this Parliament and the Azoreans, that the Government will increase the Special Supplement for Oncology Patients by 10%, reinforcing the support for those facing this adversity and creating better conditions for their daily lives," said the President of the Government.
According to him, the Government will also, under the scope of another proposal presented by that party, increase the Supplement for the Purchase of Medicine by 25%, thus "ensuring more and better conditions for the Azorean elderly population to meet the costs of medicine purchase."
"It is also for these reasons that, under the terms of the CDS/PP proposal, I can assume, before this Parliament and the Azoreans, that the Government will make daycare free for families with income up to the 7th income bracket. This measure will strengthen social cohesion and preschool education, while supporting lower-income families in the access of children to daycare,” announced Vasco Cordeiro.
In his speech, the President of the Government also assured that an external evaluation will be carried out on effectiveness, rationality, operating conditions and results of the current mechanisms for the recovery of surgery waiting lists. This survey intends to ensure a faster and more effective response to the Azoreans still awaiting surgery, which is also under the terms of a proposal presented by CDS/PP.
“As a result of this willingness for dialogue” expressed by the Government, Vasco Cordeiro also stated that, within the scope of a proposal presented by the PCP party, the Government will increase the Family Allowance Regional Supplement for Children and Youth and the Wage Supplement in 2020.
“In the specific response to the most deprived Azorean families, there will be a 5% increase in the family allowance supplement and, in case of regional civil servants, five-fold increase in the inflation value of their wage supplement," added the government official.
Vasco Cordeiro recalled that some opposition parties had already excluded themselves from this conciliation effort even before the beginning of the parliamentary debate. In this regard, he considered that, in the case of the parties that rejected dialogue, “only they have the illusion of benefiting" from this refusal, while, in the case of those who engaged in dialogue with the Government, "the Azores won and the Azoreans won."
“The proposal for Plan and Budget presented by the Government to this Assembly evidence the rigour, transparency, dialogue and conciliation efforts," ensured Vasco Cordeiro. According to him, this parliamentary debate proved that the exercise of dialogue and conciliation can neither be sterile nor empty and it has to bring results to the life of the Azoreans.