In the coalition dispute over basic child welfare, the FDP has now called for a new draft law. Family Minister Paus had previously made a move to antagonize the coalition partner. Awo boss Groß is now calling for a quick solution.
In the dispute over basic child welfare, the FDP is now calling for a new draft law. The current draft from Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) is “poorly crafted, not thought through and has legal gaps,” said the deputy FDP parliamentary group leader Christoph Meyer to the Germany editorial network.
It’s about a complex legislative proposal, said Meyer about the plans to bundle benefits such as child benefit, child allowance and amounts from citizens’ benefit for children from 2025.
Awo demands a quick solution
Meanwhile, the president of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO), Michael Groß, called on the traffic light coalition to resolve the conflict. “We expect a quick solution,” he told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “It is unacceptable to us that this important project is now being further delayed by a dispute over administrative bodies.” Basic child security must “finally come” and it must be paid out automatically.
The Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Lisa Paus (Greens), had antagonized the coalition partner FDP with her proposal to create 5,000 new jobs for the planned basic child support. The FDP parliamentary group said that Paus’s draft could not be approved in its current form.
Fuss about new positions
Basic child welfare is considered the Greens’ prestige social policy project. Family Minister Paus justifies the new positions with the future additional effort required for advice and processing applications – this is intended to relieve the burden on those entitled to benefits.
Awo President Groß now said: “If people are entitled to a state benefit, they are also entitled to receive it.” The FDP, however, reiterated its criticism. “It’s like the heating law, Parliament has to rewrite the minister’s law and that takes time.”
The cabinet passed a bill in September with the aim of ensuring that basic child welfare comes into force on January 1, 2025. After concerns from the Federal Employment Agency and the Federal Council, the federal government announced in December that it would review the schedule.