New support until age 65. Tusk's words raise concerns about whether the promise will be fulfilled.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, at a meeting with residents of Pabianice on Saturday, was asked about, among other things , work on a bill introducing statutory personal assistance for people with disabilities . The Ministry of Family's bill has been available on the Government Legislation Center website since December 2024.
In response, the head of government assured that the issue of disability and state assistance has always been something he has cared about. He indicated that work on personal assistance is ongoing, but added that "I also want to speak the truth about what is currently possible." Tusk emphasized that the challenge now is increasing military spending and the level of the budget deficit.
The adoption of the law on personal assistance was included in the coalition agreement of the current government .
Deputy Minister and Government Plenipotentiary for People with Disabilities, Łukasz Krasoń, assured PAP that work on the government bill on this matter is still ongoing.
"My task is to prepare the best possible legislation that will meet the needs of people with disabilities. This is a very massive bill, obviously generating significant budget expenditures. We are already finalizing this work, which began in May in the working group at the Standing Committee of the Council of Ministers, " Krasoń reminded.
He emphasized that he would do everything to prepare the best possible version of this project, which is why intensive consultations with the Ministry of Finance are underway for this purpose.
- On Monday, we talked to Minister Berek (Minister of Supervision over the Implementation of Government Policy - PAP), we raised the issues that the Ministry of Finance draws attention to - said the deputy minister.
He announced that another meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Finance is planned for this week so that the draft on assistance can be submitted to the Council of Ministers for consideration as soon as possible.
" I strongly believe in this project, not only as a government representative, but also as a person with a disability. I'm also aware that not everyone today sees the enormous value of personal assistance in the same way . It's not just about helping people with disabilities, but also about unlocking the potential of this social group. Examples from other countries clearly demonstrate that personal assistance benefits the state budget and contributes to the well-being of citizens," Krasoń emphasized.
As he pointed out, the assistance of an assistant contributes to the professional activation of people with disabilities, greater social involvement, and also relieves the burden on their loved ones.
" When the bill reaches the Council of Ministers, I will personally speak about it so that the Prime Minister and all ministers can see that the billions of zlotys allocated for assistance are not just an expense . This isn't a waste of money, but a serious investment that will quickly begin to pay off," said the deputy minister.
- The promise to introduce the law on assistance united all parties of the Coalition on October 15 and I deeply believe that it will be kept - he said.
When asked if he would continue in his role after the government reshuffle, Łukasz Krasoń emphasized that it was a political decision. "I'm here to do my job and fulfill my duties," said the government plenipotentiary for people with disabilities.
The proposal prepared in the office of Deputy Minister Łukasz Krasoń assumes that the services of a personal assistant will be available free of charge to disabled people aged 13 to 65.
The monthly number of assistance hours and the scope of support are to be determined individually by the team appointed for this purpose.
The Sejm is currently considering the presidential bill on personal assistance for people with disabilities, which was referred to the Social Policy and Family Committee in October 2024. According to President Andrzej Duda's proposal, the service would be available in every district (powiat) to people over 18 years of age and would be financed from the state budget. The bill provides for 40 to 200 hours of personal assistance per month.
Last week, the chairwoman of the Sejm’s Social Policy and Family Committee, Katarzyna Ueberhan (Left), announced that the bill would be considered at the September session of the Sejm.
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