Minister Marlena Maląg sent a letter with wishes to the employees of Public Employment Services on the occasion of their holiday, which falls on 27 January.

The pandemic is ongoing, due to the increase in the number of infections especially the elderly may need help e.g. with shopping. - The support provided so far, including a dedicated helpline, will continue. No one will be left without help. But that's not all, seniors will be able to count on even more - assures the Minister of Family and Social Policy Marlena Maląg.

On the occasion of today's Grandmother's Day and the upcoming Grandfather's Day, Minister of Family and Social Policy Marlena Maląg wished and thanked seniors for their presence in family life. Then, together with the Deputy Minister Stanislaw Szwed, she summarised the activities addressed to elderly people.

The Ministry of Family and Social Policy is launching the second edition of the "Self-government PRO FAMILIA" competition, which aims to promote pro-family activities carried out by municipalities. - Pro-family policy is supposed to strengthen the family, as well as create a positive image of the family. We want to distinguish the local governments that carry out these tasks in the best way," said the Minister of Family and Social Policy, Marlena Maląg.

Entities carrying out public utility tasks will be covered by tariff protection and will pay for gas at the same rates as individual customers. On 13 January 2022, the Sejm passed the Act on special solutions for the protection of gas fuel consumers in connection with the situation on the gas market.

At the beginning of the year, financial support for occupational therapy workshops (WTZ) and vocational development centres (ZAZ) increased. As from 2022, co-financing for institutions supporting persons with disabilities amounts to: PLN 24,096 and PLN 27.5 thousand, respectively.

Our task is to introduce beneficial solutions for citizens. The objective is to increase the quality of life of Poles. This is what the Polish Order and reform of the tax system are for. These solutions are beneficial for seniors – said the Minister of Family and Social Policy, Marlena Maląg during Monday's press briefing.

Good news from the labour market. For the first time since 1990, the unemployment rate at the end of December was lower than in November. From the estimates of the Ministry of Family and Social Policy it results that at the end of the year there were 895.7 thousand people included in the registers of labour offices.

An open competition of offers for financial support for implementing projects under the “From dependence to independence” Programme is launched. The programme is addressed to local government units and non-governmental organisations involved in activities for persons with mental disorders and their families. Its budget is PLN 3 million.

Important changes in the “Family 500+” programme entered into force as from 1 January. With regard to applications for child-raising benefits, from 1 January 2022 the programme is handled by the Social Insurance Institution. From 1 January 2022, applications for the child-raising benefit can be submitted to ZUS online only and the funds will be sent to a bank account.