Increases for pensions and other benefits enacted

Increases in pensions have come into force with the beginning of 2025, the Ministry for Social Policy said on Friday. It said that new rates for pensions as were announced in the 2025 Budget have been enacted, with the increases being €8 per wee

By: independent.com.mt

Jan 03 2025
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Increases in pensions have come into force with the beginning of 2025, the Ministry for Social Policy said on Friday.

It said that new rates for pensions as were announced in the 2025 Budget have been enacted, with the increases being €8 per week, or €416 per year. It commented that the government will have invested €87 million in pensions and benefits with the start of the New Year, of which there are 119,000 beneficiaries.

The Ministry remarked that the consecutive increase in pensions has resulted in pensions increasing by more than €70 a week in the last ten years. Minister Michael Falzon said that all pensioners will have enjoyed an increase of 83% on the expenditure in 2013.

"This growth in social expenditure reflects how much this Government not only embraces values of social justice but practices them in a concrete and generous way, as we have shown over the years with the fulfilment of social wishes with dozens of laws, benefits and initiatives in favour of families, pensioners, the most vulnerable, people with disabilities, workers, women and young people," stated Falzon.

Permanent Secretary Mark Musu spoke of other benefits, including how 23,377 families are receiving €3.7 million through In-Work Benefit for the last three months of 2024. The Ministry added that 17,000 people are receiving €10 million in various non-contributory benefits which very between payments of one week, four weeks, or three months depending on the cases.

The Ministry concluded by stating that the number of people who depend on social assistance has decreased to 5,226. It added that this is the lowest level ever recorded, and is a 65.4% decrease since December 2013.