Public consultations on child benefit hike to start in June says PM

A bill on increasing a monthly child allowance will be subject to public consultations next month, before being adopted by the government, Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister, said on Wednesday.

During the convention of the governing Law and Justice Party (PiS) last weekend, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the party's president, announced that from next year the amount paid to parents under the 500 Plus child benefit programme will be raised to PLN 800 (EUR 178) per child a month from PLN 500 (EUR 111).

According to the government, the higher rate should kick in on January 1, 2024.

Morawiecki explained that by the start of next year inflation, currently at 14.7 percent, should be low enough to allow for the introduction of the benefit hike.

"We will implement the 800 Plus programme when inflation is in a strong downward trend," he said. "Analyses indicate that inflation will drop at the end of this year, maybe even in November," said the prime minister.

Donald Tusk, the leader of Civic Platform (PO), Poland's main opposition party, has called for the increase to be brought in on June 1, saying that "one-third (of the 500 Plus - PAP) has been eaten away by inflation."