The 752 new applications for welfare assistance received by the Agency for Social Protection (ASP) between March 1 to March 8 is putting enormous pressure on the agency’s resources, despite an increase of R30 million under the amended 2020 budget, says chief executive Marcus Simeon.

The ASP offers two main types of assistance – welfare assistance which is an income supplementary assistance and the dedicated fund which supports children of school age by providing uniforms and other basic necessities.

Speaking at a press conference last Thursday, Mr Simeon noted a large increase in welfare applications amid the economic problems brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that the majority of persons applying are those who have been directly impacted by the unprecedented slump and standstill in the tourism sector, remarking that over 2019, the agency received just over 1500 applications, and that he expects the number of applicants will continue to increase over coming weeks.

“We hope that our staff do not burn out because there is a lot of pressure with the large numbers of applications coming in. So one of the measures we have introduced is to limit the number of applications we take in a day,” he said.

“Secondly, our system is interlinked so when an individual comes to us and they say they are now working, we can cross-check this information with the Seychelles Pension Fund (SPF) and Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC). We have received some persons who have said they are not working but we have found that they are actually under a formal structure. I want to send a message to people that when you do this, you take up the space and resources of another person whose situation may be critical.”

In a bid to control the number of applications received daily, the agency is requesting that members of the public call beforehand and make an appointment, as they will only be seeing 20 applicants per day.

As for persons who were being assisted under the Dedicated Fund, and others who were to be placed on the Skills Development Programme and My First Job Programme, coordinated by the Ministry of Employment, they have already been identified and will receive assistance, Mr Simeon assured.

Through the amended budget, the agency has been allocated R30 million, R12 million for day-care assistance and R10 million for the Unemployment Relief Scheme (URS).

Since the coronavirus pandemic and the imposition of regulations and orders by President Danny Faure and the department of health, the agency has sought to intensify payments through Seychelles Trading Company (STC) cards and effecting utility payments directly through the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) so as to limit the number of people at its offices.

In addition to providing assistance, the agency is also exploring the options for temporary employment in sectors for which there is demand for labour including the fisheries sector, to reduce dependency and pressure on the system.

“We have discussed with actors and different sectors who have a need for more labour so together with employment (the Ministry of Employment) we capture these people, and we then place them in employment. Of course, there are limited options for the time being but what we are observing is that employment will soon become a luxury, for someone who has lost their job be it on a temporary or long-term basis,” Mr Simeon said.

The agency has also started to effect payments earlier so as to facilitate things for more vulnerable categories of persons such as senior citizens.

Mr Simeon seized the opportunity to urge banking institutions to be considerate when pensioners come to collect their pensions and noted arrangements to effect cash payments in sub-districts so as to avoid large groups

 

Home carers

With regards to the 3600 home carers working with elderly citizens and persons who are functionally impaired, ASP is gearing up to provide carers, who are classed as an essential service, with the necessary documents to enable them to circulate to and from recipients’ residences and their homes, as the restriction on movement order is in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The agency is also preparing to assist carers with a R1500 allowance as an add-on to their salaries this month. According to Mr Simeon, the agency received many complaints last week as carers around the island had issues to circulate as they had not yet received passes.

“We are in close contact with the necessary departments including the department of local government, the police, so by next (this) week, they will have the necessary documents, to allow them to travel without any issues to and from recipients’ houses,” Mr Simeon said.

“The Special Allowance for Home Carers is being given to encourage them to continue to work during these difficult times and with this restriction on movement. They are on the frontline and need to continue to deliver the service. They were not receiving a risk allowance before so this serves as a risk allowance and this is expected to cost R5 million or more, per month,” said Mr Simeon.

It is yet to be decided if the allowance will apply for future months, as such will depend on the situation in the country in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Simeon also urged family members to be considerate and help out with elderly family members, even if they have been assigned a carer.

 

Laura Pillay