In legislation on the protection of financial aid granted to students with hearing problems for the supply of hearing aids, the Ministry of National Economy and Finance.

The intervention comes after a recent report of the Alpha TV station, according to which a mother of a hearing impaired student did not apply for the assistance her child is entitled to from the Ministry of Education credits, fearing that, due to family debts to the IRS, the amount could be seized.

The Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis and the Governor of AADE George Pitsilis, after being informed about this, immediately launched a legislative solution.

By a provision contained in a bill submitted by the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, it is expressly established that the amounts paid by the Ministry of Education for this purpose are unrestrained, irrevocable, do not commit and are not offset by debts to the State, insurance bodies, TOTAs First and second degrees or all financial institutions.

This ensures that this provision reaches its final destination: the students who need it and their families.

In a statement to Alpha TV, Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis said:

"No child should lack a provision introduced to meet his needs. And no parent should be afraid that an aid intended for his child will ever reach that.

For this reason, in cooperation with ADE Governor George Pitsilis, we proceed directly to legislation, so that the amount for the specific provision of the Ministry of Education is unrelenting, irrevocable and is not offset by debts to the State, insurance funds, OTAs or financial institutions.

The state must listen when the citizens highlight an injustice and intervene immediately to correct it. That's what we do today. Because supporting their children and families is a matter of justice.".

To date there was an institutional gap. While the OPECA’s respective aid is unrestrained and the EEAY’s benefits are paid directly to suppliers, this aid from the Ministry of Education for the supply of hearing aids did not have such protection. With the legislation being promoted, this injustice is restored.

See Alpha's report

What the provision contains
The provision of the relevant article contained in the draft law ‘Measures to address the energy crisis and to strengthen the available income of citizens, wage and tax provisions, arrangements for the extrajudicial mechanism for debt regulation, pension arrangements, arrangements for the Committee on Game Supervision and Control and improvement of the framework for games, arrangements for the Public Treasury Company and other provisions’ is as follows:

‘Repayments paid in accordance with paragraph 6 of Article 34 of Law 3699/2008 (B'199/2008), following the adoption of the relevant joint ministerial decision, shall be indepensible, irrevocable in the hands of the State or third parties by way of derogation from any special or general provision, shall not be bound and offset by established debts to the State, insurance bodies, TTAs. First and Second Grades and all types of financial institutions".