Minsiter of Finances reports to MPs

Arben Malaj, Socialist MP: Disabled people have had the compensations about energy reduced from 6 to 14 times. The subvention scheme for their urban transportation, which should be 100% compensated, is still unclear. The sub-legal laws have been delayed and they have not received even the halved benefits.

Ridvan Bode, Minister of Finances: A tetraplegic person benefits 89.400 ALL. In 2005 they benefited 45.000 ALL. We have a 50% increase of the full package.

A representative of the Blind People’s Association who was present in the room but was not allowed to talk, declared that what the government is doing is just demagogy.

“They took examples that are true for only 1% of the blind people. They did not treat the real problem”, declared Luan Bregu, vice President of the Blind People’s Association.

The second point in the session summoned by the opposition was the compensation of the former political prisoners, which started with Mr. Bode’s progress report.

Ridvan Bode, Minister of Finances: From 11729 files, 10016 have received the first instalment and make more than 85% of all files. There are 1632 files that have received the second instalment, which make 16% of the total.

Erjon Braçe, Socialist MP:  You say that 85% of the files have received the first instalment, but it is 50% of the number in total for the first instalment and 7% of all files in the second instalment. The 46.6 billion ALL bill should be compared for the years in which it has been paid. After four years, only one instalment has been given. This makes people resort to extreme measures.

Ridvan Bode: They want to receive it as soon as possible and we want to give it as soon as possible, but these are our possibilities and we have shown that giving half of the compensation in eight years, means that this majority has done its part.

Another issue was that of the pensions for the former military people. The stalemate started in 2005, when the parliament approved with the votes of both parties a law that would increase the pensions for this category. Bode, one of the two MPs who voted against, said that this law underlined the entire pension scheme.

“Pensions that started from 7800 ALL, with the current scheme it goes to 31.400 ALL. You destroyed the pension scheme with an electoral move that you undertook on May 2005”, Bode declared.

For correcting this stalemate, the government approved a decision in 2010 that reduced the profits for the military, but it was valid only for those that started from 1999, which created another stalemate.

“Due to the retrospective that the government decision has made in 2010, the former military have turned into debtors. The first thing that should be for the benefit off everyone, is the remake of this decision with full transparency”, declared the Socialist MP, Arben Ahmetaj.

The decision for the military pensions was rejected by the Constitutional Court at first, but after a review, the government says that the law was upheld.

Many of the former military have open lawsuits with the government, and according to the opposition, this is another threat that could create an additional cost for the budget.

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