Abuse perpetrator receives child allowance... Minister of Health and Welfare "Improvement of payment and recovery system"

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Young-shin = Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun-kyung said on the 8th, "We will create and improve the basis regulations" regarding the issue of child allowances being paid to guardians who abuse children.

Minister Chung responded as follows when Baek Seon-hee, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, pointed out at the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee audit that "We should not only focus on increasing child allowances, but also strengthen surveillance on leaks, such as those paid to abusers or used for parents' entertainment expenses."

He continued, "As cash support will increase due to the reorganization of parental benefits and child allowances starting next year, it is important to manage it so that it is not used for other purposes. In particular, for children at high risk of abuse, the system needs to be improved so that child allowances are paid to guardians other than the abuser, so we will create and improve the basis regulations."

Minister Jeong responded to the point that the government recovers only 64.9% of allowances paid incorrectly despite violating the requirements, saying, "We will consult with related ministries such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and local governments to increase the efficiency of salary recovery."

Representative Lee Dal-hee of the People Power Party criticized the government's decision to significantly expand the budget for cash support for childbirth and childcare, such as child allowances, from the existing general accounting to the future response fund to be established starting next year, saying, "It will worsen fiscal soundness and set back local fiscal autonomy," and added, "Will we give it depending on the fund situation?"

In response, Minister Jeong said, "We will review and decide during the legal deliberation process in the National Assembly," and added, "As childbirth and child-rearing support is implemented in accordance with the law, it will continue to be implemented regardless of the stability of the future response fund."