Finland Times

 

plenary session of Parliament on 13 October 2015. File Photo – Lehtikuva.

Parliament will discuss the government’s austerity decisions which will affect families with children, pensioners and students in the remainder of the plenary sessions before it goes to recess.

 

Monday marks the beginning of the last week of the first session of the government led by Prime Minister Juha Sipilä.

 

A second reading of limiting the day-care rights will be discussed during the plenary session on Monday. 

 

According to the government’s bill, day-care rights would be limited to 20 hours a week as long as the parents are not full-time employees or students. The law is scheduled to enter force in the beginning of 2016.

 

The opposition has criticised the bill, citing additional bureaucracy and inequality.

 

“If the family and the child could benefit from the child having full rights to early childhood, then according to the law this family should be allowed to [have access to full day-care rights],” said Education and Culture Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen in response to the criticism back in November.

 

During the Monday’s session, parliament will also discuss the planned fee hike for school children’s morning and afternoon activities. 

 

A draft prepared by the Ministry of Education and Culture has set out the maximum increase in customer payment from 60 euros to 120 euros and from 80 euros to 160 euros for the school children’s morning and afternoon activities.

 

The government saving plans is also set to affect students outside the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA). According to the plan, students from outside the EU and the EEA studying for degree programmes will be charged a fee of at least 1,500 euros per academic year. Institutions of higher education will be charged with the responsibility of creating a scholarship scheme to support the fee-paying students.

 

Parliament has been discussing the 2016 budget during most of the autumn.