Parliamentary control committee discusses welfare ministry audit findings

On Thursday, the Parliamentary Committee on Audit reviewed a report by the Audit Office regarding the Ministry of Social Welfare's operations during 2022-2023. The report identified procedural issues and weaknesses in 38% of the 182 examined transactions of the Welfare Benefits Management Service. In 2023, the service distributed 411 million euros to 103,000 beneficiaries, including payments for the Guaranteed Minimum Income, pensions, child benefits, and single-parent support. Deputy Minister Clea Papaellina and ministry officials attributed the inefficiencies to a lack of permanent personnel and cited ongoing efforts to improve administrative processes. The Audit Office noted that some benefits were paid without appropriate verification checks, while the Deputy Minister emphasized that social policy requires consideration of individual circumstances beyond strict accounting. Committee Chairman Zacharias Koulias announced that the matter will be re-examined in early September.