New social protection body for better service |09 January 2012
She said in an interview on Friday that the ASP started work on January 1, 2012 as a corporate body established under the Agency for Social Protection Act 2011 and is charged with ensuring efficient and effective management, administration and payment of social assistance.
“The agency offers security against income withdrawal risks in cases of sickness, maternity leave, disability and retirement, providing temporary financial and material help to persons who are unable to find employment as well as employed persons who need more money to meet their basic living costs,” she said.
“Its mandate is to ensure sustainability of the social protection programme and help improve the quality of life and social well-being of the people of Seychelles.”
She also said the agency also aims to help people take active part in improving their quality of life, by getting employed so as to build self-reliance and eventually reduce their dependence on the state.
“To achieve these goals, the agency’s officers will be in every district on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue on a full-time basis,” she said, noting previously there were only six people who rotated to all districts meaning there were times they were not available in some districts when needed.
The ASP pays for the 10 statutory benefits – sickness, maternity, injury, invalidity, disablement, survivors, dependent, funeral, retirement and orphan and abandoned child.
“It also gives supplementary income allowance and a number of approved programmes such as the home care scheme, specialised treatment for children below 12 years, post-secondary student allowances, dedicated funds for financial help to school students and Seychelles Public Transport Corporation costs for pensioners and post-secondary students.”
Ms Pierre said the Social Security Fund had invested in a number of projects and has assets.
“The proper administration of these assets and investments of the new agency has been transferred to a board of trustees, appointed by the Minister for Finance and Trade,” she said.
“The agency has also set up a review panel to hear and determine requests made by applicants who are not satisfied with any decision made by the agency.
The affairs of the agency are managed by a board of trustees made up of six members appointed by the minister.
The board has a chairperson, a vice-chairperson from the ministry and four other members from the financial sector and private sector employers.
The board has the mandate to ensure the proper administration of the assets and investments of the agency.
If an applicant is unhappy with a decision of the ASP about a claim for any social help, he or she can appeal within 14 days to the agency’s review panel which has a chairperson and two members.
The social benefits within the jurisdiction of the review panel are: maternity, survivors, dependent, funeral, retirement, orphan and abandoned child benefit and the supplementary income allowance.
Ms Pierre said the ASP pays 18,000 people of whom 6,000 get welfare help on which the agency spends R9.1 million a month, compared with the R1 million it was spending in 2009 after cutting down from R1.4 million the previous year.
She said there are increasingly more young people seeking help and the agency is stepping up efforts to help encourage them to get employment so the agency tops up any financial gaps left if their earnings do not meet their needs.
After a recent 6% in minimum wages, those who were getting R2,400 retirement benefits will now get R2,550 as invalidity benefits rise from R2,300 a month to R2,440.
Those who were getting R2,000 – for example as sickness, maternity and injury benefits – will now get R2,120.
All ASP’s Victoria offices are at Oceangate and it no longer has any at the Orion Mall complex, although aid applicants no longer need to travel to town as there are people to help them in the districts.