Deputy Welfare Minister Maria Evangelou called for the institutionalisation of personal helpers for people with disabilities on Tuesday.
Speaking to the House Labour Committee, she called for legislation to be written for a legal definition of personal helpers, as well as other laws and support measures for people with disabilities.
She said the matter of personal helpers is included in the ‘New Service Network’ for people with disabilities which will be provided for by relevant legislation put forward by the government.
Legislation to create the New Service Network will be put forward “immediately”, after an agreement was reached between the Deputy Welfare Ministry and the Confederation of Cypriot Disability Associations (Kysoa).
She added, “the matter of personal helpers is internationally considered of major importance for supporting people with disabilities in society.”
Meanwhile, she also announced the creation of a new mechanism for people with disabilities to submit complaints, while disability benefits will not fall below the equivalent of the minimum wage.
In addition, she touched on the matter of disability assessments, saying the government “has adopted scientific protocols endorsed by the World Health Organisation, and the European Disability Forum ranks it as one of the most suitable for assessing disabilities”.
She added that the government will now create a code of conduct for disability assessors.