Committee advocates free nursery place selection, and a means-tested allowance

Norwegian children.Children playing.Photo Norway Today Media

The majority of the committee for support for families with children believe in withdrawing financial support, and introducing free nursery places as a needs tested child benefit.

The cash benefit removal is proposed to fund free kindergarten to all children. Child benefit will be matched and the rate increased, while it will be given to those families who need it most, stated the Committee’s report which was presented on Monday.

A minority of three proposed a different solution.

The committee, chaired by Professor Annelise Ellingsæter, have calculated the costs of introducing free kindergarten at 11.6 billion annually.

Meanwhile, a targeting of child benefit would mean a saving of 9 billion in funds, which would go toward funding free nursery places.

The Commission wishes to introduce an individual right to parental benefit, and equal sharing of parental benefits between parents.

As regards parental leave, the three weeks before birth and six weeks after birth are to be given to the mother. The remaining weeks should, according to the sample, be divided by 20 weeks to the mother, and 20 to the father.

Meanwhile, the Committee proposed the introduction of kindergarten admissions every quarter, and that school activities must be examined more closely with a view to introducing free or heavily subsidised day-care programs in the long term.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today