The Canary Islands Government proposes that Arrecife make "reports" for dependency and the City Council refuses

The Councilor for Social Services criticizes that the regional Executive intends for the Consistory, which is "overwhelmed", to provide the solution that "they have not given." "We cannot assume responsibilities that are not ours," says María Jesús Tovar.

April 19 2021 (07:12 WEST)
María Jesús Tovar, councilor of the Arrecife City Council
María Jesús Tovar, councilor of the Arrecife City Council

The Councilor for Social Services of the Arrecife City Council, María Jesús Tovar, has lashed out against the Government of the Canary Islands regarding the Dependency Law. She has stated that the regional Executive intends for the city councils to be in charge of making reports and providing a solution that "they have not given." 

Specifically, on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, Tovar revealed that the City Council received "an email" from the Government of the Canary Islands "this week", with "a kind of survey" to see if the Consistory would make "from here" the "PIA reports", the Individualized Care Plans for dependency.

"They are doing a survey to see and we say no, of course, because imagine how overwhelmed we are," said the Councilor for Social Services. She points out that the City Council could take charge but if the staff is provided by the Government of the Canary Islands, which "has not" been offered.

Therefore, she states that she was "quite surprised" with the proposal from the regional Executive. "We cannot assume responsibilities that are not ours. Between administrations we can cooperate and lend a hand and I surrender to it but, at this moment, it is impossible from the Social Services of the Arrecife City Council, with what the capital is and what is falling on us," added María Jesús Tovar.

The Councilor for Social Services of Arrecife has emphasized the "delay" that the Dependency Law has in the Canary Islands, before which she considers that "they are not putting a solution", which would be "hiring more staff" so that "the degrees of dependency can arrive with the reports and that the entire procedure is expedited, which is quite paralyzed." But, yes, she insists that it must be the regional Government that hires that staff.

"We leave the facilities and all the resources that are here, we can offer them, but the staff has to be hired", said María Jesús Tovar. "I offer myself to the citizens so that this goes faster, but I am truly amazed by the policy made by the people, the parties, who said that they were going to fix everything at the social level and it is getting worse and worse," she added.

 

"Quite outraged" with the Minimum Basic Income

Likewise, the Councilor for Social Services of Arrecife has said she feels "quite outraged" with the Minimum Basic Income, which she considers "does not have a solid base" and that it should have been linked to an inclusion plan.

"As its name says, vital, it is for life. What happens? The Minimum Basic Income is delivered and the citizens only have to do the income tax return once a year, they are not obliged to do anything else. And as I say, it is public money, a benefit, and we have to teach the citizen to go and try to help them where they are to be able to find employment and continue with an inclusion plan, but they forgot the inclusion plan, as they did everything so quickly and hastily," María Jesús Tovar explained in this regard.

In addition, she has stated that the Minimum Basic Income is "arriving in dribs and drabs" to the citizens. "4% is the latest information I was given that it had reached the citizens. It has been denied to many people. So, in the end, what was it for?" Tovar questioned.

And she considers that "they did not even put the logistics for the processing." "It costs a fortune to be able to process it from the National Institute of Social Security, which is that it does not have appointments because there is no staff," concluded the Councilor for Social Services of Arrecife.

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