(updated on Saturday 15 April at 9,00) The inclusion income (Rei), a new measure of economic support for poor families, is taking shape. The government has included measures to combat poverty among the pillars of the new National Reform Programme, launched the week before Easter.
The implementing decrees should arrive in the Council of Ministers at the beginning of May, but already on Friday 14 April the head of the executive Paolo Gentiloni and the minister of Labour, Giuliano Poletti, signed a memorandum of intent with the Alliance against poverty, an association of social and institutional subjects who had drawn up a bill for the introduction of the inclusion income.
The first stakes to be fixed concern the criteria for accessing the Rei, the parameters for determining the amount and the rules to prevent the benefit from turning into a boomerang, discouraging job search. It will then be necessary to identify the national structure that will support the local authorities in managing the new welfare measure. The measure, said Prime Minister Gentiloni, will affect 2 million families.
1) HOW IT WORKS
Anyone interested in receiving the income for inclusion, in fact, will have to apply to their municipality of residence. However, INPS will disburse the check, it is not yet clear whether through a rechargeable card (as is already the case for active inclusion support) or with other instruments. Its duration will be 18 months renewable (compared to 12 for Sia) and periodic checks will be scheduled.
Whoever receives it will have to take part in a project of reintegration and social inclusion, also signing a "pact with the community" which provides for both a general responsibility from the point of view of good civic behavior and a precise commitment to accept any job offers received by employment offices.
2) HOW MUCH IS THE CHECK?
In the event of a total lack of means, the individual with an annual Isee not exceeding 3 euros could receive an inclusion income of around 250 euros per month. Allowance which, indicatively, should rise to 390 euros for families made up of two members and a 500 € (equal to the social pension paid by INPS to the elderly) for groups of three.
3) WHO WILL RECEIVE IT
Currently, 400 Italian families receive active inclusion support. With the new Inclusion income, the government wants to increase a 600 households, which correspond to about two million people, almost half of whom are minors. This is just under 50% of Italians in conditions of economic difficulty. However, since the Rei will be a time-based measure, due to a rotation effect it is possible that within two years the number of beneficiaries will extend to four million people.
In general, people who live alone will also be entitled to Rei, but families with minors, the disabled, the over 55s who are unemployed and pregnant women will have priority.
