CRO LOWER HOUSE DISCUSSES FORMER POLITICAL PRISONERS' RIGHTS

ZAGREB, Dec 9 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of Representatives on Wednesday discussed two bills, the accelerated retirement plan bill, and one on the rights of former political prisoners. Labour and Social Welfare Minister Joso Skara agreed with a motion that the accelerated retirement plan bill's text be forwarded into third parliamentary reading. Skara also agreed with the representatives' assessments that technological progress had changed the working conditions in some professions, and that current regulations on the accelerated retirement plan should be reviewed. Skara said changes and amendments to the Law on the Rights of Former Political Prisoners would enable an increase in pensions of these people. Their pensions would be adjusted to the Law on Pension Insurance and increased by a certain percentage, depending on the period of time spent in prison. The said changes and amendments also set the compensation for each day spent in prison at US$8.7. The Legislative Committee suggested a US$3 compensation be set for each day the former prisoners spent unemployed upon release. According to data presented by Skara, between 1991 and October 1998, a total of 14,567 requests were submitted to settle the former political prisoners' rights issue. Of these, 11,025 were granted, including 4,045 persons who gained the right to pension money. Some US$10 million have been earmarked in next year's budget for paying out pensions to former political prisoners. (hina) ha jn