CROATIAN LOWER HOUSE CONSIDERS SOCIAL WELFARE BILL

ZAGREB, June 26 (Hina) - The Croatian House of Representatives continued its session on Thursday by a discussion about a final bill on social welfare. The bill helped regulate legal and insitutional ways for implementation of social welfare and solidarity, a Deputy Social Welfare and Labour Minister, Vera Babic said at the session. Under the bill, one kind of help in meeting basic needs would be intruduced to cover several forms of help offered so far, and in that way social welfare services could operate more efficiently, she explained. An aid and care bonus would be transferred from the system of pension and disability insurance into the area of social welfare. The right to the personal disability benefit and local self-government's duty to pay a part of rent for those who depend on the social support were some of new elenments in the bill, she added. The bill will enable religious communities and other subjects to participate in providing social welfare and to open homes and centres. Ţhe government believed that the bill would successfully solve problems in a very important area of human life based on the principles of solidarity and human rights, Babic told the session. The lower house is expected to consider another six items of the agenda. (hina) mš 261322 MET jun 97