MPs urge quick passage of disability legislation

MPs on Tuesday stressed that updated legislation for the disabled must pass before the House dissolves ahead of the May parliamentary elections, even as groups representing persons with disabilities complained that the government bill does not go far enough.

Initially tabled in 2025, the bill is titled ‘Participation, Inclusion and Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities’.

But with organisations providing considerable feedback on the proposed legislation, MPs are busy drawing up amendments.

At the House labour committee, MPs called on the government to play ball with the amendments, so that the bill can go to the plenum for a vote before the House dissolves in April.

The updated legislation aims to abolish means-testing for serious disabilities (for persons aged under 65), de-linking benefits from Guaranteed Minimum Income, and enhancing personal assistance and independent living.

As far as the personal assistance aspect goes, it provides for disabled persons to choose their carer.

Another provision provides for a benefit of €848 for disabled minors up until the time they complete their studies.

The legislation also aims to promote professional rehabilitation.

But in parliament, various groups – while acknowledging improvements to the current situation – complained that the bill as it stands still leaves a great deal to be desired.

The Children’s Rights Commissioner observed that the bill’s philosophy focuses on creating classifications of disabled rather than focusing on the difficulties caused by disabilities.

However, she did acknowledge that benefits for the disabled would now include cost-of-living adjustments.

Themis Anthopoulou, head of the Kysoa organisation representing disabled persons, said the proposed increases in benefits do not satisfy them.

Kysoa want an across-the-board increase of at least 10 per cent on the benefits – which the bill does not feature.

Meantime the organisation representing the blind complained that the bill does away with the special blindness benefit.

Stavros Vrontis, representing the association of parents of persons with mental disabilities, said the legislation does not specifically cover autism.

Marianna Pafiti, of the ‘Neofytos’ group, remarked that inclusion in Cyprus remains an abstract concept rather than an applied policy.