"Many" still waiting for children's allowance cheques

A large number of families were still waiting for their children's allowance cheques which should have been issued seven weeks ago, Labour MP Marie Louise Coleiro said yesterday.

Ms Coleiro, main spokesman for social solidarity, said the reason being given by the government - that the delay was caused by investigations aimed at stamping out abuse - was just a pretext aimed to draw the sympathy of those who, because of the government's current policy, were being denied this benefit.

Many of the families who had not yet received their benefit lived on unemployment and social assistance benefits, Ms Coleiro said.

She pointed out that the department paid these two benefits only to families who were eligible according to financial criteria, which was much more restricted than that on which children's allowance benefit was based.

Ms Coleiro challenged Minister Lawrence Gonzi to say how many families had not received their cheque in time and how many cheats had been caught.