People on social benefits will be allowed to travel abroad, says the Social Solidarity Minister.

Social benefit recipients will be able to travel abroad without automatically forfeiting their State support, according to Social Solidarity Minister Michael Farrugia.

He said he was shocked to discover that benefit recipients were banned from travelling abroad, even if to visit loved ones.

“By what right can a government department stop someone from leaving the country to see one’s family? This is unacceptable,” he said.

Dr Farrugia said the policy was brought to his attention by a woman who was told she would not receive State aid for more than a month if she visited her sister in Germany, even though the flights had been paid for her.

The benefit freeze was based on the material deprivation index, which lays down that the materially deprived – those eligible for social benefits – cannot afford an annual week’s holiday away.

Times of Malta reported the woman’s dilemma last week.

By what right can a department stop someone from leaving the country to see their family?

Her sister had said she was considering taking the issue to the European Court of Human Rights because she had a right to see her family.

Dr Farrugia said he had already issued a directive to lift the social benefit freeze and ensure each case was viewed on its merits.

The policy in force lays down that the only reason a person can leave the country and retain the social benefit is to receive medical treatment. This, Dr Farrugia noted, would only encourage benefit fraud.

“Anyone in this situation would not declare he is travelling, which would amount to fraud,” he said, adding that, if discovered, this could land the person in serious trouble.

Dr Farrugia was speaking on the publication of a new policy on poverty reduction. The document aims to lift 6,560 people out of risk of poverty by 2020. There are about 99,000 Maltese currently at risk.

It also seeks to increase employment by nine per cent to 70 per cent of the population aged between 20 and 64 and cut early school leaving rates to 10 per cent.

The measures include providing mature students receiving benefits with a stipend. This, Dr Farrugia said, would likely be extended to other students also receiving benefits, and discussions were already being held to see how this could be done.

On pensions, Dr Farrugia is proposing a system that will allow people who have not amassed enough social security credits to receive a State pension.

A pension reform document had been finalised and would be discussed in Cabinet in the coming weeks, he said.

Turning to housing, Dr Farrugia said the government would be re-evaluating the subsidy system and was even considering the introduction of a housing benefit system to help the most vulnerable.

More than 3,300 requests for social housing were not met in 2013 when just over 1,000 people were benefiting from rent subsidies.

Dr Farrugia said the system desperately needed review. Last year, 94,000 people said they could not afford any unexpected financial expenses related to their home. Some 50,000 are in arrears on their mortgage or rent payments, utility bills, hire purchase instalments and other loan payments.

An acute centre for the provision of psychiatric care for children is also being proposed.

The document has a number of suggested measures for children.

Dr Farrugia spoke about a whistleblower system relating to abuse in schools as among the more important projects. A crisis centre for impoverished and abused children would also be established.