Grünen-Chefin Ricarda Lang has put her foot down in the debate over the number of new agency positions needed for the implementation of the new child basic income scheme, rejecting plans by Federal Minister for Family Affairs and party colleague Lisa Paus for 5,000 new positions. Lang aims to end the discussion once and for all. With Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus now signalling willingness to negotiate on the matter of new positions, Lang has made her stance clear: “There will be no 5000 new positions. And hence, there is no reason for the debate to continue to focus on this number,” she stated on Sunday evening on ARD’s “Report from Berlin.”
Paus hopes for “synergy effects” to help reduce the required number of positions and create the best possible structures. Lang emphasized that this issue should now be brought into the parliamentary process: “And I expect everyone to get back to work,” she said with reference to the FDP, which does not find Paus’ bill acceptable. She also criticized those who call for a new bill, suggesting that their intentions are to block the child basic income scheme. Paus had expressed understanding for the discussion on the number of positions, stating that through synergy effects and consistent digitization, the overall number of positions could still be reduced. She has been promoting the child basic income scheme as an administrative modernization project.
Paus emphasized that there will be no new agency, but instead, the family cash office will be empowered. Through digitalization, families will be actively informed if they are eligible for additional benefits. The goal is to simplify the complicated bureaucratic application processes so that families can access the social benefits they are entitled to. The child basic income scheme, which bundles existing benefits like child allowance, benefits from the child’s basic income, and child supplement, has been approved by the cabinet and is in the parliamentary consultation process. It is considered a flagship social policy project of the Greens.
The debate surrounding the child basic income scheme has been ongoing for several weeks and months, but Paus is optimistic that progress will be made in the parliamentary process. The Green politician emphasized the shared goal among the coalition partners to modernize the administration and digitize processes. The focus is on making it easier for families to access the benefits they are entitled to. With the child basic income scheme, the aim is to streamline existing social benefits and simplify the system for families in need. The project is crucial for the Greens and represents their commitment to social justice and equality for children.
