ANOTHER PLENARY WEEK OF THE SEVENTH SESSION OF THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE OF THE SIXTH CONVOCATION CONCLUDED ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24
Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, opened the morning plenary meeting and reminded that the Government Question Hour shall be held every Friday. Representatives of the deputy factions suggesting listening to the report of the Cabinet of Ministers on the prospective pension reform.
Serhii Tihipko, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Social Policy, answered the questions.
The first questions concerned the reason why the text of the bill on the pension reform was unavailable to the public for a week.
S.Tihipko stated that the Government experienced technical problems, and took the bill back for adjustment. The bill is said to be returned to the Verkhovna Rada and promulgated. All the citizens of Ukraine can call a hotline on the pension reform.
People´s Deputies reminded of S.Tihipko´s declaration on November 3 that Ukraine refused from the possible increase of the retirement age for women. S.Tihipko had claimed then that the Government had found the sources to cover the revenue that the Pension Fund would derive from the increase of the retirement age for women.
The Deputy Prime Minister stated that the actions taken by the Government would generate extra UAH 1,8 billion of the budget revenue. It will seriously influence the budget of 2011.
S.Tihipko explained: the pension reform is aimed at the middle-term and the long-term prospect. Its primary purpose is to raise pensions.
The People´s Deputies asked the Deputy Prime Minister to specify how much would not be paid to the pensioners due to manipulations with the increments? How much will be saved at the expense of the pensioners?
S.Tihipko stressed that no amendments to the pension legislation concerned the pensioners whose pensions had already been calculated. The changes do not concern any groups of people who receive pensions.
Another question concerned the fact whether the pension reform liquidated the right for early retirement and the principle of counting one year of work at the dangerous enterprises for two.
S.Tihipko stated that the main purpose of the pension reform was to make people work longer. The pensions of the working pensioners and the military servicemen who will retire on adoption of this Law will be calculated similarly as the pensions of other people, except for those who have special pensions, apart from the state officials and categories equal to them by status.
The Deputy Prime Minister stated the bill made no exceptions as to the highest pensions for different categories. The highest rate of pensions which is currently unrestricted shall total 12 sums of minimum level subsistence immediately as the law comes into force. It will concern only the newly-calculated pensions.
BYuT-Batkivshyna and Our Ukraine-People´s Self-Defence Factions demanded that they be given the floor.
Serhii Soboliev, member of the BYuT-Batkivshyna Faction, stated, "The contents of the pension reform that follows the tax reform is reduced to the only aim eliminate the middle class in Ukraine."
He drew attention to the Law "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2011." "Adoption of the budget without a clause-by-clause discussion resulted in an unbalanced budget, the indexes of which are phantom, starting from the rate of inflation and the budget revenue," he claimed.
Representatives of BYuT-Batkivshchyna and Our Ukraine -People´s Self-Defence Factions left the session hall.
The Chairman read out the Deputies´ inquiries.
The People´s Deputies corrected legal deficiencies in the text of the bill on amendments to several Laws of Ukraine regarding payment for the natural gas and electrical energy.
The Deputies put the bill on amendments to the Law "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2010" (re Extra Sources of Financial Support of the Transfer from the State Budget to the Local Budgets)" on the agenda.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the bill as a basis and in entirety by 263 votes.
The Report of the Interim Inquiry Panel of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine set up to investigate the Circumstances and Reasons of the Present Situation in the System of Credit Cooperation was presented by the Chairman of the Panel Ihor Prasolov.
I. Prasolov stated that the resolution stated the lack of a long-term state policy on the development and assistance to the national system of credit cooperation and present problem of the state regulation of the activity of credit unions in Ukraine on the legislative and executive levels.
The Verkhovna Rada passed the Resolution "On the Report of the Interim Inquiry Panel of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine set up to investigate the Circumstances and Reasons of the Present Situation in the System of Credit Cooperation."
The Resolution draws attention of the Cabinet of Ministers, Ministry on Finance, Ministry on Economic Development and Trade, and State Commission on regulation of the Finance Services Market to the necessity of increasing the level of effectiveness of the state policy in the sphere of regulation of credit cooperation system.
The Resolution prolongs the work of the Interim Inquiry Panel. On completion of its work, the Panel shall publish the report in Holos Ukrainy newspaper.
The People´s Deputies scrutinized the bill "On Wildlife" (re Protection of Wild Birds) and adopted it as a basis by 228 votes.
The bill on Amendments to several Legislative Acts of Ukraine regarding Surrender (Extradition) was presented by Valeria Lutkovska, Deputy Minister of Justice.
The parliamentarians upheld the resolution of the subject Committee by 243 votes.
The People´s Deputies scrutinized the bill on amendments to the Law "On the Victims of Nazi Persecution" (re Mutual Understanding and Reconciliation Fund). Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Ihor Lushnikov declared that as the Mutual Understanding and Reconciliation Fund under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine concluded its activity in part of payment of compensations to the victims of Nazi persecutions at the expense of the German party, the Law excludes part four of clause 3 and clause 7 of the Law "On the Victims of Nazi Persecution."
The Verkhovna Rada adopted the bill as a basis and in its entirety.
Adam Martyniuk, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, greeted the People´s Deputies with the end of 2010 that gave some hopes, stability and perspectives. He also wished fruitful work in 2011. Then the last plenary meeting of 2010 was adjourned.
On December 27-31, the People´s Deputies work with the voters.
The next plenary meeting of the seventh session will be held on Tuesday, January 11, 2011.