Parents on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES) with children with intensive care needs will soon be able to receive dou­ble child benefit. To this end, Caretaker Minister Carola Schouten for Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions launched an Internet consul­tation recently, on the regula­tions that elaborate on this.

In the European Nether­lands, this scheme has existed for some time. The scheme gives parents with children with high care needs, for ex­ample due to a disability or illness, an extra allowance for the cost of this intensive care.

The scheme is expected to enter into force in the Ca­ribbean Netherlands on July 1, 2025. To support eligible parents in the period until its introduction, the government will make a one-off payment of US $3,879.31. This has been done twice before, in 2022 and 2023. This scheme will go into Internet consulta­tion simultaneously. It will be decided at a later date when parents will receive the lump sum.

The Internet consultations opened Friday, May 31, and continue to Friday, June 28, on www.internetconsultatie.nl. Here, citizens, companies and organisations in both the European and Caribbean Netherlands can read about the regulations and make suggestions to improve the legislation.

The Daily Herald.