What are the main results in terms of impact on people’s lives?

3. What are the main results in terms of impact on people’s lives?

Many of the challenges faced by older persons are related to their stage of development and are irreversible; as

Trinidad and Tobago: Universal Pensions

term beneits. IT system. The objecive of the system In terms of adequacy, the quantum is to facilitate the modernisaion and of the various grants far exceeds the efecive delivery of social services. The threshold that will be considered as system would automate an re-engineer poor. Addiionally the system adopts the MSDFS’s core business processes,

a concept similar to that of the Social operaional aciviies, business Protecion Floor, a guaranteed base and program performance thereby ($3,000 per month) complemented providing an integrated approach to case by beneits from other systems where management. It is expected that there older persons can invest and extend would be a seamless administraion the scope, level and quality of beneits of social services together with data provided beyond this base.

and informaion collaboraion among Government ministries and agencies.

4. What’s next?

Other developments propose by the MSDFS are:

Trinidad and Tobago is under iscal pressure because of the economic • Development of the Naional Plan slowdown generated by the adverse

of Acion on Ageing for Trinidad and internaional context and low oil and

Tobago

gas prices. Fiscal consolidaion has started and public insituions are • Development of Residenial Long- operaing under reduced budgets

Term Care Faciliies in collaboraion (i.e. 7 per cent in 2015). This is likely

with Ministry of Health to coninue in light of the expected reducion of GDP of 2 per cent for • Revamp the Senior Ciizens Bureau 2016. Diversiicaion of the economy

(i.e., Skills Bank and Placement is high on the poliical agenda to

Agency)

ensure long term economic growth and sustainability. Despite this adverse • Develop Omnibus Legislaion to context, the Government is expected

allow for entry and invesigaions to increase budget allocaions towards

into the living condiions of the social infrastructure and programming

elderly in their private domiciles by 1.2 per cent in 2016 vis-à-vis 2015. Other challenges are related to the • Review of the Naional Policy on eiciency and efeciveness of exising

Ageing

programmes as well as to the right incenives that social programmes • Assist in the formulaion of the should provide. The MSDFS is fully

Naional Policy on the Family to implemening the Biometric Card

address the elderly within the System and establishing an integrated

context of the family

Trinidad and Tobago: Universal Pensions

• Establish age-friendly healthcare This Universal Social Protection brief faciliies

was produced by Vijay Gangapersad, Ministry of Social Development and • Establish standards for universal Family Services of Trinidad and Tobago, accessibility to public buildings

and Ariel Pino of the ILO Port of Spain. for the elderly and persons with

It was reviewed by Isabel Ortiz of the disabiliies

ILO. • Launch a Public Educaion Campaign

on Ageing to include inter-genera- ional iniiaives

References

• Conduct public awareness cam- Human Development Report 2015, Trinidad

paigns to promote the CDAP, free and Tobago Naional Insurance Act, updated to bus, water taxi and ferry rides and December 31st 2014 free cataract surgery

Naional Insurance Board, www.nibt.net

The linkages between contributory and noncontributory schemes in Senior Ciizens’ Pension Act, updated to the areas of the beneits design, December 31st 2014 administraion, inancing, delivery of services and administraive tools Social Sector Investment Programme 2016. have to be reinforced. The NIB has The Government of the Republic of Trinidad to consider the implementaion of and Tobago. social protecion mechanisms for the self-employed and the unemployed. Social Welfare Division of the Ministry of Social Such protecion schemes will have a Development and Family Services, www.mpsd. considerable efect in the long run in gov.t terms of reducing the number of social assistance beneits that would have to United Naions, Department of Economic

be paid in the future.

and Social Afairs, Populaion Division (2015).

The results of the 2014 Survey of Living World Populaion Prospects: The 2015 Condiions will provide invaluable Revision, custom data acquired via website. informaion about poverty levels in Trinidad and Tobago, paricularly in comparison to poverty levels previously registered in 2005. It will also allow for further analyzing the adequacy and coverage of old-age beneits.

Trinidad and Tobago: Universal Pensions

Annex 1

Table 1. Evoluion of the SCP in recent years

Previous Provision

Changes

Remarks

Senior Ciizens’ Pension(Legislaion)

Senior Ciizens’ Grant

Senior Ciizens’ Pension

Allowed pensioners psychological comfort and peace of mind

TT$720-Maximum Payable Allowed greater purchasing (Yr-2000)

$3,500-Maximum Payable

power thereby improvement in the quality of life

Interest from Savings account was used as income, thereby

This new measure created an in- savings

Interest from savings account is

cenive for older persons to save Income calculated on an annual

denying persons who had

nolonger used in the

calculaion oi ncome.

basis. This measure resulted in persons being denied pension

This measure allowed pension to payments that was in excess of a

be determined on real monthly income. ixed amount even if they had no income.

where they received one-of

Income calculated on a monthly

basis

Statutory limit from as low as Only real monthly income is used $5000 annually to $33,600.00

in the calculaion of Senior Ciizens also used.

New statutory limit of $4,500.00

per annum. In the past assetwas

per

month.

Pension. More persons can now qualify for the SCP.

This measure allowed persons to income. This prevented persons

One-of/ lump sum payments used in the calculaion of

In the calculaion of Senior

save rather than spend out their from qualifying for pension in

Ciizens

money before they can qualify the year payment was received.

Pension lump sum payments

for SCP Persons must have resided in

shall not be taken into account.

Trinidad and Tobago for 60

Persons who reside an aggre-

years in the aggregate in order

This change beneited ciizens to qualify for Senior Ciizens

gate of 50 years in Trinidad and

who were born in this country. Pension

Tobago can

receive pension. In the calculaion of ordinary

residence in Trinidad the following have been exempted: • Where the person was abroad

for the purpose of employment

Person who spent ime abroad in

the development of the country All periods spent out of the

was penalized for being out of country used in the calculaion

for a irm registered in Trinidad

the country. of period abroad.

and Tobago or a company incor-

porated in Trinidad and Tobago.

• Where the person was abroad

This includes a number of

in the service of the Government

persons who had to serve at Mis-

of Trinidad and Tobago

sions or represent the country in sport or otherwise.

It is to be noted that this also applies to a dependent of such a person.

Trinidad and Tobago: Universal Pensions

Annex 2

Table 1. SCP programme expenditure TT$

Source: Social Welfare Department Table 2. Expenditure in selected social assistance programmes (TT$ and % of GDP)

COMMUNITY-BASED ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION & ENHANCEMENT 606,200,000 PROGRAMME (CEPEP)

0.37% DISABILITY ASSISTANCE GRANT(DAG)

GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE FOR TERTIARY EXPENSES (GATE) 712,000,000 0.43%

NATIONAL SCHOOLS DIETARY SERVICES LIMITED 250,000,000 0.15%

ON THE JOB TRAINING (OJT) PROGRAMME 308,000,000 0.19%

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE GRANT (PAG) 409,500,000 0.25%

SENIOR CITIZENS’ PENSION (SCP) 2,861,470,500 1.73%

TARGET CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMME (FOOD SUPPORT 294,000,000

0.18% UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF PROGRAMME (URP)

Source: Social Sector Investment Programme 2016 – Central Bank

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