Parliament on Thursday evening gave the nod to an increase in maternity benefits and other child-related allowances, with the stated aim of boosting birth rates in Cyprus.

Under the amendments passed, parents may now elect to take parental leave up until the child’s age of 15; previously this leave could be taken until the child’s eighth birthday.

Another change is extending parental leave to ten weeks for the second child, to 12 weeks for the third child, and to 14 weeks for the third child and for any subsequent child.

For children with a disability, parental leave may be taken until the child’s 21st birthday.

As of October 1 this year, mothers will be entitled to higher maternity benefits – €1,000 for the first child, €1,500 for the second, €2,000 for the third, and €2,500 for the fourth and any subsequent child.

The maternity benefit will be adjusted annually based on the increase in basic insurable earnings.

In remarks on the House floor, Diko MP spoke of “yet another step taken toward reconciling people’s family life with their careers”.

Elam’s Linos Papayiannis said his party voted against the maternity allowance as 18 per cent of beneficiaries would be foreign nationals.

Laws such as these must benefit the indigenous population, he added.

Responding, Edek MP Andreas Apostolou asked whether Elam wants to “penalise” the 82 per cent of Greek Cypriots, just to deny foreign nationals the benefit.

He also put it to Elam whether it made sense to deny certain rights from people residing in Cyprus legally and paying into social insurance.