State to reimburse urgent costs for rejected refugees

The government has proposed that the State reimburse municipalities for the costs of urgent social services when the person receiving the service has been refused international protection and is no longer entitled to receive services.

The proposal was made in the amendment to the Social Welfare Act, which has been prepared as part of the action plan of the ministerial working group on migration to prevent and manage illegal stay in the country.

The amendment will enter into force on 1 January 2018, said an official press release.

Municipalities would be reimbursed for the costs of organising temporary housing as an urgent necessary social service and for the costs of arranging food and necessary medication.

A condition for the reimbursement would be that the municipality has made an appealable decision to provide a necessary social service on the application by a person who has been refused asylum.

Reimbursing municipalities for the costs of urgent social services constitute a division of costs between central and local government; it is not a new task for the local authorities or a new service for those living in the country illegally.