The Head of Government communicated with citizens about pension reform, utility payments and raising the minimum wage while visiting the “Government contact center” on Monday where citizens are submitting applications to the state authorities.

Volodymyr Groysman received telephone calls from citizens and answered the most substantive questions in particular regarding the increase in payments after the introduction of subscription fees for gas supplies, the payment of wages after the rise of the minimum wage up to 3200 hryvnias, the Government's plans for pursuing pension reform, social security issues, reconstruction of infrastructure as well as he also discussed the situation in temporarily occupied territories with the residents of Debaltsevo.

The Prime Minister briefed citizens about the Government‘s program of providing free medicines for chronic patients with heart diseases, bronchial asthma and diabetes type II which had been triggered on April 1. As for today 35 medical manufactures have already participated in the aforesaid program, the list of companies will be expanded.

The Prime Minister drew a special attention of citizens to the fact that Government plans to implement a pension reform this year, thus will provide an opportunity to increase retirement payments already from October 1.

“We are elaborating the amendments to the pension legislation, which will allow to rise the pension significantly. Retirement payments to be raised starting October 1. The only thing we need is to receive a support of the Parliament regarding this reform and we are currently working on it. I think that by mid-summer the Parliament will demonstrate synergy towards it. Thus the issue of pursuing pension reform will be settled comprehensively, thereby we will update the pension reform and our retirees will receive higher retirement payments taking into account seniority indicator”, underlined the Head of Government.

While commenting on the appeal regarding the introduction of fees for gas supplies, the Prime Minister added that the increase in payments for the population after the decision of the National Commission for state regulation in the energy and utilities (NKREKP) is inadmissible.

“I am thinking that NKREKP has made a ghastly mistake”, accentuated Volodymyr Groysman. When they started to calculate separately the price of gas and the cost of transmission and delivery, as a result people started paying more for utility services.

In this regard, on 3 April, the Head of Government appealed to the Head of NKREKP to reconsider the decision on the fees for gas supplies. In its turn National Commission for state regulation in the energy and utilities suspended the decision on the division of accounts for gas and fuel, which was envisaged by introduction of a subscription fee for the supply of gas for various categories of consumers.

The Prime Minister noted that he had held a meeting regarding this issue and appealed again to the Head of the National Commission for state regulation in the energy and utilities with a request not to make any decisions until the issue is resolved "for a fair price".

Volodymyr Groysman emphasized that tariffs for utility services are approved not by the Government but by a regulator which is an independent body.