So far, 1,779 parents have received the €300 in child bonus as announced in Budget 2020.

The grant was announced back in October 2019 as one of the social measures announced during the Budget 2020.

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna explained that the initiative was to help around 4,000 families per year, and that the €300 bonus is intended to give new parents a financial boost to assist them with the costs of raising a child.

The bonus is for every child birth or adoption and started from 1 January 2020.

The Malta Independent contacted the Ministry for Family, Children’s Rights and Social Solidarity regarding how many parents have benefitted from the bonus.

The Family Ministry spokesperson informed this newsroom that the figures are not to be taken as conclusive. “Births occur every day and some grants may still be in the process of being processed by the Department of Social Security.”

Till now there have been no grants issued for adoption cases. “Regarding adoptions, Malta has experienced a decrease in the number of inter-country adoptions, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” Most government administrations, courts and competent authorities were either closed or working with limited resources.

The spokesperson explained that due to the imposed travel restrictions, adoption process came to a sudden halt and the decrease in inter-country adoptions can be felt worldwide.