Government regulates granting of subsidies for free legal aid

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Council of Ministers regulated the direct granting of a subsidy, for the sum of 33.8 million euros, to the General Council of Spanish Lawyers, and another subsidy, for the sum of 2.7 million euros, to the General Council of Court Attorneys of Spain, for the provision of free legal aid, highlighted the Minister for Education, Culture and Sport and Government Spokesperson, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo.

These amounts will be distributed among their respective collegiate associations within the territorial scope of the Ministry of Justice according to the number of professional actions performed and the scales established. Subsides will be provided for advisory and guidance services prior to legal proceedings for those who seek legal protection for their rights, legal aid for detainees, convicts and defendants who have not automatically been assigned a duty solicitor, and free legal defence and representation by a lawyer and court attorney during judicial proceedings.

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo also pointed out that the General Council of Official Associations of Psychologists will receive 746,000 euros by way of subsidy for psychological aid to victims.

Healthcare research

The government authorised the Carlos III Health Institute to issue a call for proposals under the Strategic Health Action Plan 2017, for a sum of 128,603,000 euros, to foster research projects and to boost the recruitment of researchers.

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo declared that this "aid is very important and very highly rated for the training and recruitment of human resources, the carrying out of R&D+i projects, support for research platforms and complementary actions".

Demographic challenge

Pool Moncloa/J.M. CuadradoThe Council of Ministers agreed to set up an institutional work group for the National Strategy to address the Demographic Challenge. This group will advise the Government Commissioner on this matter, a figure which has already been set up.

The Government Spokesperson highlighted that, as a result of this decision, another of the agreements reached at the Conference of Presidents held on 17 January in the Upper House of Parliament has been set in motion. This agreement observes the concern at the demographic trend of the country and the effects of a low birth rate, as well as the reduction in the number of young people and a pronounced ageing process.

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo pointed out that in 2015, 18% of the total population was over the age of 65, while in 2030 this percentage will rise to 25%, "with everything that this involves for those living longer that is so important to us in a welfare society".

Other agreements

The Council of Ministers set up and regulated the functioning of the National Commission for the Commemoration of 'Numancia 2017', to celebrate the 2,150th anniversary of the siege and taking of the city. The Government Spokesperson highlighted that this commemoration takes the form of an 'event of exceptional public interest', and hence offers extensive incentives and tax breaks to those bodies that wish to contribute in both the performance and spread of activities.

The government also approved the declaration of 'Easter Week', 'Carnival'' and 'Transhumance' as Representative Manifestations of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

On another note, the government valued the emergency works to alleviate the damage caused by the bad weather in relation to the River Basin Confederation of the River Júcar, which will result in a total investment of 12.2 million euros.

The government also authorised the signing of the Agreement of the Council of Europe on cinema co-productions which, according to Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, "will further boost film-making".

Finally, the government approved four Royal Decrees to award the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise to Víctor García de la Concha, Guillermo de la Dehesa, Miguel Zugaza and Carlos Solchaga.

New political and economic cycle

Pool Moncloa/J.M. CuadradoIn his assessment of the week's affairs, the Government Spokesperson referred to the unemployment figures published on Tuesday, which show "the largest year-on-year reduction in unemployment in a month of March since 1997". He also highlighted that the number of contributors to the Social Security system rose by 161,752 people, "the largest increase on record in a month of March. "We are talking about a 604,000 year-on-year rise in the number of people in work, from March to March", he stressed.

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo also highlighted that the number of permanent employment contracts rose in March by 20.67% and are consolidating, with "38 straight months of increased permanent contracts". He also added that youth unemployment fell by 13.7% and all female jobs shed during the crisis have now been recovered: there are 8,300,205 women in work, "the highest figure on record".

Tourism

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo pointed out that Spain received 8 million tourists between January and February, an 11.3% rise on the same two months of 2016. He also recalled that 75 million inbound tourists visited Spain in 2016. "If we maintain this rate of growth of the first two months, Spain will receive some 83 million tourists this year, which is a tremendously important figure".

On this point, the Government Spokesperson announced that hotel occupancy levels forecast for Easter Week will grow by 4.7 points on the figure posted in 2016. This clearly shows "Spain's leading position for the second year running, as disclosed in the bi-annual Tourism Competitiveness Report published on Thursday by the World Economic Forum, out of a total of 136 countries", according to Íñigo Méndez de Vigo.

Improved export figures

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo pointed out that "figures abound substantiating the good and sound health and sustainable growth of the Spanish economy".

Pool Moncloa/J.M. CuadradoOn this point, the minister highlighted that Spain exports average 30 billion euros a month. "The weighting of our exports amounts to around 35% of GDP, which is a higher percentage than the United Kingdom, France or Italy".

The goal, he went on to say, is to continue extending the export base of Spanish companies, to which end the government is "implementing actions that propitiate an increase in the size of SMEs, so that they can improve their technology content and also their international scope".

Current affairs

At the close of his speech following the Council of Ministers, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo read out the Government Press Statement on the action that the United States carried out in the early hours of Friday on a military base in Syria. He remarked that the government considers that "this is a measured response and proportionate to the use by the Syrian military of chemical weapons on the civilian population". The Government Spokesperson underlined that the goal was a military base and that the use of chemical weapons constitutes a "war crime and those responsible should be brought to justice".

When asked about the information received on the attack, he explained that the Secretary of State for Defence of the United States previously reported to the Secretary General of NATO, and US ambassadors warned the governments of those allied countries that are operating on the ground, "which is not the case of Spain". Following the attack, the United States sent a letter to its NATO allies, including Spain, reporting on the action taken. "Hence, the government was informed in the same way as the rest of our NATO allies", he stressed.

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo added that the two destroyers used in this attack were based at Rota Naval Base, but were on patrol at the time off the coast of Israel prior to the chemical weapon attack.

The minister responded to several questions on the parliamentary support for the General State Budget for 2017, highlighting that the government "invested all its efforts" in ensuring its approval. Several parliamentary agreements have been reached to this end and dialogue is on-going with the rest of the groups within the bounds set down by the basic goals of the Budget: job creation and fiscal consolidation.

Pool Moncloa/J.M.CuadradoIn light of the criticism by some regions of these public accounts, he recalled that the regional governments will see their financing increase this year by 5.37 billion euros and will only have to reduce their deficit from 0.7% of GDP to 0.6%. He also pointed out that this Budget contains the request from the regions to reduce the number of interim in the public sector in addition to allowing "advanced in social policies".

As regards the laying down of weapons by the terrorist group ETA announced for Saturday, the minister declared that these terrorists must disarm, disband, apologise and help clear up those crimes that are not yet resolved. He also stressed that the terrorist group ETA will not obtain any "political benefit", and that the government is pleased to have the backing of the other political forces on this position and that the government "will always be on the side of the victims".

In relation to the statements made by the United Kingdom on Brexit, the Government Spokesperson reiterated that "Gibraltar will leave the European Union with the United Kingdom and will not then be subject to EU law". Íñigo Méndez de Vigo expressed the government's satisfaction at the approach adopted by the European Commission whereby "everything that affects Gibraltar must be resolved by the governments of Great Britain and Spain". "What concerns us are citizens' rights on both sides, in Gibraltar and in the Campo de Gibraltar", said the minister, who stressed that the government will work to protect them in the coming years, "taking into account this legal position, which is clear, straightforward and sound".

The situation created by Brexit and the progress of the European project, pointed out Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, will be the focus on Monday of the 3rd Summit of Southern Countries of the European Union, at which the President of the Government will receive the Heads of Government of France, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Malta in Madrid.