Govt allocates more for kids in 2015

(ANSA) - Rome, November 20 - The government said Thursday it will file a series of amendments to its 2015 budget bill already containing over two billion euros for social welfare and benefits now before the Lower House budget committee.
    One of them addresses the issue of provincial civil servants once provinces are scrapped by reform. "Ministers are working on measures to avoid layoffs," Reform Minister Maria Elena Boschi said.
    "The government will allocate another 100 million euros to fulfill its pledge of setting up 1,000 new nursery schools in the next 1,000 days," she added.
    Also on Thursday, the budget committee OK'd increasing a fund for non-self-sufficient people including ALS sufferers from 250 to 400 million euros in 2015.
    The additional 150 million will be taken from the fund for families, which drops from 298 to 148 million euros. The fund for the non-self-sufficient will contain 250 million euros in 2016.
    As well, the committee approved an amendment by the ruling center-left Democratic Party (PD) to favor business purchases of essential industrial assets such software and machinery. The measure will be financed with 12 million euros in 2015 and at least 31.6 million in 2016.
    Italy's budget bill is currently being vetted by the European Commission, whose assessment has been postponed from Monday to Tuesday, sources said.