23/08/2001

Ukraine minister visits province

Social Development minister Maurice Morrow has said the social security system in the Ukraine is being enhanced by a unique partnership with Northern Ireland’s expert social security staff.

The Minister was speaking after a meeting at Stormont with Mrs Svetlana Vegera, the Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Policy in the Ukraine, on Thursday August 23.

The link with the Eastern European Republic was established in 1998 by NI-CO, the organisation which exports expertise and experience from the public sector in Northern Ireland to overseas markets.

Mr Morrow said: "I was delighted to meet Mrs Vegera and learn how our co-operation is helping to tackle poverty in her country. It is a tribute to the quality of our social security system and the professionalism of our people that such a partnership has developed.”

Mrs Vegera added: "We are very happy with our relationship with the public sector in Northern Ireland. It started with technical assistance in 1998 and has developed into the introduction of a targeted benefits system in the Kharkov and Lviv oblasts (areas) of our country. We hope to extend the changes to six more oblasts by next year.”

Mrs Vegera said her visit to the province had enabled her to find out more about the social security system and to look at poverty research methods. (MB)

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