site.btaParliament: Police Officers Will Receive Funds for Uniforms for 2011 to 2015

Sofia, July 13 (BTA) - Police officers who were entitled to receive uniforms but have not will receive the equivalent in leva, Parliament decided passing at second reading revisions to the Interior Ministry Act Thursday.

Civil servants at the Interior Ministry who were entitled to uniforms for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 or 2015, but who have not received such will be paid the equivalent in leva to the amount of the limit for the relevant year, in proportion to the months of service as civil servant wearing uniform for the calendar year and with deduction of absorbed limits for every one of the listed years. Uniforms for the respective year will not be provided after payment of the equivalent in leva.

The sums will not be subject to taxation or calculation and payment of insurance contributions. The procedure of payment will be determined by an order of the Minister of Interior. The funds will be approved by the Council of Ministers as additional staff costs under the Interior Ministry budget for 2017.

About 29 million leva will be required to pay for the uniforms police officers had to receive in 2011 - 2015, Deputy Interior Minister Krassimir Tsipov told journalists in Parliament.

Before the payment of the sums begins, the Interior Ministry will have to calculate what every single officer should receive, as well as how many have left the force, Tsipov said. Quite a number of officers have left over that period and have most probably received compensations for clothing and equipment.

Taking a question about the staff turnover at the Interior Ministry, Tsipov said he hopes the trend from the end of last year will be preserved - then the number of people appointed was larger than that of those who left. There is a shortage of applicants to work at the ministry, Tsipov admitted. The last competition for the Sofia Zonal Gendarmerie Department was indicative, as there were 130 applicants for 170 positions and about 90 were appointed, he commented.