Cho Jung-tai: Diverse Policies Support Families with Children; Surge in Applications for Flexible Parental Leave

The Legislative Yuan continued its general policy interpellations this morning, and Premier Cho Jung-tai was interviewed by the media before the session. Regarding the Kuomintang's proposed legal amendment to extend the age of childcare to 12 and have the central government cover the cost of reduced working hours, Cho Jung-tai said that constructing an overall, comprehensive, and complete demographic countermeasure has always been the government's established policy. The government already has clear policies in all aspects of childbirth, rearing, and education.

Cho Jung-tai explained that in terms of childbirth, including subsidies for infertility treatments and all various insurance benefits, it will be supplemented up to NT$100,000. For child-rearing, the 'Nation Raises Children Ages 0 to 6' policy is ongoing. As for flexible parental leave, it can be applied for by the 'day'. Additionally, subsidies for companies to strengthen childcare facilities have already been proposed by the Ministry of Labor.

Cho Jung-tai pointed out that the government hopes to establish a system using diverse policies to support more families with children and also support the growth of more youth. Taking the daily flexible parental leave as an example, there are two distinct figures after its implementation: the number of applications has increased month by month, currently surpassing 10,000 cases; another is that the proportion of male applicants has increased from 27.8% to 49.6%, showing a massive demand for this policy.

Cho Jung-tai stated that in the future, the government will study overall policies in the three areas of childbirth, rearing, and education. The hope is to boost the birth rate, provide more comprehensive support for families with children, and further strengthen the educational learning and growth of youths. By building a friendlier workplace environment and friendlier family support, the entire demographic policy can be implemented comprehensively. (Editor: Wan Shu-chang) 1150407