(L-R) Pierre Lammar, Luxembourg Ministry for Family Affairs and Integration; Max Hahn, Luxembourg Minister for Family Affairs and Integration; Frédéric Berger, General Inspectorate of Social Security (IGSS); Silvia Girardi, LISER;
Credit: MFAMIGR
On Friday 21 July 2023, the Luxembourg Minister for Family Affairs and Integration, Max Hahn, invited representatives of the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) and the General Inspectorate of Social Security (IGSS) to a press conference to present the final report on the evaluation of the social inclusion income scheme (REVIS).
"Some people do not have the financial resources to cover their needs and live in dignity. In Luxembourg, however, they can count on society’s solidarity," said Minister Hahn.
REVIS is one of the Grand Duchy’s main ways of combating financial poverty and social exclusion. According to the ministry, the aim of REVIS is to help households on modest incomes and to provide a basic means of subsistence to anyone who meets the relevant conditions.
Currently, 10,000 households, or 24,000 people, receive the REVIS income. A third of these households have no other income.
In November 2021, LISER and the IGSS were commissioned by the ministry to carry out an evaluation of the REVIS system. This evaluation follows a motion passed by Luxembourg’s Parliament when the Bill 7113 on REVIS was introduced.
REVIS came into force on 1 January 2019, replacing the Guaranteed Minimum Income (RMG) (whose legal basis dated back to 1986).
According to the ministry, the amounts intended for families with children, and more specifically those intended for single-parent families with children, provide these families with financial resources that are 19% to 51% higher than they would have received under the RMG.
At the request of the ministry, STATEC calculated a reference budget for households with children at the end of 2022. This budget represents the financial minimum necessary to live decently in the Grand Duchy. In its analysis, STATEC has concluded that REVIS offers good protection for these households: it exceeds the minimum budget in almost all cases.
However, the evaluation also shows that households without children have fewer financial resources at their disposal, which places them slightly below the level of the RMG. According to the ministry, this is an issue that will need to be addressed by a future government.
One of the main objectives of REVIS is to encourage beneficiaries to take up a professional activity in order to enable them to enter the labour market, while respecting each individual’s skills and personal situation. As part of this action strand, the activation measures proposed by the National Social Inclusion Office (Office national d'inclusion sociale - ONIS) and ADEM have been adapted and integrated.
According to LISER and IGSS reports, ADEM's profiling system has proved effective. The results show that beneficiaries are guided effectively and correctly, and that the "gateways" or "passerelles" that exist between the two schemes are reportedly working, enabling beneficiaries to be reoriented if necessary.
The REVIS law also redefined cooperation between the various administrations. Administrative procedures and the monitoring of beneficiaries have been significantly improved, according to the ministry. However, certain aspects in the area of communication or procedures reportedly still need to be clarified.
According to the ministry, the integration of the Regional Social Inclusion Officers (ARIS) into the Social Welfare Offices has made it possible to provide REVIS beneficiaries with more comprehensive support. There is still is a need for continuation along this path and for clarification and enhancement of certain areas of cooperation in this field.
