Forestry dept gets 108 staff boost

The immediate hiring of 108 contract workers for the Forestry Department was approved on Wednesday by the cabinet.

The new staff will cover needs in “firefighters, special vehicle operators and fireguards”.

Announcing the good news, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said the cabinet also decided to promote a series of measures with financial incentives to enhance prevention in areas close to forests.

These measures include a pilot programme for controlled grazing, cultivating abandoned fields, trimming wild vegetation and fully funding communities in proximity to forest areas to purchase pruning shredders.

The measures will come into effect this month.

Prior to the cabinet meeting, President Nikos Christodoulides had referred to topics on the agenda, including the proposal to hire contract workers at the forestry department.

He added that at the session on Wednesday ministers were also set to approve a draft bill to deal with undeclared work.

Also, a plan to deal with the declining birth rate in Cyprus was also set to be approved and measures will be announced in September, he said.

The president also welcomed the implementation of the local government reform at the start of the session.

“We hope that it will lead to the results we are seeking in the case of the people’s daily lives,” he said.

He added that the government will dare to make other changes to ensure proper functioning.

“We are constantly evaluating and whatever changes need to be made will be made,” he said.

Christodoulides mentioned that the first planning permit in Nicosia took an hour and a half to be issued, calling it a positive development, as bureaucracy is also being addressed through the reform, in addition to all the other measures taken by the interior ministry and across all ministries.

He said that from Wednesday’s agenda the proposal of by the agriculture ministry for the forestry department to be strengthened with more staff on the basis of a specific evaluation, stands out.

“We have seen it (the proposal) and there is a need for more staff and we will go ahead with the recruitment of contract staff to meet the need, with the concurrence of the finance ministry,” he said.

The president also said the plan to deal with the declining birth rate was important.

“We will have other proposals. Remember that because many ministries are involved, in September I expect to announce measures to address the declining birth rate issue,” he said.

 “We need the birth rate to be at least 2.1 per cent in order to have a replacement of the population every 25 years,” he added.

“We are at 1.3 per cent, we are way behind, and we need a holistic approach. In September, I expect your recommendations so that we can make announcements,” he said.

The president said that on the issue of undeclared work, a draft bill will be sent to parliament, which will be approved by the cabinet.