On Thursday, June 4, the Saeima supported the amendments to the Law on Credit Institutions in the first reading. The planned changes will expand the rights of social services to obtain data on account statements and balances of individuals from banks and other payment service providers.
The bill will simplify the process of providing social assistance and social services. Currently, to receive social assistance or determine household status, individuals must independently provide bank account statements, which often creates additional costs and practical difficulties.
It is planned that in the future, social services will be able to obtain statements from individuals' accounts upon request, including data on cash flow for a period of three to twelve full calendar months, as well as information on the account balance at the beginning and end of this period.
The changes will allow social services to receive the necessary data directly from banks and other payment service providers, similar to how information is currently obtained from other government institutions. This will speed up decision-making and make the provision of support more efficient.
The amendments are related to the digital transformation project DigiSoc implemented by the Ministry of Welfare, aimed at modernizing the administration of social services and social assistance, as well as improving data exchange between the involved institutions.
It is expected that the new procedure will be introduced gradually, with a transitional period for the implementation of technical solutions, and the amendments should come into force no later than July 1, 2027.
For the bill to come into force, it must be approved by the Saeima in three readings.
