Spain’s poorest families will be paid a basic monthly income, minister says

♦ Spain is planning to pay a basic monthly income to about a million of the nation’s poorest households to help them weather the impact of the pandemic, José Luis Escrivá, the social security minister, has said.

Those receiving the stipend, which is due to be approved by the cabinet next month, will have incentives to find work, such as being allowed to combine the money with wages from a new job for a period of time, Mr Escrivá told COPE, a radio station.

“Without incentives to find a job, there is a temptation to exhaust the stipend and not look on the job market,” he said.

It has yet to be decided how much will be paid and Mr Escrivá declined to say what it would cost the government.

Up to a fifth of households had an income of less than €246 (£214) a month, Mr Escrivá added.