Labour ministry to cut welfare benefits by three billion

Welfare benefits will be three billion crowns lower than originally planned due to budget cuts being considered by the coalition government. Labour Minister Jaromír Drábek told journalists on Tuesday that the three billion could be saved by strict checks on whether all necessary conditions for benefits were being met, and by preventing unemployment benefits from being misused. With the ministry looking to cut a total 3.8 billion crowns from its budget this year, Mr Drábek also said he plans to lower operational costs and money earmarked for IT. The government is planning further austerity measures in order to adhere to the planned state budget deficit amid a worsening economic forecast.