The House refugee committee on Tuesday called for an increase in allowances given to Greek Cypriots living in areas of the north and those who chose to return to their homes there.

The committee’s plea was made in the framework of an ongoing discussion regarding resettling in the north and the allowances given to do so.

Speaking after the meeting, committee chairman Akel MP Nikos Kettiros said the allowance currently stood at €371 per person and €575 per couple per month, amounts that had remained unchanged since 2007.

He added that the committee had given the services involved a fortnight to come back with their decisions.

Kettiros referred to “holes in the system” and pointed out that the police were not facilitating the crossing of Maronites from one side to the other as much as they should.

He added that the days of each stay should be counted to determine whether they were eligible for the allowance for residing in the north.

Kettiros said benefits had been cut for students from families in the north studying in the south.

“This was acknowledged by the services as unfair and the promise was given that it will be solved in the coming few days,” Kettiros said.

Disy MP Rita Superman said one of the main problems was the absence of a mechanism for checks at the crossing points.

This, she said, denied eligible people from receiving allowances.

The issue will be discussed at the committee in two weeks.

Diko MP Zacharias Koulias said the committee’s proposal was to double the allowance for enclaved people, adding that the amounts would not be forbidding, as they were talking about some 300 people who have remained in the north..

“These people have been denied their jobs, their lives and remained rooted in their homes,” Koulias explained.