On 16 January, the Government amended the Provisions on Main State Social Inspector and State Social Inspector (Regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 1091), due to which acts on examination of family living conditions are drawn up by authorised persons of the executive bodies of AH village, settlement, city councils in amalgamated hromadas. The Association of Ukrainian Cities provides explanation on this issue.

1. Who authorises a person to make acts on examination of living conditions?

Powers of employees are determined by job descriptions or other documents. Local self-government is extremely flexible in this issue: everything depends on the powers transferred by the village, settlement or city head to other officials (for example, his/her deputies, heads of independent structural units, etc.). A person to make acts of examination is empowered by a village, settlement, city head or other person designated by this head. If a person was empowered to make acts of examination, he/she acquired an additional authority, that means that his/her essential conditions of work changed. In this regard, it is necessary to take into account the requirements of Article 32 of the Labour Code on “Transfer to Another Job. Changing Essential Work Conditions”.

2. Is it necessary to amend the Provisions on the structural unit of the executive body for examining living conditions?

Not always. The Provisions on the executive body do not duplicate the powers provided by the employees’ job descriptions. The Provisions contain general rules. If the Provisions have a norm close to “organisation of measures to render benefits, privileges, subsidies, etc.”, changes in the Provisions are not required.

3. Is it possible to entrust making acts on examination of living conditions to a communal institution employee?

No. According to the Provisions, acts of examination are drawn up by authorised persons of executive bodies of AH village, settlement, city councils. Since community service workers are not employees of executive agencies, they cannot make an examination.

4. Are local government officials obliged to make acts on examination of living conditions?

No. The decree provides only that a person must be an employee of the executive body. That is, these can be officials, employees, and workers employed in local self-government.

5. May a starosta make acts on examination of living conditions?

Yes. According to the Law of Ukraine “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine”, a starosta is an elective official of local self-government. Due to part seven of Article 14-1 of the Law of Ukraine “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine”, the procedure for organising starosta’s work is determined by this and other laws, as well as by the Provision on the starosta approved by the village, settlement, city council. That is a council shall amend the relevant Provision on starosta and authorise him/her to make acts on examination.

It is worth recalling that the Government approved the Regulation “On making changes to the Provisions on Main State Social Inspector and State Social Inspector” and thus incorporated AH executive bodies to make examination of household living conditions in order to appoint the state aid.