The Ministry of National Economy and Finance published Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis' reply to a parliamentary question on the seizure-protected amount in bank accounts for debts to the State and banks. In that response, he announced that the protected threshold will increase to EUR 1,600 from EUR 1,250, placing the change within the government's broader policy on private debt, account seizures and debtor relief. The minister also pointed to a bill now in public consultation that would allow a bank account seizure to be lifted for debtors who pay 25% of the principal debt and restructure the remaining balance. The same package would lower the entry threshold for the out-of-court debt settlement mechanism to EUR 5,000 from EUR 10,000, extending access to about 1 million citizens and businesses, allow old overdue debts to be restructured in up to 72 instalments, and use the mechanism to support primary residence protection. He added that the Property Acquisition and Leaseback Body is expected to begin operating in autumn for vulnerable debtors at risk of losing their property.