Bulgaria's labour and social policy ministry plans to merge its regional social assistance offices, social affairs minister Natalia Efremova told MPs at a hearing in parliament's social policy committee.

"There are 28 regional directorates in total. We're looking at streamlining this, and the review is still under way," Efremova said.

Most of the changes will hit the social assistance agency, which runs both the regional directorates and the social assistance offices. In deciding how to merge them, the ministry is weighing each region's population, the number of cases and applications it handles, and proposals from the regional directors themselves.

Staff freed up from the regional directorates will move to child protection units. The minister said the aim is for the agency to focus more on protecting children, so fewer cases of abuse slip through.

Once the merger goes through, the workload will be spread roughly evenly across the smaller number of directorates. "I was able to reassure them that no one will lose their job, since we're not planning any staff cuts," Efremova said of her meeting with the directors.

The way services are delivered won't change. The minister said the shift will be gradual and will lean on digital tools, so people don't feel any disruption.

The overhaul of the ministry's agencies is happening in two stages. The first, already under way, involves cutting vacant posts and gradually letting go of staff who have reached retirement age and qualified for a pension. The ministry is also reviewing what each department does, both within its own structure and across the agencies it oversees financially.

Updated (30.09, 17:11): Minister Natalia Efremova has denied plans to cut the number of regional directorates to 6. Officials are instead looking at merging them into 13 or 15 regional structures, she said.