At the end of last year there were 1,022 elderly people waiting for admission to government homes for the elderly and 722 waiting for admission to St Vincent de Paule.

Last year 165 elderly people were admitted to the Zejtun home, 122 to the one at Mtarfa, 64 to Msida and 67 to the Mosta one, 31 to the home at Gzira, 47 to the Floriana home and 128 to the one at Cospicua.

Also during last year, 55 people had been admitted under the public private partnership scheme to Villa Messina, 33 to Casa Serena and 10 to Casa Arkati.

Health Minister Louis Deguara was replying to Antoine Mifsud Bonnici.