The last in the series of public consultation meetings intended as brainstorming sessions leading to the drawing up of the pre-Budget document, was held yesterday evening.

This seventh and last meeting was focused on ways of safeguarding family prosperity. Introducing the session, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the family is the backbone of society.

A number of pertinent issues ranging from social assistance to active ageing, lifelong learning, to flexi-time and child care centres.

Sandro Spiteri, chairperson of the family commission, made introductory remarks, saying that the current government was being very proactive by looking at the daily needs of the family.

The government was starting to implement its vision with regard to the type of family structure it would like to build the Maltese society upon, said Mr Spiteri. He added that there were indications that the family structure was facing big challenges.

Mr Spiteri particularly appealed to Dr Gonzi to further address the issue regarding those who abuse of the social assistance system. He said there was a strong feeling that although measures were being introduced to curb abuse, a lot more needed to be done.

He also spoke about the price of property and the need for it to stabilise and for the government to act as a regulator. As for social housing, Mr Spiteri said there was the need to provide dignified housing.

In conclusion, he spoke about the country’s need to base its policies on the family structure by not simply implementing family-friendly measures, but particularly family-centric measures.

A number of valid suggestions were made by members of the audience. Many expressed their satisfaction for the success of the services offered at Access in Cospicua, which offers several services, including but not only, social work services, psychology services, as well as ones related to housing and employment.

A particular person who spoke during the meeting said it was not enough to have the required set-up for the services to be offered, but it was extremely important to make them available to people who actually need them by offering such services in different localities.

Dr Gonzi said there were plans for the Access model to be replicated in other areas. Currently there are plans for such centres to be developed in Valletta, Birkirkara and St Paul’s Bay.

Another very valid suggestion was to consider opening schools in the evening, to provide extended education services to families. Although a number of aspects would need to be taken into consideration, the person who made this suggestion said that from his experience, parents who would have received some form of education adopt a positive attitude with regard to their children’s education.

Speakers also stressed the need for education about different races of people and different religions, not just the Roman Catholic religion and the need to encourage youngsters to carry out voluntary work, particularly by introducing fixed structures in the educational system. This would help them come into contact with certain difficulties similar to some extent to the ones they will undoubtedly have to face some time during their lifetime.

Bringing the session to a close, Dr Gonzi said that when planning its policies, the government was keeping in mind the social realities of the modern world. Referring to the rent law, which about two speakers referred to, the Prime Minister said that this required thorough thought and could not be revised unsystematically.