The prices of bus tickets will not rise, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat pledged in Parliament yesterday evening while discussing the budget, which he was optimistic about.

He said that when coming to government, the transport sector was found in complete disarray, with Arriva being bust. He said that the company was found to have routes it did not agree with. He defended the €23 million subsidy for the possible new operator, saying that it will help create a better transport system for Malta. Dr Muscat proceeded to criticise the PN on their argument that students should be able to use the bus for free, arguing that the subsidy would in fact need to be higher for this, however did say he wished to see this in the future.

With regards to the economy, Dr Muscat said that; "we have encouraging results which are among some of the best we have ever had.  The EU said that we are smooth sailing in choppy waters. The best credit rating, for me, comes from the people who are at home". He pledged to never 'put his head in the sand' and think that his government is finished improving Malta.

He mentioned that international reports have been positive after examining Malta. "One word you will never find in any of the reports is 'bailout'".

 "Just prior to the election, the opposition said that if the PL were to be elected, they would require a bailout in the first two years. Well there are only four months left," he said.

"In their political manifesto, the PN anticipated a 2.8% economic growth for this year. The reality is that our economy grew by 3.5%".

 

500 days.

Dr Muscat compared the last 500 days of the previous administration to the first 500 days of this administration on several instances.

With regards to unemployment,  he claimed that in the last 500 days of the previous administration, a person last their job each day.

Under this administration, a job was created every day and a job in the manufacturing sector was created every 2 days.

He also said that, using the Opposition's calculation regarding the hiring of workers by government, which he argued included counting replacements for workers who left or retired, the opposition when in government had hired 2485 people, while in the first 500 days of this administration 2793 people were hired. "What am I supposed to do about the former Arriva workers, leave them out in the cold?" he asked. "That's what the opposition leader wanted to do".

He reminded people that the retirement age was recently aged, and mentioned that 529 people were hired to work in the health sector and 414 were hired to work in the education sector.

The Prime Minister criticised the Opposition Leader for not mentioning a number of sectors including youth, persons with disability and the south of Malta during his speech last Monday.

 "With regard to jobs created, the EU projected a 1.6% increased rate, yet we have doubled this".

The Prime Minister argued that the opposition are the ones in need of funds, and that they are the ones who want public funds to bail them out.

Turning to the manufacturing sector, Dr Muscat said; "We believe that the manufacturing sector has a future but in the past, things were going downhill. He mentioned the reduction in energy tariffs that will help, stating that one company had told him it would save €900,000 through these reductions.

Energy

As a result of the tariff cuts, €80 million will be left in the economy next year, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has said.

The Prime Minister said that Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi will, during his session in Parliament, lay out the plan regarding the power station in detail.

"Our plan is to restructure Enemalta and involve private sector while changing over to gas. Yes we have been slightly delayed. However if opposition thinks the  reduction is based solely on the power station then he has truly not understood a thing.  The reduction comes from all the components of our plan".

The Prime Minister promised that the energy tariff reduction will remain through and will not be removed later. "I had pledged that if no one showed interest in our energy plan then I would resign. 18 consortiums bid on our strategy. We saved the Enemalta workers' jobs".

The Minister also said that when coming to power, they found that 6% of electricity was being stolen, this has dropped by 20%.

Petrol and diesel

The Prime Minister defended the government's decision to hedge the fuel price, saying that it provides for stable fuel.

"When Simon Busuttil was still the PN Deputy Leader and when the prices were higher, the PN government had increased the tax on petrol and diesel, yet now the price has dropped.

Between January to November, petrol and diesel prices were around 5-10c less than the EU average, he explained.

education is the key to the future.

Dr Muscat mentioned that investment in the university has increased by 55%.

"How did the opposition leader not mention education in his speech? This is the key to our children's future and it was completely ignored".

He said that €41 million will be invested into the education sector, and mentioned that there are 900 families at risk of poverty. "We will be giving these families €400 to help them, however their children must have a 95% attendance record. There is a correlation between those who are at risk of poverty and those who do not attend school," he said.

The Prime Minister pledged to continue investment in new schools, and mentioned the sabbatical for teachers in order for them to further their education.

Lack of Moral authority                           

Dr Muscat slammed the PN members who had agreed to repay their ministerial increase amounting to €1,600,000. He said, however, that only €300,000 was paid.

He was clearly referring to attacks made by opposition leader simon busuttil yesterday on members of the Cabinet when he said; "If you want to discuss moral authority, start by telling your MPs to return what they promised".

With regards to fuel and car payments, Dr Muscat said that Simon Busuttil's car was paid by the government however said that for his personal car, he went for the cheapest option and that he pays his own insurance.

Measures against abuse

Dr Muscat addressed the proposed measures to fight against abuse of funds. He argued that people willing to work will continue to receive help, however those wanting to abuse the system will not.

He also spoke about the Armier boat houses, saying that those who were illegally taking electricity had the chance to pay and install a metre, and those that haven't have had their electricity cut off.

He mentioned that the government will withdraw benefits for those under 23 who would refuse training.

Comparing plans

The Prime Minister compares the PN's pre-electoral plan to the government's.

The amount collected from all tax would roughly equal 33% of a wage, this included direct and indirect taxation, he said. Under the PN, this would be 34%.

With regards to the increase in mobile calls, he said the PN would have increased it by another percent. "Last year, we reduced taxes by €26 million more than the PN wanted, this year €30 million more".

Photos: Jonathan Borg, Video: Paul Jones