The government's social policy has gone off track, with little indication that it has a clear idea of where to go, according to the Nationalist Party's social solidarity spokesman Clyde Puli

Mr Puli opened debate on the budget estimates for the Family and Social Solidarity Ministry, and he accused the ministry of lacking direction.

"One cannot understand which model is being adopted, and where we are heading," the MP said.

He said that the budget may include a number of initiatives which appeared to be positive, these did not reassure that they would help achieve the targets set by the Labour Party when it was in opposition.

These targets, Mr Puli pointed out, included the eradication of poverty, as mentioned in Labour's electoral manifesto. However, he added, the strategy that was set to achieve this was still a green paper, and it was spread over 12 years rather than just five.

Furthermore, he observed, the number of people who were in poverty or at risk of poverty had actually increased in 2013, despite the arrival of a Labour government, when measured by the same criteria Labour had used to criticise the previous government.

The MP was critical of the way the government has ceased to give any mention of a living wage, which it had emphasised when in opposition, and pointed out that under this government, the people it would benefit were facing greater burdens.

Mr Puli subsequently criticised the language used to pledge a more intensive fight against the abuse of social services, noting how former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had emphasise that one should not be overzealous in addressing such abuse and end up undermining who was truly vulnerable.

He argued that the government may appear weak in the fight against abuse, noting how people may feel benefits abuse was a venial sin when a person who received a two-year jail term was hailed as a hero, given a cushy job and given the opportunity to meet Prince William, in a clear reference to Cyrus Engerer.

Mr Puli also condemned the way minimum rents on social housing have been hiked up, pointing out that the most vulnerable households will now have to pay the same rent that the Labour Party pays for its Qormi party club, a former cinema.

The MP later observed that an increasing number of pensioners were struggling to make ends meet, and defended his party's call for a second pillar pension (a compulsory system funded by recipients and employers) by pointing out that not everyone could afford to pay into voluntary pension schemes.

He then suggested that the government should set aside the money it made through the citizenship scheme to safeguard future pensions - as Norway was doing with its oil revenue - instead of spending it as soon as it came.

Active ageing neglected - Mario Galea

Mario Galea, the spokesman for the elderly, lamented that the budget paid little attention to the elderly, stating that he would have felt offended by such a budget when he was the parliamentary secretary responsible for the elderly.

"Are the elderly not important to the Finance Minister," he asked.

Mr Galea insisted that the budget gave short shrift to the concept of active ageing, in spite of the fact that the term is a part of Parliamentary Secretary Justyne Caruana's official title.

He noted the government has only opened a "new" Gżira day centre, but pointed out that the day centre had already existed, managed by the local council, and reopened after minor works.

On the other hand, the MP pointed out, plans to open a new day centre in Vittoriosa proved to be a mess, with former parliamentary secretary Franco Mercieca originally maintaining that €35,000 had been allocated while Dr Caruana said that it was not.

He recalled that the parliamentary secretary had argued that public funds should not be used on private property - the day centre would have been established in a parish hall. But he dismissed such arguments, noting how the previous government had invested to establish a night shelter in a Żejtun convent, and that one could not expect the church to shell out funds at the government's request. Furthermore, he pointed out, the Vittoriosa parish hall was actually owned by the government and leased to the church.

Mr Galea added that the existing night shelters were full, and emphasised that day centres and night shelters were crucial to active ageing. 

The MP also argued that the government was not doing enough to provide enough places in homes for the elderly. He pointed out that under the previous government, 200 new places were being provided every year - and that even this was not enough - but the present government had only provided 133 new beds in nearly two years.

He questioned the government's decision to renege on plans, set in motion in 2012, to turn Casa Flamini in Paola into a home for the elderly.

Mr Galea observed that the property was owned by the government, but leased to a private individual who agreed to end the lease as long as she was guaranteed a place in the home when she required it, and that architects had told the government that its conversion was viable.

However, after a year of apparent inactivity - he was actually asked whether he had the keys to the property earlier this year - the government dismissed the plans and decided to hand the property over to Hibernians FC instead.

Inclusion must be guaranteed - Stephen Spiteri

Next to speak was the opposition's spokesman for the rights of persons with disability Stephen Spiteri, who argued that while the concept of inclusion was being promoted, it did not always translate into reality.

"When we speak about inclusion, are we speaking about education alone, or also about other aspects, such as work? When we speak of independence, are we also speaking about financial independence, which is a very important issue for persons with disabilities and their families," he asked.

Dr Spiteri argued that experience showed that overcoming these challenges depended on the quality of services and support provided, emphasising that the situation was different for each person concerned.

The MP noted that while the government has promised a guaranteed minimum pension which would reach 60% of the national median income, and suggested that disability pensions should increase accordingly.

He welcomed the decision to enforce a law that 2% of the workforce of companies employing over 20 people must be people with disabilities, but emphasised that employers required support, including through job coaching which made it easier. Job coaching should also be offered by the Employment and Training Corporation to ensure that people with disabilities are more employable.