Prime Minister Joseph Muscat today said that the European Commission does not feel it needs to make amendments to Malta's Budget but only raised the question on why we did not present our budget documents to it in the stipulated time, the last week of October.

Our budgetary system needs to be revised, the timing particularly, since this is what held us back from handing the documents to the EC in the time stipulated, he said.

He said the parliamentary budget structure would also need to be revised as a result. Only Malta and Ireland, in the whole of the Eurozone countries, has a different budgetary system, which is based on the British model.

Dr Muscat was replying to questions made by journalists soon after the inauguration of the first phase of a sports complex project in Pembroke which aims to strengthen the skills of students who want to take up sport as a career. The facility is to host a number of volleyball, handball and badminton courts. It will host a gymnasitics area, among other sport related facilities. A portion of the facility is to be open to the Pembroke community. Education Minister Evarist Barotlo and Parliamentary Secretary Chris Agius were also present.

The school is a Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools project. The first phase cost €300,000 while the second phase is to cost €2.8m.

PM says will publish inquiry report on shooting immediately

Asked by this newsroom if he intends publishing the inquiry report looking into last week’s shooting incident involving the driver of the Home Affairs Minister even before the two weeks end (the timeframe given to the former judges investigating the case to conclude the report), Dr Muscat said he has no problem in doing so.

Yesterday, on Dissett, Dr Muscat said he would publish the report immediately. Dr Muscat said the inquiry would be looking into how things unfolded and the way they were tackled, when asked if the former judges will be looking into the issue of political responsibility. Dr Muscat also insisted that the motion debate will be discussed after the inquiry. The PN presented a no-confidence in Minister Manuel Mallia motion earlier this week.

Busuttil should urge former PN cabinet ministers to pay up full honoraria they received

Dr Muscat said that PN leader Simon Busuttil had given the impression that former PN cabinet ministers had paid the honoraria to the full but the MPs only paid a total of €300,000 out of the €1.6m. He said that they still owe a difference of €1.3m.

"We have documents which show only €300,000 have been paid up; at first I had believed Dr Busuttil that his then cabinet ministers paid the whole amount back but it results they did not," he said.

Dr Busuttil should urge them to pay up, Dr Muscat added. He was asked by this newsroom if he had any proof in hand which shows that they did not pay the honoraria back to the full.

PM says Helena Dalli acknowledged fact that things could have been done in a better way

Dr Muscat said that Minister Helena Dalli acknowledged that things could have been done in a better manner. He was pressed to say whether this meant that Dr Dalli was offering an apology over the alleged wrongdoing.

He insisted that this was not a form of apology but reiterated that she acknowledged the fact that things could have been done better.

The Opposition has called on Dr Dalli to shoulder responsibility for illegal works which were carried on at a property being sold to third parties but owned by her husband.