The latest iSurvey indicates that recent controversies may not have had a negative impact on the popularity of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat or his government, despite the fact that one of the government's most powerful ministers, Manuel Mallia, had to be removed ignominiously after his driver was involved in a shooting, and the fact that the government will miss its self-imposed deadline of a new power station by next March - a key part of its electoral manifesto.

In fact, the overall results show that the government's approval rating and Dr Muscat's own trust rating have increased since the last edition of the iSurvey, which was held in May. The proportion of people who deem him more trustworthy than Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil has also increased, while Dr Busuttil's own trust rating appears to have fallen.

One factor may have a bearing on the survey's results: the proportion of respondents who said they had voted for the Labour Party in last year's general election relative to those who voted for the Nationalist Party is somewhat higher than it was in the election itself.

However, when figures are broken down according to voting preferences, they still seem to suggest a positive result for Dr Muscat and his government.