Investment in our Law Courts has been going on since we took up office in 2013. We invested in infrastructure, in-court services and online services. We invested in the Judiciary, we invested by passing Laws, implemented measures to enhance our democracy and rule of law.

Our investment has an aim of giving a better holistic experience to all who use our law courts.

This is an ongoing process, as we want to give our Law Courts an upgrade to cater for modern needs. Our latest investment, announced yesterday, is that of €450,000 for a new infrastructure network project.

The need to improve the Court’s IT network infrastructure has been felt, as for the past years it was not at par with the great advances taking place in the IT world. The project, which since its inception - mid-last year – has already seen 12,000 hours of work took off after the completion of necessary studies and consultations.

I must commend all those involved as all works being done and I also appreciate that these works are being carried out without interrupting the Courts’ daily duties.

By this investment, the Court of Justice is undergoing a project to improve its IT infrastructure through a new network, which can cater to present needs as well as future ones. Thanks to this, the Court will have a system whereby the public is served in a more expeditious and efficient manner.

Once the project is finalised, around 122 kilometres of cable will be placed, and a total of 2,500 new network points will be installed. All of this is being done to keep on strengthening and improving our efficiency within one of the highest institutions in our country.

Primarily, this project will serve to improve the IT system, including the provision of a number of new network points serving as a base for other services, including a new security camera, WI-FI and a digital telephony system.

These works are being carried out in most of the offices, and within the Halls as well. 

We have gone a long way to modernise this sector – our commitment is to continue to upgrade this sector with all that it entails.

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Another investment, which is an ongoing process, is that in our culture sector. Apart from being a monetary investment, restoration works being carried out all over the island is also an investment in our future generations.

Excellent work is being carried out by the Restoration Directorate, under the Ministry’s remit, to give a new lease of life to our historical inheritance dotting the islands. Currently there are 71 ongoing projects at various stages of implementation, not including restoration projects being undertaken by other entities such as Heritage Malta.

Visiting restoration works on the St John the Baptist Chapel in Siggiewi I remarked that thanks to these projects, we keep on protecting and strengthening our local heritage so that it is available for everyone, especially future generations for them to cherish and appreciate our country’s history. Through restoration and conservation projects, we have now worked in 70% of localities, and thanks to more projects that are ongoing and others that are in the pipeline, we truly are reinforcing our culture sector, whilst providing more sustainability and professionalisation within the sector. Apart from all of this, we are also enhancing our local product as a cultural destination.

Incidentally another St John the Baptist Chapel is being restored in ĦalGħargħur.

We are literally changing the face of this island with all these restoration projects. We restored palaces, buildings but also landmarks and street niches.

In the coming days the historic and revered Madonna tal-Karmnu niche in Zurrieq will undergo restoration to bring back its splendour and beauty.

Something that can also be said for Barbara Arch in Sa Maison Gardens. Designed by renowned Giovanni Barbara, the skew arch is a marvel of construction. Built as part of the Floriana Lines fortifications, it was completed in 1726.

By time, nature had its course and the arch was in need of a thorough restoration. This was on the books as soon as the Ospizio Complex, including the bastions and this arch were identified as the new home for MICAS – the Malta International Contemporary Arts Space – another investment in the Arts.

I am happy to say that this restoration was finished in the past days and we can now all enjoy this superb piece of architecture as Giovanni Barbara intended.

Works were done by a private contractor under the supervision of the Restoration Directorate. May I also remind all that the Floriana bastions are also under restoration – another investment of 1.5 million.

 

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Writing about investments brings me to another mega-project being undertaken which will benefit not only the hundreds of volunteers and enthusiasts directly involved, but all those who participate in our Carnival activities, including those tourists visiting the islands during these days.

The Carnival Experience.

Carnival is an important element in our culture; in fact, from the beginning this Government felt the need to provide Carnival enthusiasts the space where they can express their talents. Through this project, the public will have the opportunity to experience culture not only during its celebration period but also during the whole year, through an experience which showcases the tradition and art which brings this to fruition.

Through this project, we will keep on strengthening professionalisation within the sector as well, whilst creating new economic niches, as tourists will have the opportunity to experience different elements from our culture, which until now are only being celebrated during the days dedicated to Carnival.

This cultural investment during the past years, has led to an allocation of €82,800,000 for this year’s cultural budget, an increase of 18% from last year.

This project keeps on building on 2018’s successes, whilst we are currently looking ahead to keep on implementing cultural projects on a local level with a wider outreach.

This year’s Carnival activities are the best so far.  The production team together with the organisational committee have put together a high quality programme for Carnival 2019.  With added activities tomorrow, Saturday, so much so that there will be ongoing activities throughout the whole day, including a dance companies parade in Tritons Square followed by The Grand Ball which was a tremendous success last year. 

Apart from the celebrations that will be taking place in Valletta and Floriana, various Local Councils around Malta and Gozo have organised carnival celebrations in their villages, further promoting accessibility as part of our cultural strategy.

I augur all to enjoy all that Carnival offers during the coming days.

A detailed Carnvial programme of events taking place in Valletta and in the villages is available on https://www.karnivaltamalta.org

 

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I will conclude with some due appreciation following the severe storm that hit our islands in the past days.

I thank all those involved in our Carnival activities. Immediately as I was informed of the effect the storm had on the floats, I personally joined the Carnival enthusiasts on site to support them and see that all floats were placed in a secure place to limit the damage done.

Our support will also include financial aid.

The storm also affected our historical sites but thankfully, this was limited and no direct damage was reported on the temples and sites.

In fact, although the prehistoric temples of ĦaġarQim and Mnajdra, including the protective shelters, were unharmed, the Visitor Centre suffered some external damage. Again I thank the members from Heritage Malta’s maintenance and upkeep department who were on site on Sunday to evaluate all damages.

The Egmont Hall in Fort St Angelo suffered considerable damage, particularly to its roof. External information panels were also affected.

Other reported damages included the collapse of part of the boundary wall of the prehistoric site of Tas-Silġ in Marsaxlokk, some structural damage in one of the pavilions at St Paul’s Catacombs, and the uprooting of trees in some of Heritage Malta’s sites.

Our teams battled the weather conditions to make sure that damage was contained. I have no words to exactly describe the appreciation I have for all those involved.

Our Cleansing and Maintenance Directorate did an excellent job during the past days to bring back the situation to normal, and are still out there gathering tonnes of debris from all over the island.

An effective strategic plan was immediately put forward, with more the entire force of the department on the job to see to all the needs after the storm.

I join my college Deo Debattista to thank all those who were and still are involved in the cleaning up process in order to get the situation back to normal. I am happy to say that this did not take long; as hours after the storm subsided, there was no chaos in our roads.

As a concluding comment, and to illustrate the havoc brought about by the storm but also the excellent work being carried out, it’s worth noting the Cleansing and Maintenance Division have collected – up to Wednesday evening – astaggering 375 tonnes of debris of all kind.