A major investment of €40 million dedicated to cancer care will be made public in the coming days, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said in an interview on Radio 101.

“The new specialised cancer centre will be built on a site close to Mater Dei hospital at Tal-Qroqq. The government plans to finish the project by 2012. The relative applications have already been submitted to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa),” said Dr Gonzi.

The Prime Minister explained that the government is doing its best to counter the waiting lists problem by improving hospital services and efficiency.

“Although more needs to be done, we are witnessing positive results and remain committed to hiving the best healthcare system,” continued the Prime Minister. “12,700 operations were performed during the first four months of 2009. When compared to the 11,500 operations held in the previous year, operations increased by 1,200.”

On the Mepa reform, the Prime Minister said that the long consultation process should lead to the implementation of the reform by the end of the year. “The Mepa reform is an important electoral promise of the Nationalist Government,” he added.

The consultation process is still ongoing and detailed presentations on the reform were being held in the past days for NGOs, environmental organisations, the Chamber of Architects, Chamber of Planners, the General Retailers and Traders Union (GRTU) and MCESD among others. The consultation process will reach an end once the national conference on the Mepa reform is held on Friday.

“Mepa has to win back credibility,” explained the Prime Minister. Asked why the tourism parliamentary secretariat is taking care of the reform in spite of the crisis that the tourism sector is experiencing, he replied that the reform is intimately related to the tourism sector and that the government would be wasting millions of Euro used to market and advertise the Maltese Islands abroad if tourists come here to find the country in shabby conditions.

On Victor Scerri's resignation from the post of PN president, Dr Gonzi said that Dr Scerri's decision was morally correct. Dr Scerri will proceed with his action as a private citizen and not backed by the position he held within a political party.

“I want to make sure that Mepa takes decisions not because a politician or myself exert pressure on it. I want to make sure that the authority's boards and auditors are not influenced in any way so that the right decisions are made.”

The discussion process to appoint a new PN president will start at the end of summer, said the Dr Gonzi.

With regards to the education sector, the Prime Minister said that the government is doing its best to invest in it and explained that this is the first government to have invested so heavily in the education sector. He said that the Matsec 'O' level results are encouraging despite the fact that 50 per cent of students failed the English or Maltese examinations.

He made reference to the growing number of students who are taking their education to a further level. Students studying Masters and Doctorates courses are increasing, he said, and the government is committed to supporting these students through scholarships and grants. Last week, Education Minister Dolores Cristina announced that students over 30 years of age will be entitled to a stipend, said the prime minister. This shows our intention to see more students succeed. "The Malta College of Art, Science and Technology (MCAST) has proved to be a good institute for vocational courses, but he insisted that both MCAST and the University of Malta need to be supported on a parallel level," he maintained.

Dr Gonzi replied in the negative when asked whether the Maltese feel that their freedom is being threatened due to a number of decisions taken by the government lately, with particular reference to the introduction of local wardens, speed cameras, the restricted residents' parking scheme and laws on barbeques in Mellieha bay.

The Prime Minister said that the local councils and the government have to act hand in hand to maintain cleanliness levels, but civil society must strive to make an effort to help keep Malta clean.

“The by laws on Ghadira does not mean no more barbeques,” said the Dr. Gonzi. "Barbeques can still be held on the rocky part of the beach. A balance must be struck. If a lot of rubbish was spoiling the bay, the Mellieha local council had to take a decision to stop barbeques on the sandy beach," he continued. "A lot has been done to render the Maltese environment clean but there is much left to do, and everyone's cooperation is needed," he added.

Regarding party discussions on the PN's European Parliament election defeat, the Dr. Gonzi said that the party is in the process of consulting all party structures. Dr Gonzi and PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier are meeting all the sectional committees to listen to its members' suggestions. Discussions aimed at examining ways in which policies can be upgraded through effective structures will continue in the coming months, the Prime Minister said.