This company was due to set up a production plant in Hal Far, which would have created hundreds of jobs, he said. The company had to wade through too much red tape and bureaucracy in the setting up of the plant, he continued.

Since it had only registered 6,000 orders for cars and vans, mostly from European postal institutions, the company has abandoned its plans to invest more than Lm3 million in Malta, said the Labour MP.

Dr Attard Montalto said that two government officials had “pompously taken the credit for attracting this investment”, but no one has taken the responsibility, nor given any explanation, for the company changing its decision, he continued.

This suggests doubts in the ability of Maltese to prepare the infrastructure for small companies in a short period of time, said Dr Attard Montalto.

A company must register orders and this depends on the administrative and organisational ability of Maltese institutions, the Labour MP said. The inability to do so puts the future of Maltese industry in a bad light, he concluded.