Is the Gozo Ministry different from any other ministry?

The Gozo ministry is different from the other ministries in the sense that it deals with various issues and subjects that are normally dealt with by different ministries in Malta.

As the Gozo Minister I have to deal with a host of different subjects continuously. The work of this ministry depends on good and reliable advisors, because of the fact that we get flooded with calls on so many different matters, day in day out.

One day we are dealing with drainage problems, the next we have to tackle primary schools and on the third day we have to deal with health issues. In Malta, they have different ministries for these different subjects. Here we must see to everything that happens.

How would you describe the first 100 days since this government was sworn in?

In reality, the first 100 days of this administration were a continuation of the previous one. Over the years I have tried to gather as much information as possible on the various sectors that play a role on the island. We have plans for every sector.

In education, for example, we have invested a lot in the physical structure of the schools here in Gozo. We drew up a plan to identify the needs of each school and started off by tackling their basic requirements.

There seems to have been an emphasis on the wrong priorities, not only in the education area. For example, while the main entrance to the hospital is very pleasing to the eye, when touring the place and inspecting the kitchen, I found out that the ceiling was leaking water onto a food preparation table.

Going back to education, apart from the structure, we also worked on enhancing the programmes. The programme at the school of arts was extended to include crafts, which I consider to be an important move. That made better use of our resources and the school is now offering a more comprehensive programme.

Courses were also added to the Gozo University centre. We also introduced courses for adults. The “meals on wheels” and other community services are now offered to elderly people.

A number of changes have also been made at the Gozo hospital. We set up a renal unit and medical equipment began being sterilised at the hospital. Previously, people suffering from renal problems had to travel to Malta for treatment, and equipment used to be sterilised in Malta. The introduction of these services saved a lot of hardship for many Gozitan patients and at the same time reduced costs. Now the hospital is working on a pre-plating system that will allow food to be distributed to the patients separately. Instead of having to prepare the food at a given time, with the new system the food can be prepared and sealed for two hours before it is eventually served. In this way, patients will be able to choose the food they would like to eat.

A gynaecology ward will also be opened shortly. This is another service that, until now, Gozitans could get only by travelling to Malta. The space for the new ward was taken from a surplus area in the maternity ward. The gynaecology ward will also relieve the general women’s wards from an overload of work. We are also working on introducing a mammogram project which will allow the hospital to offer mammogram scans.

We have also taken a number of measures in the agricultural sector. We invested in a number of glasshouses in which government workers are cultivating plants that are then used for the embellishment of Gozitan soft areas. It may not be the fastest way of embellishing the roundabouts and other soft areas, but it is certainly a lot cheaper and just as effective.

Instead of buying grown plants from private businesses, we decided to grow our own. It has taken months, but now we are reaping the benefits. Apart from this, a number of gardens have had good maintenance work, with over 1,500 trees pruned over the past month.

There have been a number of problems related to waste management, especially since the closure of Tal-Qortin landfill. What are your comments on the matter?

As I said earlier, when dealing with Gozo everything is even more interlinked. Therefore, the teething problems that are expected with every transition are felt in a number of areas.

When we closed off the Xaghra landfill we created another problem because rats had infested the Xaghra area. We had been taking measures to kill the rats there for the past year or so but there were so many of them that we did not manage to get rid of them all by the time the landfill was closed.

This problem hit Xaghra for quite some time but it has now been resolved. The landfill has been closed and that is a great achievement. The ferries are now transporting the waste generated in Gozo to Malta.

The Malta Independent carried a story on the smells that are emanating from the ferries when the rubbish is transported. Has any progress been made on this subject?

The problem with the smells coming from the garbage trucks have been addressed by WasteServ in the past few days. However, we are now working on a long-term solution. In fact there are plans to have a treatment facility built in Gozo. The facility will compress the waste into hermetic containers that can be then transported over to Malta without causing any inconvenience.

With the opening of the new slaughterhouse, the transportation of animals over to Malta will also stop. A few months back the slaughterhouse had to be closed because it was not up to EU standards. In the meantime, animals from Gozitan farms had to be transported over to Malta to be slaughtered, also causing odour-related problems aboard the Gozo Channel ferries.

The tenders for the new facility have been issued. The dates have not been fixed but the awarding process of the tender should be ready by the end of the month and, after that, the project should be completed within some two or three months.

Tied with this project, we must also talk about the incinerator, funded by the Italian Protocol. The plant was finished a month-and-a-half ago, relieving an increasing pile of waste. The incinerator burns waste such as animal carcasses and even some human waste from the hospital.

Until the plant was built, this sort of waste had to be stored in special refrigerated containers of which three had already been filled.

Once it was in place, the stored load had to be burnt. So far, one of the containers has been emptied which means that in a few months the situation will be back to normal. Before the incinerator was built it was not uncommon for animal carcasses to be thrown on to the Qortin landfill.

When the Gozo channel fares were raised there was a chorus of dissent among social partners in Gozo. What is your opinion?

The service is vital for Gozitans and any alterations to the fares are painful. This is a reality. I think the government is mature enough to be able to change a decision if it is deemed to be detrimental.

The rise must, however, be seen in the context of the cost of maintaining the ferry line and the investment needed to keep up the quality of the service.

Is it true that there is a socio-economic development plan in the pipeline?

Yes it is – I commissioned a socio-economic development strategy that will tackle a number of areas in the context of Gozo’s insularity. The document should be ready by 7 September. After that, it will be presented to the Cabinet and the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development and will be discussed with the Gozo Business chamber and the Gozo Tourism Association.

The report will address niche economic sectors such as tourism and manufacturing as well as the services sector, which we are trying to emphasise, with particular attention to financial services.

There is also an analysis of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and how they can be exploited, both in the social and economic spheres. Especially in the service sector, ICT is being seen as a major tool with which to overcome Gozo’s insularity.

Following a preliminary sketch, this area will be discussed with the IT and Investments Ministry. Other areas will involve other ministries.

Are there any other projects aimed at the economy particularly tourism sector?

The strategy being drawn up will obviously prioritise tourism, given that it is one of the pillars of our economy. However, there are on which the ministry has been working that should come to life in the near future.

The decompression chamber, to be funded by the EU, is waiting for the go-ahead from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and also that from the Cabinet. However, all the necessary groundwork has been done and delivered ahead of time. The project will probably start after the summer.

We have also made progress on artificial dive sites and we are working to have them developed shortly. The potential of this industry in Gozo is well-known and we are doing our best to exploit it.

Work is also under way on a total facelift and refurbishment of the archaeological museum.

What is Gozo expecting from EU funds?

We are currently working on the proposals for the next round of EU structural funds for the period 2006-2013. Gozo qualifies for NATS 3 regional funds. We will draw up a number of proposals for projects eligible for these structural funds. Once completed, it should be presented to the EU regional committee.