Two months after the inquiry on the Foundation was completed, Mr Abela appealed for the results to be published, “for the sake of transparency,” he said.
Mr Abela invited the Nationalist Party to respond to his request saying that, “one cannot differentiate between cases that are favourable and those that shed a bad light.”
Labour MP Noel Farrugia also spoke in Parliament yesterday and said the government should not hurt farmer’s feelings by claiming their income has increased by 17 per cent in the last year.
“The Labour MPs who have been in contact with the farmers have witnessed the tension that arose in their families due to their income drying up,” he said.
The government should verify its source of information before making such proclamations, he concluded. Labour MP Gavin Gulia also addressed the House yesterday. He questioned why the government asked the MLP to draw up a policy paper on illegal immigrants instead of upholding the opposition’s request to hold a national conference.
“The solution to this problem is beyond political alliances,” he said. Both parties must work together and if this conference was held, feasible suggestions could be made as a way to solve the problem of illegal migration, Mr Gulia said. He appealed to the government to hold the national conference. This is the only way a solution can be seen on the horizon, he concluded.
Ministerial travel expenses amount to Lm106,033
Travel expenses regarding farming, fisheries and rural development amounted to Lm106,033 over the first nine months of the year, said Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino.
In response to a parliamentary question, Mr Pullicino said Lm81,547 of Lm106,033 were spent on ministerial travel.
312 university graduates work with government general service
312 employees within the government’s general service are university graduates, said Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday while answering a parliamentary question.
He also said that 175 employees within the Office of the Prime Minister and the Finance Ministry have a university degree. These 175 people can be found at several levels, including departmental and professional, he said.
Former technical school in Marsa to house illegal immigrants
Work to use the former technical school in Marsa as an open centre for illegal immigrants is due to begin shortly, said Family and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina yesterday.
When answering a parliamentary question, the minister said that the school is one of the possible sites for a centre, apart from blocks next to the current open centres in Hal Far and Balzan.
394 complaints about danger at the work place
Between January and August 394 complaints were made regarding dangerous work practices while last year the Occupational Health and Safety Authority received 403 such complaints, said Education, Youth and Employment Minister Louis Galea.
In answer to a parliamentary question posed by Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi, the minister said each complaint made in 2003 was investigated. In some cases work was halted until the situation was remedied while there are still pending criminal proceedings regarding others.
Minister Galea also said the OHSA visited 161 work places during 2003 while 185 inspections were carried out between January and August this year.
32 reports of injured elderly in four months
Between June and October police received 32 reports of elderly people being injured, some of which were a result of domestic violence, said Justice and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg in response to a parliamentary question.