The increase of 600 jobs in the agricultural sector in January’s Labour Force Survey may not have been real at all, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said in Parliament yesterday.

Replying to Labour MP Noel Farrugia, Dr Gonzi said that the survey is carried out on a sample of the population and, as explained in the methodological notes which accompany the survey, only changes of more than 1,800 people can be real.

Every person polled in the survey represents between 60 and 70 others. Therefore, since the difference is of 600 jobs, this is not considered to be representative because the population sample is not wide enough to lead to the conclusion that there was an increase in jobs in the agricultural sector, Dr Gonzi said.

Lm320,000 for irregular

immigrants

Apart from the salaries of the police officers detailed to guard illegal immigrants, the police department last year spent almost Lm200,000 on food, Lm23,000 on toiletries etc., and Lm75,000 on air tickets for the repatriation of irregular immigrants.

Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg was replying to Dr Vassallo.

Sex crimes

A total of 12 people were found guilty last year of sex crimes, Justice Minister Tonio Borg told Labour MP Adrian Vassallo.

All but two were found guilty of corrupting a minor, with the victims’ ages varying between eight and 17. Two people who were found guilty were sentenced to four years in jail; most of the remainder received suspended sentences, supervision by a probation officer in two cases and psychological treatment in another case.

One other case concerned sexual harassment on a person aged 27 and the other case regarded a violent attack on an 11-year-old.

Second hand parts for old cars: a denial

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi denied a claim, made by Leo Brincat, that MFSA had authorised insurance companies to order panel beaters and mechanics that when they were repairing cars more than five years old, they can do the repairs with second hand parts or parts not necessarily from the mother company.