The trip by 12 persons to accompany Fabrizio Faniello to the Eurovision finals in Athens cost Lm11,890, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech told Evarist Bartolo.

The minister said that while Lm46,000 were revenue, expenditure incurred amounted to Lm27,000. Lm11,892 were spent, as said, for the Athens trip and a further Lm9,484 were spent in travel to 20 countries, including Andorra., for the promotion of the song. Most of the times, chairman Robert Abela made the trip but there were times when the trip was made by Manfred Holz, who is not a Maltasong board member, and by J. Dalmas.

Subsistence allowance was high at first, Lm140 for Mr Abela’s trip to Cyprus and Lm180 for a trip by M. Spiteri to Latvia but was then cut down to Lm20 for the trips to Estonia, Finland and Sweden.

Mosta Dome could cause flight accidents, MP claims

MP Angelo Farrugia asked Investments Minister Austin Gatt why the light on the Mosta Dome is being switched off at 1.30pm leaving the dome in total darkness, which could, the MP claimed, cause an air traffic accident since Mosta lies in the flight path of many planes.

Minister Gatt laconically replied that the lighting on the Mosta Dome is for decoration purposes only and not for aircraft-warning purposes.

New plan for Enemalta to be published next week

A new strategic plan for Enemalta has been concluded and approved by Cabinet and will be published next week, Investments Minister Austin Gatt told Parliament yesterday.

Replying to successive questions by Joe Mizzi, Dr Gatt said the plan, which had already been published last year, required changes because of new obligations on Enemalta. At the beginning, Enemalta was going to choose a low-cost way but it has now changed its outlook and will go the high-cost way.

The emissions standards in 1989 when the Delimara power station was planned, are very different from those that will be in place by 2012. The plant chosen for the Delimara power station would, by 2010, have served for 23 years and they must be changed after 25 years of service. Furthermore, Enemalta plans to continue to increase capacity.

Dr Gatt warned that while agreeing that renewable energy is important and desired for Malta, it would not lead to a reduction of the cost of electricity, for the cheapest way to produce energy still is through using fossil fuel.

Replying on a partisan note, Dr Gatt said that when his government had offered the Opposition the chance to sit on the oil purchasing committee, this offer had not been taken up. Nor had the Opposition replied to his invitation to check the workings of Enemalta costings and a recent report which states that no part of the surcharge is paying for Enemalta inefficiency.

And Enemalta hedged last year and is doing again this year, both on the oil price and on the dollar, Dr Gatt added.

Privatisation queue

After the privatisation of Maltacom, the government is at present negotiating the full privatisation of Malta Dairy Products, Investments Minister Austin Gatt said yesterday.

Replying to Joe Cassar, the minister said that the government holds 20 per cent of MDP and 80 per cent is held by the milk cooperative. The government is now selling MDP the remaining 20 per cent.

Apart from that, there are calls for the receipt of proposals for the sale of the gas division and the petrol division of Enemalta, Tug Malta and the Kordin Grain Terminal.

Ministry’s fuel costs shoot up

Figures provided by Minister Austin Gatt yesterday show that while his ministry spent Lm4,500 in electricity bills in 2004, its electricity bill for 2005 shot up to Lm11,900. The minister was replying to Joe Debono Grech.

Mgarr Gozo drainage system

When the roadworks in Gozo reach Mgarr, a totally new drainage system is going to be put in place instead of the present old and leaky system, Investments Minister Austin Gatt told Angelo Farrugia.

Fuel bills in arrears

In the first four months of this year, up to 4 May, the Water Services Corporation suspended 304 domestic electricity connections and 300 domestic water connections while a further 7,386 domestic connection have fallen backwards in their payments. Enemalta has meanwhile cut off 226 subscribers, Minister Austin Gatt told Adrian Vassallo.

Just 25 parties

The number of permits issued last year for parties amounted to 25, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told Adrian Vassallo, but it is not clear how much VAT was obtained from these permits.

Unmarried mothers

At the end of May there were 1,735 unmarried mothers on social security, Minister Dolores Cristina told Adrian Vassallo.

No clamping, just towing

No car was clamped last year but 335 cars were towed away, including 36 hired cars, Justice Minister Tonio Borg told Adrian Vassallo.

2,200 struck off

A total of 2,267 were struck off the unemployment register last year, Education Minister Louis Galea told Adrian Vassallo. 323 were caught working while registering as unemployed, 1440 refused an opportunity to work and 504 refused a training opportunity.