The Labour Party’s spokesman on foreign affairs and IT claimed yesterday that two government ministers were contradicting each other about the level of R&D in Malta.

In a statement, Leo Brincat said that during a visit to a foreign company, Industry, IT and Investment Minister Austin Gatt had been quoted as saying that the R&D sector was doing well. However, this contradicted the comments of Communications and Competitiveness Minister Censu Galea in the local press that Malta had previously neglected this sector.

Mr Brincat said that, according to statistics issued by the World Economic Forum, Malta is currently at the bottom of R&D rankings especially when compared to other EU countries. This, he added, showed that the government was not giving priority to this important sector.

The Labour spokesman called for a holistic action plan to revive this important sector that was so crucial for the success of the country’s economy.