The government’s social obligations cost this year is expected to amount to more than half of its total recurrent expenditure, with a Lm440 million budget allocation for the social, health and education sectors, the Parliamentary Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Tonio Fenech, said yesterday.

Mr Fenech was speaking during the opening of the first national social work conference organised by the Malta Association of Social Workers (MASW) that draws to a close today.

“Social work is a profession that helps in making a world of difference that contributes towards a healthy society, a difference in the lives of individuals, families, children, and communities,” he said.

Mr Fenech stressed that it was not realistic to think that some people could go on deriving great benefits from globalisation, while billions were left to suffer abject poverty, or even be driven into it.

The parliamentary secretary referred to the social policy developed by European countries in the 20th century – the so-called “European social model”, which deals with an approach based on human rights, but at the same time notes that legal protection needs to be accompanied by determined social policy measures in order to ensure that everyone has practical access to their rights.

The government has always believed that the social sector should be given due importance on the government’s overall agenda, as has also been highlighted in the 2007 budget speech, said Mr Fenech.

In fact, the government intended to continue investing in this sector, particularly in services offered to children, so that they would receive professional protection from abuse.

Every year, the government was increasing its social obligations cost, which increased from Lm139 million in 1995 to Lm278 million last year, and would again go up to Lm440 million this year, when the total recurrent expenditure is expected to amount to Lm879 million.

Mr Fenech also mentioned the fact that government agencies employed just 50 social workers in 1995, but these increased to 200 last year.

The government’s vision for future development in this sector is to carry out projects in the community.

“Access has been a successful story. The implementation of Programm Innocenti and other community services are intended to continue on this success, but the government is also committed to curb possible abuse of social benefits,” he said, adding that the government also intended to continue investing in the academic aspect of social work at the University of Malta.

Mr Fenech also referred to the Finance Ministry’s National Lotteries Good Causes Fund, which is intended to continue helping organisations with a social background.

The fund approved 74 requests in 2006, 35 of which were of a social nature and amounted to a total of Lm176,000.