The Tourism and Culture Ministry yesterday said the Labour Party’s draft vision statement on the protection of Malta’s historical heritage was nothing but a rehash of proposals put forward by the government that had been fulfilled or still were under way.

In a statement, the ministry said that the Cultural Heritage Act and the Malta Council for Culture and Art Act form the necessary foundations to protect Malta’s vast cultural and historical heritage while promoting its socio-economic activity.

It pointed out that the Labour document called for developing research in all sectors related to cultural heritage. However, the Cultural Heritage Inventory Management System was recently set up to list and manage Malta’s cultural heritage.

The system would also help manage the various sites and provide the public with access to information which, today, was still difficult to find.

Labour’s proposal to set up a team that would work closely with the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) and private sector on a marketing plan for various historical sites, was currently being implemented by the tourism segment within the MTA, the ministry added.

Furthermore, it said, there was a high representation of the private sector within the MTA that put forward the necessary proposals for each sector, including the marketing of historical sites.

The ministry also pointed out that Labour’s proposals to “regenerate historical centres especially the Grand Harbour and the surrounding cities, the Citadel and Rabat, Gozo,” had already taken place.