The Family and Social Solidarity Ministry is doing its best to make life difficult for genuine families who have not yet received the children’s allowance cheque, said Labour spokesman for social solidarity Marie Louise Coleiro Preca.

She said the ministry only seemed interested in those that received the cheques and those who did not hand in the application on time.

The ministry’s arrogance was evident in a partisan reply in which it tried to cover up mistakes by the Social Security Department, said Ms Coleiro Preca, adding that the mistakes were not the result of employees’ careless work.

Rather, mistakes are a result of the fact that radical changes in the system and the Social Security legislation are required, she said.

The Labour MP lamented that while the ministry has been boasting about online services offered, which are actually a very good thing, it did not take into consideration all the thousands of families that do not have access to a computer, let alone the internet.