Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech said yesterday that the next budget will be announced in the beginning of October. The public consultation will resume after the summer break in September. The consultation process will also continue in the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development.

Mr Fenech, who was speaking on Radio 101, also announced that the government is considering launching a scheme for those who have been registering for work for a long period of time. He explained that if the private sector is not creating enough jobs, these people will be asked to perform 30 hours of community work and paid the minimum wage.