The Malta Association of Credit Management has published a book, Know Your Debtor which was launched yesterday and which justice parliamentary secretary Carm Mifsud Bonnici said deals with advice and best practice much of which was common in EU and industrialised countries.

He referred to questions he had answered during the week which he said related to positive results achieved last year.

There were fewer cases in court in Malta and Gozo, with pending cases down to 10,588 from 14,348 over four years up to December, 2007. In the meantime 20,072 cases were registered, which were either new or appeals. 22,743 cases had been decided.

In Gozo the reduction was of 22 per cent, from 1,732 cases in December, 2003, to 1,349 today, in spite of 1,645 new cases or appeals being made. 2,021 had been decided.

There had been 10,047 executive official letters, which had averted futile cases in court. This was positive, but more needed to be done, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said.

Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo said his secretariat had worked not only to improve the infrastructure where businesses operated, but also to reduce bureaucracy.