During the festive season, everybody deserves to spend a happy time with family and friends. In the Parliamentary Secretariat for Rights of People with Disability and Active Ageing we felt that this special time of the year should also be enjoyed by our older citizens, many of whom will spend these holidays alone, so we have organised several events. Parties have been held in our 22 day centres for the elderly around Malta and I enjoyed going to most of these parties and witnessing the lovely sing-alongs, dancing and cheering. It was not only a pleasure to be there with these older members of our society but also a wonderful opportunity to talk to them and get feedback on their needs and aspirations.

Christmas events in homes for the elderly are also being organised. The Secretariat is also distributing gifts for the elderly in all government homes. This week I have also attended a charity event held by Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta, who wished to present hampers to the elderly residents of St Vincent de Paul. This was a great initiative - particularly for the most vulnerable section in SVPR, who have been there for years and have no relatives.

Then Last Thursday I also presented gifts at Sant Anna Residence, the Male Geriatric Ward at Gozo General Hospital and the Long Stay Ward. It was a pleasure to meet old acquaintances and exchange greetings. At St. Vincent de Paul there are also competitions between wards for the best decorated ward - thanks to the dedicated staff.

With regard to Day Centres for People with Disability, the spirit of Christmas is also having a huge effect and impact. These centres are fully decorated with Christmas decorations, hand-made by people with disability. The Secretariat has also launched an imitative entitled 'Magħna fil-Milied', which is aimed at further promoting the different abilities of those with disability at Christmas. This initiative consists of the promotion and purchase of hand-made Christmas cards produced in our day centres. As a Secretariat we also purchased a number of these cards and I wish to thank my Cabinet colleagues who showed an interest in this initiative and supported it.

This time of the year is a time for being close to your family and friends, and thus my appeal to everyone - especially those with relatives and friends living in care homes - is to visit those relatives and other loved ones. When I visit our care homes, the residents talk about their families and show me photographs of them. The family bond is very important to them, especially when considering that they have had to leave their home to reside in care homes because they were in need of extra care. We have many residents who have been abandoned by their families - which amounts to abuse. Caring for our older relatives is not only a moral obligation but also a legal responsibility and the time is approaching when we will need to enforce it if we see no improvement.

As the Parliamentary Secretariat for the Rights of People with Disability and Active Ageing, we will not abdicate our responsibilities but will continue to work on improving the level of care we provide. Very soon we will also be opening a newly-refurbished, state-of-the-art ward at St Vincent de Paul and there will be more in the coming months.

I want to thank all our staff, in both the elderly and the disability sectors, for their dedication and care for those who need our services. I extend my sincere wishes for the festive season and I wish you all health, happiness and peace in your hearts