In the past two years under a Labour administration, the applications for social housing have increased, despite the road map the party claimed it had, the Nationalist Party said in a statement.

This was confirmed during a parliamentary question this week, when it was revealed that as of June 2012 until today there has been an increase in pending applications for social housing, with the number reaching 3,000. This is due to the failure of the Labour government, the statement continued.

“Family and Social Solidarity Minister Michael Farrugia is always boasting about a new strategy for social housing, however this has not yet been published despite a number of request by the Opposition in parliament,” it said. “ It is a pity that this government has not only failed to introduce a new scheme, but also closed down previous ones. The rent fee for such housing will be increased, while the public has only gained 58c.”

The only road map Joseph Muscat has for social housing is to appoint persons close to the party in the highest roles in the housing authority.

Government replies

In a reply, the Labour Party said that the PN is wrong in its calculations. In June 2012, the number of pending applications stood at 2559. It said that prior to the election the PN distributed 80 apartments which were still not fit to live in. 

Under the scheme introduced by the PN, the government is paying €300 a month on each apartment, without holding any title. This scheme costs the government €2 million a year.

For the past two years, the government has been working to address the issue and the number of pending applications has decreased not increased.