With 70 per cent of the 2017 Budget having been implemented, tomorrow the country will look forward to the 2018 Budget with a full account of how the Labour Government will proceed to share the nation’s prosperity among all Maltese and Gozitan families.
As Finance Minister Edward Scicluna noted, the high performance during the current year was registered in a scenario in which Malta hosted the EU presidency and a general election was held in the past 12 months. The presidency was an unprecedented success and, over and above that, we were operating in an election year. Despite this, we achieved the same implementation rate as we had in the previous four years.
Some 265 measures from the 2017 budget have been implemented so far this year, making a total of 1,000 introduced over Labour’s past legislature. Furthermore, around 100 pending measures from the 2014, 2015 and 2016 budgets were also implemented last year. This is certainly a good exercise in accountability for everyone to evaluate, giving a detailed fact-sheet to anyone who has doubts as to where all the many millions in surplus have been directed.
For future generations
Gone are the times when our families used to fear the budget speech and learn of harsher taxation and further financial burdens. Let us never forget the arrogant attitudes of not so distant administrations, when a Finance Minister recklessly laughingly allocated further debt to our children while he and his colleagues were keen on ‘burning all that the country had’! It is so different today after only four years of a labour-led government with a nation that eagerly awaits, with a peaceful mind, more prosperity during the next 12 months.
With economic growth moving from strength to strength and unemployment at the lowest level ever, this government can lead the nation in looking beyond to secure a healthy inheritance for future generations. Tomorrow’s budget speech will clearly indicate how this can be achieved through hard work and diligent planning – a far cry from the irresponsible and chronic ‘spend today and let our children pay tomorrow’ mentality of previous administrations until 2013.
Statistical facts
This week the National Statistics Office published very encouraging figures for Gozo, indicating growth in most sectors in recent months. The number of residents in full-time employment in 2016 was 12,431, an increase of 5.7 per cent compared to 2015. More interesting is the fact that the private sector accounted for 56.7 per cent of the total.
Full-time employment in Gozo amounted to 9,382, an increase of 4.3 per cent compared to 2015, and 61.1 per cent of this was within the wholesale and hospitality services. Accommodation and food services accounted for 38 per cent of part-time employment. These statistics further prove the importance of tourism to Gozitan life and adds further responsibility to government and stakeholders for more synergy and innovative measures. The Gozo Ministry remains committed to fruitful dialogue with all stakeholders in achieving the required sustainability and necessary support.
On a national level, in-bound tourism between January and August this year reached 1,526,092, an increase of 16.6 per cent on last year, and tourism expenditure during that period reached €1.3 billion, 13.1 per cent higher than that recorded during 2016. Despite the record number of tourists visiting Gozo during the summer, we need a collective effort to sustain such results and explore additional niches that should consolidate the island as a distinct destination on its own merits.
Talking of statistics, I had an interesting meeting with the Director-General of the NSO at which I reiterated the importance of Gozo being considered a region in all statistical exercises, particularly for budgetary purposes. Statistical data has an important role when it comes to making political decisions and we need to move along research-based policies that are sensitive to Gozo’s contemporary and regional needs.
Cooperation is imperative
In a closely-knit community such as Gozo, joining hands in all our endeavours is a must. Everyone involved – whether in an official or voluntary capacity – should aim to strengthen their efforts together to achieve the desired results. In our distinct roles we all have a responsibility to seek the best form of collaboration in every sector of society.
To this end, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Gozo Diocese and the Gozo Ministry. As Minister for Gozo, I consider the Church in Gozo to be an important stakeholder and so, for the benefit of Gozo and its residents, there is a need for cooperation and collaboration. In the MoU, areas of common interest, such as social, economic, environmental and cultural, have been identified with both sides agreeing to collaborate on future initiatives and projects.
Bishop Mario Grech himself pointed out that a lot of good work on the part of the Central Government and the Church is currently underway in Gozo. He also remarked that it is the Church’s mission to promote everything that helps protect human dignity and enhance prosperity and social protection, as well as the cultural and environmental aspects.
Through the MoU, there will be formal collaboration in specified areas, which will prove beneficial to Gozitan society. Over the years, the government has always considered the Gozo Diocese as a major contributor and an important strategic partner, especially in the social sector. Through this collaborative agreement we will amalgamate various aspects and services in a way that will be more effective for everyone concerned.
More efficiency
The Gozo Ministry welcomes the Planning Authority’s approval of a new multi-purpose business centre in the Xewkija industrial area which should increase the administrative efficiency of Gozo’s business concerns and generate employment opportunities in the future. The new centre will replace the former Malta Dairy milk-processing plant, which will be demolished to make way for the new complex. The administrative block of the old plant, which is a protected Modernist building, will be restored and used to accommodate offices, conference rooms and ancillary facilities.
Labour is committed to support and incentivise the business community with a view to increasing economic activity, through which more jobs can be created. The new Xewkija complex will further consolidate our efforts to encourage more investment and efficient services to entrepreneurs who, in turn, will lead the necessary opportunities for more employment on the island.
The social sector
My past experience in the active ageing sector will always be part of my new role as Minister for Gozo. We marked the first days of October – internationally dedicated to the elderly – with the opening of a new day care centre for the elderly in Qala, made possible through an agreement with the Qala local council.
This is the fourth of its kind in Gozo, joining those at Xewkija, Ta’ Cawla in Victoria and Sannat, with another planned for Żebbuġ and more being planned for the future. There has been a good response for these services from Gozo’s elderly residents, particularly in those that provide ICT and other training courses. It is important that elderly people feel part of the community and remain active in their daily lives.
The government will continue to give priority to this area, not least in Gozo where a new home for the elderly is fast taking shape in Għajnsielem. An ambitious election pledge is to bring the total number of long-term care beds available in Gozo to 500.
Sports promotion
Following the success of the Gozo Ministry’s assistance scheme for the island’s voluntary organisations, this week I launched a similar scheme aimed at supporting sports clubs registered in Gozo. The new Sports Organisations Assistance Scheme was drawn up following meetings with a number of different sports organisations on the island at which their problems and suggestions were noted.
The objectives of this scheme are varied and include fostering a more physically active society, increasing sports tourism in Gozo and encourage cooperation between the Gozo Ministry and sports organisations through collaborative projects, initiatives and other activities. This should be an attractive proposition for these organisations, which are now invited to submit their applications to the selection panel that will scrutinise them to check that they meet the criteria set out in the scheme.
Together with many other initiatives in my first four months responsible for Gozo, this new scheme is intended to continue converting the Ministry into one for all Gozitans.