The Labour Party will be implementing its proposed legal IVF amendments within 100 days after the election, if it is elected, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne said on Saturday.

Fearne said that with such amendments there will be more couples who will become parents.

He said that with the anticipated economic growth, together with the party’s already costed proposals, such a vision is possible.

He said that it was a Labour government in 2018 that presented legal amendments to improve the IVF procedure, with the aim of giving the opportunity to more couples to become parents.

The Labour Party is proposing a total of four legal amendments concerning the IVF procedure.

Medication for both parnters will be given for free by the state. The second amendment will allow more than three IVF cycles to be done, with the first embryo implantation to be considered as part of the first cycle.

Fearne added that, if elected to government, the Labour party will be giving another free IVF cycle to couples who might have already used the limit of three pre-legal amendment IVF cycles, so that they can also benefit from this new proposal.

He added that, thanks to new technology advances, the age allowed for IVF procedures will be increased from the current 34 to 45. And those who already had a first child will now also be considered as candidates for another free round of IVF.

Fearne said that couples who had experienced a traumatic pregnancy or miscarriages because of some genetic condition will also be given the opportunity to have another pregnancy without genetic problems, thanks to established technologies.

He added that such procedures will now be available in Malta if Labour is trusted once again in government, as couples are currently going abroad to benefit from the same services.

The Deputy Prime Minister said he feels pleased when he looks at children who have been conceived thanks to such procedures. A total of 410 children have been born thanks to IVF procedures, where 252 have been conceived since the government has made such procedures free. Currently there are a total of 24 pregnant woman, with three of them expecting twins.

Minister for Education Clifton Grima was also present to give a round up of the proposals for the educations sector.

He said that in making childcare services free for every child, a Labour government would ensure that children are given a chance to reach their full potential.

Delving into the quality of life, he said that in giving a €300 tax credit back to parents whose children attend extra-curricular activities, the PL would be ensuring that every child can experience the joyscoming from such activities. Another proposal which will also be giving the chance to children to maximise their full potential is the free laptop for 7th year students and the extension of the one tablet per child scheme.

Apart from such proposal,s Grima remarked that a Labour government will also be helping by giving a basic free uniform at the beginning of every year, together with free internet and a pair of glasses (if needed).

Grima said that the total of all these proposals, together with the children’s allowance proposal of increasing it by €450 over 5 years, will cost €1540 million.

Speaking about the education sector proposals, Grima said that a Labour government wants to ensure that it makes a difference in the life of student.

He said that the party’s future plan for teachers is an ambitious one, with teachers’ salaries set to increase, whilst kindergarten educators together with LSEs will also be compensated ‘appropriately’ during their teaching practice. 

Apart from that, the minister said that an independent centre for research on the education sector is also planned, as it wants the students to be offered the best possibilities.