The government will be purchasing a €1.6 million CT scanner for St Vincent de Paul Home for the elderly, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said.

Another €0.5 million will be spent on the renovation of St Joseph Hall while also investing in community services for elderly people. A further €1 million will be spent on a garden for people who suffer from dementia.

There will be a new outreach clinic in Dar Padova in Ghajnsielem, where vascular therapy, podology, occupational therapy and psychotherapy services will be offered.

The one-stop-shop facility for voluntary organisations will be extended to cover more services.

The waiting list for social accommodation has been kept at a stable 1,300 applications, less than half of the 3,000 that used be on the list not so long ago. The government had drawn up a care plan that covers all aspects needed when beneficiaries are allocated social housing. In the coming days, an expression of interest call will be issued for professionals who are interested in running this care plan.

The government will again be giving €10,000 – over a ten-year period – to first time buyers of property whose value does not exceed €500,000. This is valid for all property bought from 1 January 2022 and is not subject to a means test.

In 2020, the government had introduced a scheme to help individuals who could not reach the 10% needed for a deposit to buy property to still be able to do so, with the government guaranteeing the amount with commercial banks. This scheme was open to property with a value of not more than €175,000, and 200 contracts were signed under this system.

The government is now extending the scheme to property that does not exceed €225,000 in value, Caruana said.

Capping for the renting benefit scheme has been extended to €500 per month for a one-bedroom residence, €600 per month for a two-bedroom residence and €700 per month for a three-bedroom residence.