Fixing road infrastructure and putting in place a plan to replace the now old ferries should be among the priorities for Gozo, PN Shadow Minister for Gozo Alex Borg told The Malta Independent on Sunday.

Asked for his reaction to the budget for Gozo in general, he said that "one cannot say we are worse off, but we aren't better off either. It's as though things remained the same".

He did say, however, that capital expenditure for Gozo was reduced by €4.75m. "Capital expenditure is the funds used to invest in roads and major projects. This is the second year in a row that it was reduced."

Asked what projects or initiatives he wanted in the budget, he mentioned that more should have been done to create quality jobs. "One of my priorities would be to create more initiatives, be they tax rebates, grants or schemes, to incentivise companies to open in Gozo, thus creating more good jobs for Gozitans. That is a major priority for me. The Gozo General Hospital should also be a priority. We were promised a new hospital back in 2013, we passed through a fraudulent concession that left no investment in the Gozo hospital, and now we are going to go through another turn, as the health minister is promising a new hospital, but in the budget less is allocated for the Gozo hospital."

He also mentioned connectivity, stating that while nothing was mentioned in the budget speech, the next day the Prime Minister said that the government will invest in the fourth ferry for Gozo. "He didn't say whether it will be a new vessel or an old one, he didn't say if it will be bought or leased. There are too many vague areas, leaving it unclear as to what exactly will be done to strengthen connectivity. Let's not forget that the three vessels the PN had brought for Gozo are today outdated. So aside from the problem regarding the Nikolaos ferry, there are three ferries that, while new when brought in, are now over 20 years old. We need a succession plan in terms of these three vessels as well, to eventually replace them."

Another priority, he said, should be roads. "It is unacceptable that the capital expenditure for Gozo keeps dropping year after year, when we have roads in a disastrous state in Gozo. The Marsalforn road has been promised for a long time but remains stalled. Key roads, such as the one leading to Fontana, the road in front of the Nadur school, and several arterial roads in Victoria and other areas, also require attention. If you are not going to increase capital expenditure for Gozo, these roads will definitely not be done. Other than that, we also need a clear plan for development in Gozo. Progress is important, but we should have a clear plan, one which amalgamates the Gozitan identity, progress, and plans out new open spaces in Gozo." He highlighted the need for more open spaces in Gozo, such as parks.

Borg said that the government has long used the "sustainable development" buzzword.

Everyone agrees we need to move in that direction, he said, "but this budget mentions nothing about moving towards sustainable development in Gozo. There is no mention of projects for open spaces for example. There is the first-time buyers scheme regarding Gozo, which is good, but you need to check how feasible it is. For first-time buyers to receive the grant, they need to buy a property in the Urban Conservation Area (UCA) or that was build over 20 years ago; but if you talk to a real estate agent, they will tell you that to purchase a property inside the UCA in certain Gozitan localities, you need around €350,000 or €500,000. How reachable is that amount for a first-time buyer? Despite the grant, one needs to see how much of a loan the bank would offer, and how many first-time buyers can purchase a property that costs that much. At face value it looks good - that the government will give a grant to first-time buyers, but can first-time buyers afford to buy a property that is worth €450,000?"

The scheme Borg is referring to is the grant of €40,000 for first-time buyers purchasing a property in Gozo, which is either UCA or built over 20 years ago and has been vacant for seven years, or was built according to certain approved criteria. The grant for such properties in Malta is €15,000.

Regarding his statement that capital expenditure in Gozo was reduced, it was pointed out to Borg that the Prime Minister said that the total budget allocated for Gozo will be a record €93m. "It would be better for the Prime Minister to say what that spending will be on. Is it because they are raising wages? Are expenses rising? Are there more overheads? You need to look at what it will be spent on. It would be better for the government to break it down and say what the €93m consists of."

He mentioned the Gozo General Hospital, and said that "the budget shows that spending on the Gozo hospital will reduce, but then on the other hand Minister Abela is saying that within the first three months the first phase of the Gozo hospital will conclude".

"Even with regards to healthcare, Minister Jo Etienne Abela said it was a record budget for health services," he said, but this time the Health Ministry is merged with Active Ageing, "so obviously the number will be higher".

Borg also remarked that from the whole budget speech, Gozo was only mentioned 23 times. "We don't even have a chapter for Gozo, even when we always hear about how Gozo is a priority, and that it needs to be seen differently to Malta as it has characteristics and needs which are different. But yet again, Gozo is barely mentioned in the budget speech. The court in Gozo wasn't mentioned, the Marsalforn breakwater wasn't mentioned."

Regarding the breakwater, he described it as a very important project to undertake. "Works haven't begun yet, they say that studies are being carried out regarding the fauna and under-sea studies. The breakwater will protect Marsalforn during times of bad weather and will reduce the damage to the Marsalforn project that the Labour government undertook. The Labour government carried out a beautiful project regarding the Marsalforn promenade, but look at the damage that occurs after the winter storms. If we had a breakwater it would keep everything intact."

There are also projects that are mentioned in one budget after another, such as the Museum in Gozo. "Let's not forget we lost around €5m in EU funds as there was incompetence by those who applied for the funds. Then there is the Gozo sports complex, that has been coming for five years, and yet we still don't know when it will open its doors."

He said he is in favour of the sports complex project, and that Gozitans had long wanted such an investment, "but we need to keep track of the timeline and budget. It had an initial budget of €9m but has been greatly surpassed. The project is needed for Gozo and I support it, but the government needs to be held accountable for the timeline which is constantly being prolonged and the project's budget".

Asked for his opinion about the air link between Malta and Gozo, Borg said it is needed. "It provides an alternative to the transport methods we presently have, which are the Gozo channel and the fast ferries. It also helps to bolster the economy. But the only issue we have is that the residents in the area were not consulted. That is the issue we have. We are not against the project but feel that the residents in the area should be consulted to see how this project will affect them."

One of the government's proposals is to open an Occupational Health & Safety Authority (OHSA) office in Gozo. On this proposal, Borg said that opening such an office is important. "I welcome it, it is a step forward as there were even some Gozitans who had appeals before the OHSA who had to go to Malta. Now if they open an office in Gozo, that should solve the problem. Moreover, just as there is development in Malta, Gozo is also experiencing growth, and having an OHSA office in Gozo would be beneficial."