Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Thursday that discussions on a new asset declaration system are expected to close in "the coming weeks."

This new system is being done to strengthen transparency and uniformity, the Prime Minister told this newsroom.

"I believe that for transparency's sake, there should be one kind of uniform asset declaration for everyone. I think this can guarantee transparency," the Prime Minister said.

This newsroom asked Prime Minister Abela if he and the rest of the Cabinet intend to submit and publish their declarations of assets for this year in the coming months.

In response, PM Abela stated that "we have always conformed to our statutory obligations" and that "we presented the declaration of parliamentary assets every year" to the Cabinet Secretary. He ascertained that "full transparency" was done and that Standards Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi received these declarations after requesting them.

The Prime Minister said that there used to be one asset declaration form before another was introduced without appropriately substituting the first one. Resultantly, he said, parts of both forms now contradict each other. He declared that the outcome of this new asset declaration system must be more transparency and to strengthen uniformity between both existing forms so that everyone submits the same thing.

The last time the Cabinet declarations of assets were published for the public to see was in April 2023.

AI pilot project in St. Vincent de Paul to support elderly care

Responding to questions on other issues posed by the press, the Prime Minister noted how a pilot project has already commenced and is set to be tried in the St. Vincent de Paul residence.

Abela recounted that AI will particularly be of use to care for elderly under constant watch. He noted how basic functions - such as checking one's blood pressure or blood sugar or other vitals - can be done by apparatus operated by AI. For instance, he said that cameras with AI can ensure constant patient surveillance, which he added is beneficial if an elderly person falls in the middle of the night.

Abela said that AI can directly affect the need for foreign workers in the future. Referencing the Labour Migration Policy, he said that sectors that no longer need more workers have seen the government stop granting work permits, and while demand for carers is still high, AI technologies can improve the ratio of carers to elderly on constant watch to 5:1, i.e., one carer per five such elderly.

He thanked young entrepreneurs for driving this digital transformation and stated that AI will force a "revolution" in the demand for foreign workers in the future.