Lack of specific funding deplored

Din l-Art Helwa and Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna expressed dismay at the lack of specific funding provision in the budget estimates for the posts of the superintendence in the newly created Cultural Heritage Organisation in the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The superintendent and his staff of about 45 individuals are responsible for safeguarding the cultural heritage and the superintendence of standards.

They constitute the top curatorial expertise available to Malta. "This shabby treatment has undermined the superintendent's position and is to be deplored," the two bodies said.

DLH said that the lack of specific funding for the superintendent was compounded by lack of funding for the Committee of Guarantee and only limited provision for Heritage Malta, the operating agency responsible for controlling and marketing heritage sites in Malta and Gozo.

It said that following the fanfare with which the Cultural Heritage Act was passed just eight months ago, this was an extremely disappointing and embarrassing start to what was hailed as a new era in the treatment of Malta's rich cultural heritage assets.