Bill on domestic violence in final drafting stages

A bill on domestic violence was in its final drafting stage, Dolores Cristina, parliamentary secretary in the social policy ministry, said in parliament yesterday, denying allegations made by opposition speakers that the government was not doing much in this field.

On the contrary, she said, the government was very active in the area. There had been an increase in the number of social workers working with victims of domestic violence, and the government's direct spending in the area had risen to Lm150,000.

A new emergency shelter had been set up in Gozo and was welcoming a large number of women and children who had previously nowhere to go.

Supportline 179 was available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; therapeutic services were being given to families and perpetrators alike, and Appogg had new premises where a prompt and professional service was always given.

The family court was also about to be set up and the coordinated response team was making sure that work in the area was done in an integrated manner.

Earlier in her speech, during the budget debate on the Ministry of Social Policy, Ms Cristina gave an overview of the ministry's expenditure. Spending, she said, was up in most areas. Among other examples, she mentioned the refugee fund, assistance to private residential homes for the elderly, contributions to government entities such as the Support agency and the Children's Commissioner, an Lm11 million increase in welfare benefits, and increased spending on maintenance and improvement of homes for the elderly.

Ms Cristina denied that there had been a decrease in the subsidies given for social housing, as Dr Stefan Buontempo (MLP) had claimed. The Housing Authority had spent Lm2.5 million until 2002 and Lm3.3 million this year, on subsidies to help people buy their own properties, repair substandard ones, install lifts for people with disability, and other programmes. There had been a rise in all these subsidies.

Neither was it true, as Dr Buontempo had claimed, that spending on maintenance and landscaping of housing estates had gone down. All that had happened was that the department's spending on personal emoluments had been transferred to recurrent expenditure from capital expenditure.

With regard to child care facilities, Ms Cristina conceded that much still needed to be done in the area, but unlike failed experiments of the past, the Smart Kids project in Kalkara had proved to be a real success and was a model for how such facilities should be tackled. Ms Cristina expressed hope that other facilities would soon be available to all those who needed to make use of them.

Mr David Agius (PN) underlined the importance of the Industrial Relations Act and the Gender Equality Act, enacted over the past few months. The former, he said, was especially important as a social pact was forged. It was a law which underlined the importance of good management and of workers doing their duty. Just as important was the new Occupational Health and Safety Act. Clearly cultures still had to change in this area.

Mr Agius augured that the working time directive would be implemented soon to balance work and family needs. He hoped more systems of flexible working hours would be introduced for those who needed them.

Mr Agius referred to opposition criticism on the contribution by people who lived in homes for the elderly, pointing out that the threshold of funds the pensioners would retain was being raised to Lm600 from the current Lm550.

Concluding, Mr Agius welcomed the government's commitment to be increasingly vigilant over the way social benefits were handed out, so as to cut down on abuse.

Mrs Helen D'Amato (PN) praised the National Family Commission for its work in areas such as research and policy coordination.

It was good, she said, that the Family Welfare Department was gradually transforming its role from a provider of services to a regulator of family service providers. Indeed, there needed to be closer coordination of family services to avoid overlapping and to cover new areas.

A new, praiseworthy development was how the Social Affairs Committee was being consulted by the prime minister on the appointment of the Commissioner for Children.

Another important development was the imminent opening of the Family Court. These developments would not have happened, however, had emphasis not been placed earlier on the training of social workers.

For the first time the budget included an allocation of Lm85,000 for Dar is-Sliem, which would cater for unaccompanied minors.

Referring to Dr Karl Chircop's complaints on lower spending on children's allowance, Mrs D'Amato observed that the department was managing to weed out abuse. At the same time, the birthrate had fallen and fewer people were eligible for this allowance.

Mrs D'Amato said social assistance should not be discussed only in monetary terms. But opposition speakers had not even uttered half a word on the Appogg agency, which worked among those who were most needy. This agency over the past year had helped 1,400 people facing a range of problems.

Clyde Puli (PN) said PN governments had transformed residential and community care for the elderly, something which the opposition forgot in its criticism.

Unfortunately the social welfare model the opposition still practiced was 60 years old - based on hand outs which often made people dependent on social services. PN governments had broadened the social sector to include more modern challenges such as child abuse, domestic violence, single parent families and family break-ups. There were now 100 social workers when up to some time ago there were only five. This government also enacted a law on social workers. The most important aspect of social welfare, however, was the generation of wealth and education. What the people needed was not charity, but empowerment.

Joe Falzon (PN) said social policy should be aimed at re-integrating people who felt sidelined by society. In this context he wished to highlight to work of Sedqa, aimed not only at helping those who suffered drug and alcohol abuse, but, especially, to prevent such abuse in the first place. He augured that tougher action would be taken against the sale of alcohol to minors. Sedqa, he was pleased to see, was also working against compulsive gambling.

Parliamentary Secretary Francis Agius said the number of elderly people was rising, and the elderly were living longer. This meant services had to be provided for more people for a longer time.

Referring to remarks by Mr Silvio Parnis (MLP) earlier in the debate, Dr Agius said the delivery service of free medicinals was provided to some 20 people. That service would henceforth be provided through the home help service, and the six people who provided the service at present would do more useful work at St Luke's Hospital.

It was not true that social policy was being turned on its head, as Labour deputy leader Charles Mangion had said at a press conference. The government was rationalising services and putting them on a sound footing for the future. It was also encouraging higher private sector involvement in services for the elderly.

Dr Agius said the measure announced by the government raising the pension contribution of people in old people's homes had a strong element of social justice in that those with a higher income would thus be encouraged to seek private services. Furthermore, it was worth pointing out that the increase applied only to pensions. The deduction from other income would remain at 60 per cent. And the contribution would be calculated on net, not gross income, as at present.

Dr Agius said work on the updating of St Vincent de Paul home was continuing. The new block of women's wards would be named after Mother Theresa. The updating process would also include modernisation of management systems at the home.

A new day centre for the elderly would be opened in Sta Venera.

Dr Agius said that thanks to the Housing Authority, a number of apartments in Floriana had been reserved for the elderly.

The government, he said, was preparing a new law to regulate homes for the elderly.

A customer care unit would be opened next year on services provided for the elderly and the rights of elderly people.