Updated: Minister asked to explain €10m discrepancy

(Adds government reaction to MLP statement)

The Labour Party has asked Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt to explain how he told the social partners last week that he had scaled back the impact of the new power tariffs by €60 million, whereas in a statement yesterday he put the figure at €50 million.

Furthermore, the party said, the minister had still not replied to questions made by Joseph Muscat yesterday on the oil prices at which the original tariff proposals were pegged, and what the oil prices which formed the basis for the latest version were.

In a reaction, the Infrastructure Ministry said the revised estimate of the costs associated with oil purchases had been reduced by some €50 million.

Had Dr Muscat and the MLP seen the government documentation presented to the MCESD and later published, they would have seen that the figure of €60 million included the government’s direct contribution to Enemalta for its public service obligation in the provision of street lighting, among other services.

There was no missing €10 million in the information given by the government, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, Alternattiva Demokratika insisted in a statement that real consultation should take place with regards to energy tariffs.

Arnold Cassola, the party leader, said: "It is extremely serious that Minister Tonio Fenech declared yesterday that he has no intention of postponing the increase in energy tariffs till March, depite the requests of UHM, GWU, GRTU, FOI, MEA and other social partners". "Being pig headed in politics never pays. The country paid the price of Alfred Sant's obstinacy in the 1996-1998 period. We do not want the Maltese and Gozitans to pay the price again now, 10 years later, due to Tonio Fenech, Austin Gatt and Lawrence Gonzi's combined dose of obstinacy", concluded Prof. Cassola