Social housing is 'not for ever' - minister

Patrick Farrugia

Nov 7th 2008, 19:54

@ Paul Giusti:

If you read my comment well my friend, and just to refresh YOUR memory, I wrote: "Those in favour of change and those not in favour of change". Now recalculate the majorities, my friend!

Emmanuel Xuereb

Nov 7th 2008, 19:40

The government is very interested in cutting abuse from social services. Fine. I hope the govt shows much more devotion to keep the cost of infrastructural projects in line with the original estimates. Projects which should have costed X million euros end up costing much, much more. And who pays for this waste?

TDimech

Nov 7th 2008, 15:50

Again well done for the authorities...........This is about Social help afterall but for the one they really need help. Govt should never sold his land & properity.
Today the situation is like this ;
...some 16 years ago govt. maisonetts were built in Floriana , ejoying a full view of GrandHarbour. I think they merely bought the 'subsidiesed' property for Lm8000 from the Govt. Presently I know of someone who is putting the said property for sale to Lm 100,000 .......
It does not make sense to make good money from charity received.!!

R. Formosa

Nov 7th 2008, 15:32

@ Joe the plumber

It all depends on the type of contract that exists between you and your tenant. Specifications of how much has to be charged and for how long are written on the contract.

For example, the contract might say that the rent will be €116.50 for the period of January 2008 - December 2008. Once the contract expires, a new one can be drawn out, with new terms and conditions. Therefore you might decide to not renew the contract with the existing tenant, change the rental price, or change the length of the contract.

However, it all depends on the type of contract you have. I suggest you speak to your lawyer to check exactly what you can change from your current contract to improve it to a new one once it expires.

J Martinelli

Nov 7th 2008, 15:28

@ Joseph Galea

Yes you can. There are remedies in court which will address malefede tenants, but since the original rent was agreed upon privately, between you and the tenant, don't expect the government to do it for you. Was then the original agreement bona fide or mala fide?

@ Criss (Chris ?) Camilleri

How come you did not complain until now?

@ I Abela

If those tenants you speak of cannot afford the rent now, they could not afford to rent the more expensive apartments. They really had to be scraping badly to begin with and should have gone after a lower rent.

A Fabri

Nov 7th 2008, 12:53

Prosit Mr. Dalli......Yes I agree with the priniciple.
Social housing is there for the people whom they really need help, but neverthless if you get better than you have to make space for others.
Looking from today scenario its doesn't make sense that some 20 years ago when Govt. gave for free all land in Pembroke, Attard, Zonqor point etc... as a social assistance and same land nowadays is worth thousands of euros !!!!.
How many filled their pockets with thousands from Govt. charity.

Joseph Galea

Nov 7th 2008, 12:00

If the state is making provision for malafede tenants to vacate state provided habitats can we who are recieving Euro116.5 rent per annum or less for a 3 bedrrom maisonette adopt the same procedure???????????
joe the pumber

R. Formosa

Nov 7th 2008, 11:20

For all those of you who are still seeing this in a political manner rather than an economic one:
1. People living in social housing pay subsidised rents (therefore the subsidy the government gives them comes from the Maltese's tax money)
2. The Authority is building 2,000 apartments (apart from the already incumbent ones). Since these are subsidised, taxpayers in Malta are paying the difference between full price & the subsidy price, FOR EVERY SINGLE APARTMENT there is already and the future ones coming up.
3. The government realised that there are people who are abusing the system, and therefore will ask the abusing tenants to leave once their income is of a higher standard (& therefore can afford normal rent), and they too can contribute to the taxes that will in turn pay the subsidy for those really in need. In this manner at least there will be a less demand for new apartments to be built for social housing (translating into less money from the taxes the residents pay!)
For once the government is doing something right! Stop arguing who has the majority, since it has nothing to do with this scheme directly!

l Galea

Nov 7th 2008, 08:26

Paul Giusti
Just to refresh your memory, you should also count the votes that the other partied got, so you will see why your Gonzipn is a minority Government

simon borg

Nov 7th 2008, 07:54

@Paul Giusti:

VOTED PN: 143,468 NOT VOTED PN: 147311
Now, YOU work out who's has a minority mandate!!!

Or does the significance of 4000 votes do not fall in your democratic equation when it comes to assess the Nationalists (sic) even though these votes are wrongly not represented in our parliament (andek kwazi kwota u nofs habib!) ?

Be a true European and fight for full representation and enable coalitions! with that in place the left (PL and AD) could have united and made a mock out of what you call "PN majority". Or was Europe and its values (hahaha) just another trick to keep labour out of government?

"Gvern fuq hin misluf"....will be my best quotation.

Criss Camilleri

Nov 7th 2008, 06:59

'Kemm konna tajbin meta konna ehzen!

All those in favour of what Dalli said are, most probably, ALL house/Villa owners, so they don't give a hoot about the thousands that live in the Govt high-rent apartments/houses.

Michael Neville Cassar

Nov 7th 2008, 06:45

Before the Hon Minister can say social housing is not for ever he must improve the brains of those leaving the schools so they can have a good payable job to buy a house. The egoistic money grabbers and the antisocial aseptic has already taken over this island; this will increase poverty and crime.

v.vella

Nov 6th 2008, 23:59

Dear Mr Dalli, I agree with you whole heartedly and I sincerely hope that one day you will have people on your staff with enough courage and straigness to do the proper job of inspecting the blood suckers and removing them from the list of needy people and letting the deserving opnes enjoy the fruit of out labour. There are people living in houseing estates who even have Television sets in thier bathrooms or haveing just aquired a flat at subsidised rates as they are single parents who spent thousands on elaborate soffits, parquet flooring and other stuff, shouldnt these premises be inspected ?

E Gatt

Nov 6th 2008, 23:15

@ Paul Smith

Socialism means envy, sloth, and the escape of individual responsibility for one’s actions. It means the unfair distribution of wealth till nothing is left. Socialism destroys freedom.

You are confusing social justice with socialism.

Politicising Jesus is quite unacceptable.

malcolm seychell

Nov 6th 2008, 22:52

@ Mr Smith

If you say so.

So live exactly like Jesus and you will end up dead.

Globalisation have made lifes better for many people.

Obviously there must be some type of control.

But UK was destroyed by socialism It pays not to work, and finally all the productive people are leaving the country because they see no future.

I am sure the lazy people will be able to divide between themselves all the wealth they can generate which is equal to misery and increase in crime.

Mr Smith to give a house to just one single parent from Afganistan at a cost of 1.2 million from tax payers money its not becuase of globalistion, but because of madness of socalism, and easy way to buy votes.

Paul Smith

Nov 6th 2008, 22:34

Nope, Globalization and Greedy bankers destroyed the UK

Besides, Jesus was a socialist

S Camilleri

Nov 6th 2008, 22:26

What I find horrifying is that Mater Dei, the State Of The Art hospital which has bankrupted our Health Service, is now unable to cope with demand and has to farm out work to Health Centres.

malcolm seychell

Nov 6th 2008, 22:17

@ Paul Smith

Socialism destroyed your country.

and please do not speak about human rights. UK always speak about human rights, and human rights as applied IN UK attracted also lazy people, terrorists and thousands of illegal immigrants. No wonder 400000 British people each year are leaving this once great nation.

Believe me the UK was much better when it had less human rights(sic) laws and less socialism.

We had enough of paying taxes to help people who abuse the system

I just hope one thing, that the housing will not become available to illegal immigrants, just as happened in UK, rather then being given to local people.

E Gatt

Nov 6th 2008, 21:22

Malta is not a rich country and taxpayers deserve good value for their money. Nobody in Malta would accept having a situation where there would be homeless people.

What John Dalli is proposing is that people who are housed free of charge because of their current financial situation, should make way for other poor people, if and only if, they become better off.

Some people have the arrogance to expect taxpayers to waste their money. John Dalli deserves our support.

Paul Giusti

Nov 6th 2008, 21:10

@Patrick Farrugia
Just to refresh your memory, PN got 143,468 votes while the MLP got 141,888 votes.
Are you able to work out who won the majorirty???

Paul Smith

Nov 6th 2008, 20:52

Agree, i could sense from the UK from talking to Maltese, that they wanted change.
The Brain washing that went on my first couple of years in Malta, People told me, if labour win an election, i as a foreigner would have a hard time.

l Galea

Nov 6th 2008, 20:48

I am counting the days when we shall get rid of the conscience-less Gonzipn government.
8 months are already up and counting

Patrick Farrugia

Nov 6th 2008, 20:30

@ J. Farrugia

This is not a goverment with the majority of the Maltese people backing it. If I remember well last election the number of those in favour for a change in government surpassed that of those who didn't want such change. So the people have spoken. the P.N government only has to say thanks to the electoral system for staying in power, not to a amndate given to it by the majority, 'cos there's no such mandate!

Paul Smith

Nov 6th 2008, 20:16

I fundamentally disagree with what John Dalli is saying. John's doing fine And has no worries in life neither his family. John is connected to the hilt, kids need a job,? NO problem john will just go see some friends he has made in business and industry since becoming a minister. So John will never need social housing. Housing is a fundamental human right! Not everyone can buy a home and unless John has a Crystal ball he cannot tell what will happen economically to enable mortgage owners to continue to service there debts.

There should be social housing in every democracy and no time limits, the private sector rental market should be heavily regulated and worst of all, looks like Malta is getting into the buy to let business, even BOV are advertising - BOV BTL is one way ticket to insolvency

M Micallef

Nov 6th 2008, 20:00

Why did they not say all these things before the election?!!!!!
the surprices never end I see;

Hopefully your government will not be forever. goodridance

malcolm seychell

Nov 6th 2008, 18:36

Very well done to Min Dalli.

I agree with social assitance only for those in need.

The rampant abuse of making fathers unknown on birth certificates, saying you are seperated when you are not should all stop.

Thanks god there are still Dalli and Gatt in the PN. The only few real center right people left in the party.

Albert Gauci Cunningham

Nov 6th 2008, 18:23

@ Camen caruana ---sorry but your "argument" can't be left unanswered. What John Dalli is saying here is precisely what any Socialist Party is saying and should say all over Europe i.e.---Social Services are there for those who need them, social services for the needy not for a few crafty people who tell the government they don't know who the father of their child is to get housing and allowances!!

Social Services for those in need---YES
Social Services for the crafty bummers--- NO WAY!!!

R Formosa

Nov 6th 2008, 18:10

@ C. Caruana
u live in a democratic country, but obviously it's not about that. it's about MLP vs PN. respect the country's decision in the election same as the nationalists did in 1996.
do your utmost to live your life, and when necessary fight for your rights.

Mark Anthony Portelli

Nov 6th 2008, 18:06

To CC,

You wish, but sometime bad dreams come true! :)

I Abela

Nov 6th 2008, 18:04

@ John Dalli - Dear Minister, start building another 5000 apartments, because since property prices are sky high, and your collegues are eating away our disposable income, not only will those 2000 tenants never leave those apartments, but many others who are in private rents will not afford them any longer.

J Farrugia

Nov 6th 2008, 18:00

Carmen Caruana no government is forever. As long as the people give it their mandate, it has a right to govern. When the people are fed up, they will not vote for it and there the mandate ends. Not when the GWU or the MLP say so. But when the people speak up in a general election. That would be the end of the mandate.

carmen caruana

Nov 6th 2008, 17:21

Hopefully even your government will not be for ever......