It was the Malta Resources Authority that precluded Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt from divulging the increases in utility tariffs proposed by Enemalta Corporation to make up for the hike in the price of oil.
Dr Gatt, who was winding up the debate on his ministry's financial estimates, said that last year the corporation had lost €21 million. This year, it would have to fork out an extra €47 million for the procurement of oil.
The Minister also reiterated that commuters would not have to pay higher bus fares. But once the transport reform was complete, they would enjoy comfortable buses, punctuality and more frequent routes and competition.
The government and the Association of Public Transport had not yet agreed on compensation to bus owners, but the government was committed to give them fair compensation.
Replying to Joe Mizzi (PL), Minister Gatt said that he would have no difficulty in investigating corruption allegations if given the information. The police already had 23 allegations, and he called on Mr Mizzi to supply the necessary information. He also called on the opposition to provide numbers of expired licence plates used on other cars. Mr Mizzi clarified that he had already given these numbers earlier this year.
Dr Gatt said there were 23 road projects costing €226 million to be developed next year. The Marsascala project would be finalised on time and on budget.
Turning to information technology, Minister Gatt claimed that the opposition wanted the Smart City project to fail so that the government would be shamed. Major government service computerised systems would be redeveloped in 2010.
Things were moving on the fibre-to-home project, and talks were under way with various entities on how to carry out this project, which entailed major road works. One of the major IT games developer companies in the world had invested in Malta because of the country's financial and IT services.
Dr Gatt said 462 parking spaces were to be lost in Valletta because of various projects. Everything was being done to substitute these with spaces outside Valletta. It was not true that the government had said that people would have to pay for the park-and-ride scheme, although there was nothing to hold the contractor from charging a fee.
The Water Services Corporation was one of Malta's largest corporations, yet no opposition MP had spoken about it or the Malta Communications Authority. With the €18 million saved over the past few years from Enemalta subsidies, together with reductions in the workforce, the government could now better finance social benefits and wages, among other aspects. Today the WSC was making no loss. The reforms were there, but in silence.
It was dishonest for the opposition to say that it was the government that had chosen not to divulge the expected new tariffs. When the Leader of the Opposition had visited him Dr Muscat had declined to be told what they would be, so that he would not be held responsible for any eventual leak.
Minister Gatt said it was not true that Enemalta had blamed the workers for what had happened at the power station. It was The Times that had made the connection just hours later, and the chairman had simply quoted the paper.
Did the opposition realise that besides the €226 million earmarked for several projects over five years, Enemalta and the WSC would be investing €358 million more in their own development? That would be a total of over half a billion euros.
Could Enemalta afford not to raise tariffs with what was happening on the oil markets? In 2008 Enemalta had lost €21 million, and in 2010 it would have to spend an additional €47 million to buy oil. Statistics downloaded on Monday had shown that Malta was among the best positions on tariffs vis-à-vis its competitors.
Dr Gatt said that introducing the smart meters, which would cost €28 million once, the government would be recouping €12 million being lost on defective meters every year.
No one could seriously give guarantees on future tariffs. It was the market that dictated things. Enemalta should collect all its dues and then help those most in need.
It was easy to speak about the value of honesty, but that did not mean partial memory, concluded Dr Gatt.
Earlier, opposition spokesman Joe Mizzi said lack of government planning was stifling the bright future of aviation and transport.
He said the Transport Authority was riddled with corruption and irregularities. Mr Mizzi asked the Minister whether he had investigated the allegations of corruption within the ADT, and said that he was in a position to table a document calling for such investigation. He also referred to the delays caused in the issue of licences.
Even the Auditor General had rebuked the ADT in relation to the implementation of its work on public roads. He called on the government to provide a report within 48 hours detailing its findings on the use of expired car number plates.
Turning to the Malta Maritime Authority, Mr Mizzi said he had full faith in Gozo Channel's Captain Grech as an expert in the field, and asked what the authority had done following his allegations of safety shortcomings. He also referred to the allegations of abuses and faults in the company's vessels which, he said, remained unaddressed, despite the MMA's obligations under IMO to investigate.
Mr Mizzi said regulations were being abused and corruption had been found within the police force, the courts, the ADT, the VAT department and MMA. This was part of the sum total that had led to Malta's position on the corruption index.
He claimed that between 1996 and 1998 Labour had fought corruption, and he called on the government to provide, within 48 hours, the results of an investigation carried out within ADT. He would provide the Fraud Squad will all the information he had in his possession.
Mr Mizzi was followed by opposition MPs Chris Cardona, Charles Buhagiar, Joe Debono Grech, Marlene Pullicino and Helena Dalli, and government back-benchers Francis Zammit Dimech, Joe Falzon, Ċensu Galea and David Agius.