State should guide and assist but not get involved in family matters - Muscat

The IVF bill launched a few days ago did not reflect the report on which consensus had been reached in the House of Representatives, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said this morning.

Speaking in a debate with young people on a Google Hangout, streamed live on YouTube and during which he was questioned on a wide array of subjects, Dr Muscat said that the PL did not want to shoot from the hip and base its reaction on emotion so it was analysing the draft presented to see how feasible it was.

It would then state its position in Parliament.

Labour, however, believed that the state should be there to guide and assist and not to get involved in family matters.

He noted that when IVF was discussed in Parliament’s select committee, there had also been a wide debate on cancer patients. And although the professionals in the sector were doing a lot of good, psychological assistance had to be placed on a  stronger  footing.

Dr Muscat had been asked whether Labour would consider setting up a sperm bank in Malta to benefit cancer patients who  may become infertile after treatment.

The possibility of sperm banking was immediately offered to people diagnosed to be suffering from cancer in the UK, it was pointed out.

Dr Muscat said that this was proof that one could not be dogmatic in the sector since many people were touched by technology. Sperm banking was a service that should be considered. Other services were also being considered but one had to also consider the feasibility of such services because of the country’s size.

The Labour leader said that the PL electoral manifesto would not be a wishlist but ideas of where the party wanted to lead the country.

He was asked about the future of the financial sector and Dr Muscat said this was one area there was consensus upon.

Labour would continue where this government left off, work to ensure that investors were well protected and launch new skills to attract new investors.

The current structure would be retained and Malta had to be clear and vociferous in the EU. In this sector, he said, the government had actually done a good job.

On the health sector, Dr Muscat said that one of this administrations’ mistakes was to close health centres. These had been the people’s natural first port of call and the fact that they no longer existed created a bottle neck on Mater Dei.

However, it was not enough to have health centres, they had to be manned and well equipped.

Asked about Smart City, Dr Muscat said Labour believed in this project but it would not make promises it could not keep.

Labour was confident that the project could be implemented and during a recent visit to Dubai he had a day of talks with the investors to start building a relationship of reciprocal trust.

On sports, Dr Muscat said that the idea launched in the last budget to set up a school for sports was a very good one but €100,000, the sum that had been allocated for the purpose, was nothing. More serious investment was needed and this was where the private sector came in.

He congratulated the Maltese athletes and hoped that William Chetcuti, who he said, had done very well for Malta, will give it another shot in Brazil in four year’s time.