Pledges that were not implemented in the last legislature, such as the cohabitation and whistleblower laws, would be fulfilled in the next one, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi promised yesterday.
“What we didn’t manage to do in the last legislature will be done in the next one,” he said during an interview on Radio 101.
Dr Gonzi said such electoral promises were not mentioned in the Nationalist Party’s new programme, approved on Friday, because it listed new initiatives.
Turning to the party’s proposal to provide tablets, which he described as a “very thin computer”, to primary and secondary schoolchildren, Dr Gonzi said they were important tools “that can be used for many marvellous things”.
The most important thing was not the tablet itself but its use. Dr Gonzi said three local publishing houses, which produce school books, had agreed to produce an electronic version available on the tablet.
Education was one of the party’s main pillars and it had pledged to provide childcare facilities through a voucher system, which could be used by parents who wanted to continue studying.
Stipends would be adjusted pro rata every year according to the cost of living while those for disabled students and people from low-income families would be increased.
Dr Gonzi said a new Nationalist government would keep its promise to build a school every year until 2020 in such areas as Pembroke, Marsascala and Ħamrun.
Speaking about energy, Dr Gonzi said the Government had launched very successful schemes for solar panels and a plan to have a smart meter in every household and business, which would be in place by the end of 2013.
From next year, the Government would be able to buy electricity from Europe through the interconnector cable.
“There is a lot of wasted electricity in Europe and we can reach an agreement with power stations to buy it at a cheaper rate,” he said.
Electricity rates were expected to fall between seven and 26 per cent through his party’s plan, he added.
Dr Gonzi called the Labour Party’s energy proposal a “fantasy” that would cost €300 million more than its projected cost. It was also dangerous because it involved storing gas next to the power station and could not be completed in the time frame the party promised.
“In five years’ time we will have a gas pipeline. We are working on it.”
He insisted the PN’s proposals were sustainable, promising: “We will prove it”.
“For the first time ever, the Nationalist Party will publish the costing of the measures in the electoral programme and how these will be funded,” he said.
Allowing parents to use their sick leave when their children were unwell would help workplaces become more productive, although the established 20 days would not be increased.
“We believe that parents will become more careful and it will be beneficial for employers because workers will become more honest and responsible,” he said.
The electoral programme also contained specific proposals for people with disabilities, including more incentives for employers and Dr Gonzi said he was committed to increase the participation rate of disabled workers in the public sector from two per cent to four.
Pensions for severe disability would be increased substantially and more residential homes in the community would be created.
The Government would draw up a life plan with parents and experts for each disabled child, which will also cater for their care once the parents died, Dr Gonzi said.