He runs a vast portfolio that will be largely responsible for giving the Labour government its visible deliverables. Transport Minister Joe Mizzi tells Kurt Sansone why he is the hands-on type.

Soon after becoming minister you said administrative delays had stalled the work on some large projects and EU funds risked being lost. Which are these projects?

It shouldn’t be me who is solving problems like these, but this is the only way to get things done in this country

There were various projects that ran such a risk but we wanted to understand the problems and try to find solutions.

We are still in the process of salvaging the EU funds and this is not the right time to identify the affected projects before we have a clearer picture.

One such project was the underpass being built on Marsa’s December 13 road.

We are going to meet the deadline.

Another project is the storm water tunnels.

There were problems with this project but we solved most of them.

So EU funds will not be lost?

If we solved most problems then there will be no massive loss of funds as was going to happen. But I still believe we will deliver on time.

Will these projects be also delivered within budget?

Our aim is to deliver the projects within budget but with some we will have problems. There are certain capital projects we have to study in detail, such as the City Gate project, and this may result in a higher outlay.

What is going to happen to Renzo Piano’s City Gate project?

We spoke to Renzo Piano and there will be discussions on the parliament building. There are a number of deficiencies in the building but we have to solve the problems.

One flagged problem is the lack of office space for parliamentarians. Where will the parliamentary offices be located?

I cannot say because we have pledged to carry out a consultation process. It will not be right for me to say what I think and I won’t be the one to decide on the issue.

You have suspended the Sliema residents parking scheme. Will schemes in other localities also be suspended?

No, only the Sliema scheme is suspended. The difference is that other resident parking schemes were introduced as agreed after a proper trial period.

In Sliema the six-month trial was never done and that is why we suspended it.

But we are undertaking a comprehensive review of traffic management and parking arrangements across the island.

A decision you took was to abandon the proposed underground car park at Sliema Ferries. Will an alternative car park be built?

We have to find parking solutions for various zones ­– not just Sliema.

Parking was a controversial issue with the previous administration when it proposed the introduction of payment for public car parks. Will this be on the table again?

I am not speaking of payment.

We are analysing the situation and trying to identify solutions.

The Labour Party pledged to refund VAT charged on car registration tax between 2004 and 2008, which went against EU rules. When will this happen and how?

We have started the process to gather the necessary information such as who is entitled.

When will repayment be made?

The process is ongoing.

Is it in the next Budget?

I cannot tell you that. All I can say is the research process has started. We have to know the amount involved and who is entitled.

Transport Malta was tainted by various corruption cases. You had raised a couple of these yourself. What changes will you make to strengthen control mechanisms?

I want accountability. People occupying certain positions have to shoulder responsibility.

If they are unable to shoulder responsibility, they know what they have to do.

We are going to ensure that people are responsible and accountable.

Are you speaking of managers?

I am speaking of people in the higher echelons. But there are various situations I am not happy with, such as the way customers are treated.

Which are these situations?

Soon after I became minister I received reports that the electricity supply at the licensing department was tripping at least three times a week and as a consequence people who went there to pay their licence had to be turned back.

When I personally visited the place, I found customers and workers looking at each other.

I asked the person responsible what happened and he informed me that this had been going on for at least six months.

The Enemalta people would come, reinstate the tripped circuit breaker, until the next time it happened. Nobody had an explanation.

I had to ask the Enemalta engineers what was happening and they said one of the electricity feeders was faulty. They took my advice to disconnect the feeder from the circuit and the electricity has not tripped since then.

You have a knack of being there on the ground, getting involved in day-to-day matters. But is this the minister’s job?

But this was a recurring problem and whoever was responsible did nothing to solve it.

It would have been irresponsible for me not to go there and see what was happening to find a solution.

But is this the minister’s job? Aren’t others responsible for this?

You are right but I could not have a situation where customers were turned back and workers wasted their time. This is unacceptable and I had to find a solution.

Whoever is responsible has to shoulder responsibility but I first wanted to solve the problem. It shouldn’t be me who is solving problems like these, but this is the only way to get things done in this country.

Every day you are present at Cospicua’s Dock One works...

I am everywhere. I want to see with my own eyes what is happening so that when I speak to whoever is responsible I’ll have first-hand information. This is the reason why I am on the ground.

Do you trust the people that you are responsible for?

I trust everyone but I trust no one. From my experience, people in a position of responsibility tell you everything is OK but then it transpires that things are different.

For example, when works on December 13 Road started they created a traffic management system. When I went on site to see whether people were right in complaining about traffic bottlenecks – after all, people phone me and I have to be accountable to them – I found defects in the traffic management plan.

Although the defects were not major, they caused drivers a lot of inconvenience.

It transpired that the person who drew up the plan never went on site to see how it worked in practice. Now they are continuously on the ground and things have improved.

You are responsible for transport but maritime affairs and aviation fall under two different ministries. Transport Malta, which falls under your ministry, is responsible for all three sectors. Will the Government split the authority the way it was before?

No. Transport Malta is under my remit and it is the regulator. It will not change.

Couldn’t this create a conflict between the three ministries?

No. My ministry is the regulator and the other two ministries act as promoters of the services offered by the country. My ministry does not promote.

Arriva has been a constant issue over the past two years. You said some route changes will be made but what will this cost public coffers in terms of subsidies?

They are minor changes that will not have an impact on the subsidy. They are changes we discussed with local councils and the operator.

How will you solve the problems flagged by consumers?

First of all we accepted there is a problem because unless you do this no solution can be found. This is why we allowed all stakeholders to tell us what they thought of the service.

Experts are now evaluating the criticism gathered and will come up with proposals. We will discuss the solutions with local councils.

The European Commission has started infringement proceedings against Malta over the discriminatory bus fares for non-residents. Will bus fares increase for Maltese passengers or decrease for foreigners, which means Arriva will have to get more subsidies?

You are not asking. You are proposing a solution...

What solution will the Government adopt?

We are moving ahead with solving this problem without increasing bus fares. There are problems that pertain to Arriva and other issues the Government has to deal with.

There is goodwill from all sides to solve the problem without being a burden on anyone.

When will you solve this problem?

We have started working on it and we know the way forward but we have to discuss this with the operator. I am certain that an agreement will be reached. The important thing is doing the correct thing and not simply carry perform cosmetic change. We want public transport to be a success because it would be beneficial for the environment and commuters. But in the wider context we want a national transport plan.

In Parliament you said bendy buses will be eliminated from certain routes. Which are these routes and will bendy buses be deployed on other routes? Why not eliminate them completely?

Where bendy buses are a danger or cannot function properly they shouldn’t be there. But you have to understand that a bendy bus carries a lot of passengers and replacing it will require three normal buses.

If bendy buses are not an inconvenience they could be an advantage on certain routes.

I am everywhere

They were removed from London because they were deemed to be dangerous.

But that is London and we are in Malta. Where they are a danger we will remove them.

Various road projects involving major junctions like Kappara, Paceville and the Marsa shipbuilding area have been in the pipeline for years. Will you move ahead on these projects?

Our intention is to move forward as much as possible on these projects.

In the last administration, then transport minister Austin Gatt seems to have reversed his predecessor’s decision to focus on junctions on the Ten-T network. Under Dr Gatt the focus was on thoroughfares. Will you focus again on the junctions?

Those roads and junctions where work has started we will continue because there are EU funds at stake and tight time frames to respect. We are also looking at other projects for the forthcoming EU budget.

Will the Marsa junction be one of these projects?

It is a principal project and we have to study the possibility of going down rather than up. Eventually, it will be the experts who decide.

In five years’ time, which are those things you wish you would have done?

I wish to implement what we promised the people in our electoral manifesto. I already started work on a majority of the pledges that fall under my remit and where we haven’t started, studies are being conducted. It is my obligation to implement what we promised and I will endeavour to do my best.