An Action Committee for a Fair Society has been set up to draw up recommendations that will lead to Malta’s first national strategy for people with disabilities.

The committee, announced this morning by Parliamentary Secretary for Disability Franco Mercieca, will be made up of people with disabilities, their relatives as well as academics in the field.

It will be chaired by Oliver Scicluna, and Community Studies’ lecturer Andrew Azzopardi will be involved as a consultant.

The committee members will have two main roles: to draw up recommendations on policy for equality and inclusion and to organise a national conference towards the beginning of next year to bring stakeholders together. The strategy is expected to be finalised by mid-2014.

Mr Mercieca said the committee will complement the work of the National Commission Persons with Disability that will now be focusing on its regulatory role.

Asked about the electoral promise to set up a trust foundation, to cater for the needs of disabled people, Mr Mercieca said that a document will soon be presented for Cabinet’s approval. This document, he later elaborated, would allow for the issuing of a call for expression of interest for organisations interested in contributing to the trust foundation.

He added that he was in talks with the Employment and Training Corporation to come up with long-term employment schemes for disabled people.