The Office of the President is contesting figures tabled recently in Parliament, insisting the anti-poverty week had cost a third of the amount stated by the government.

A spokeswoman for the President’s Office told Times of Malta the discrepancy was due to a “mix-up” in drawing up the costs of the event.

The week-long campaign was between September 9 and 14, on the initiative of then social policy minister Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.

Last month Dr Coleiro Preca relinquished her seat in Cabinet to be appointed President.

On Monday, this newspaper reported that the week-long event had cost €30,173.47, with half of the expenses spent on radio and television advertising.

The information had been tabled in Parliament a fortnight ago by Social Policy Minister Michael Farrugia, in reply to a parliamentary question from Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg.

It cost €11,000. Unfortunately it seems that the costings provided were mixed up with other events during the year

However, when this newspaper asked the President’s Office if Dr Coleiro Preca would justify such an expense, which accounted for more than half of the ministry’s annual budget for media campaigns, the spokeswoman said the anti-poverty week had not cost as much as reported.

“On the contrary, it cost €11,000. Unfortunately it seems that the costings provided were mixed up with other events’ costings during the year,” she said.

She pointed out that the audio-visual productions and their respective airtime expense, which cost €15,630.34, were not part of this event but were related to the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty that was celebrated in October.

Another item that according to the President’s Office should not have been included was the cost of printing T-shirts, which amounted to €1,180.

The spokeswoman said these had been ordered for a children’s consultation event in connection with an event on the selection of the Children’s Commissioner which was held in November.

She also pointed out that the €1,926.33 to hire a sound system should have been included in the cost of the eight public consultation meetings on poverty held in summer.

On his part, Dr Farrugia said he was not in a position to comment whether this was a mistake and referred this newspaper’s questions to his ministry’s accounts department.

The reply came back that the director of corporate services would verify the figures and if need be issue a correction.