Social Dialogue Minister Helena Dalli yesterday told Parliament that the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector had been allocated funds for the first time under the Labour government even though it was set up by the previous administration.
Speaking during the budget debate, Dr Dalli said the council, which was set up in 2010, had now been allocated €150,000.
The government would also open the first centre where voluntary organisations would be able to hold meetings. At present, they held meetings in the ministry’s boardroom. Two other centres would be opened in Qawra and in the south.
After consulting voluntary organisations, the government would amend the Voluntary Organisations Act to ensure more transparency and accountability.
It had allocated €2 million to NGOs to enable them to better assist vulnerable people. The government also earmarked €50,000 for the training of NGOs personnel.
Speaking about the Malta EU Steering and Action Committee, Dr Dalli said that while the previous government closed the Gozo office in 2012, rent was still being paid. This government terminated the lease in question in September and shifted the operations to the University’s building at Xewkija, where no rent was paid.
Turning to the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority, the minister said it was crippled from the beginning. While Opposition leader Simon Busuttil criticised the government for increasing the number of civil servants, its spokeswoman for Consumer Affairs Paula Mifsud Bonnici criticised the government for having reduced the number of civil servants in MCCAA.
Dr Dalli said new people had been recruited with the authority this year, including two directors, two lawyers, legal officers, clerks and technical officers.
The government was working to help consumers: it had reduced the utility tariffs and bureaucracy. A low inflation rate meant higher employment.
On the Malta Medicines Authority, Dr Dalli said doctoral students were now able to undertake traineeships with the authority. It would transfer its offices to the life sciences park. The price of a medicine taken by cancer patients had been reduced by €400 to €100 at the insistence of the ministry and could now be bought from pharmacies.
Concluding, Dr Dalli said that the ratification of the convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence would result on more rights and empowerment to women. All Cabinet members were working to improve women’s rights.