The government is “not happy” with results obtained through various schemes for the creation of jobs for people with disabilities, Social Solidarity Minister Marie- Louise Coleiro Preca said in Parliament yesterday.

She was replying to a PQ by Gozitan opposition MP Frederick Azzopardi. He had recalled the government’s professed commitment to extending the present scheme to local councils, government entities and voluntary organisations with a view to creating some 150 new jobs in the community, including 50 in Gozo.

The government had said the scheme placed six disabled people in Gozo and Mr Azzopardi asked if there were any plans to place the remaining 44.

Dr Coleiro Preca said the scheme currently employed 20 persons with disabilities.

There were 36 other applications pending with local councils, which for some reason or another had not been finalised. She said, however, the government was still committed to supporting the sector with new schemes to provide meaningful incentives to firms and other entities to offer job opportunities to people with disabilities.

As had been announced in the Budget 2014, in the next few weeks a scheme would be launched to help create scores of new jobs for such people.

This would give them the dignity they deserved while helping them to become financially independent and stable.