The government is still using illegal billboards for its public campaigns despite the Prime Minister’s declaration in May that they should be removed and the government would stop using them.

Pressed on the issue yesterday, Planning Parliamentary Secretary Michael Falzon at first categorically denied the government was using illegal billboards.

But when Times of Malta showed him a picture of one in Naxxar, being used by the government, he admitted it was illegal and conceded the government was making use of it.

“One has to check, but it seems this is an advert of the Independence Day activities, which shows we are a government for everyone (aħna gvern ta’ kulħadd),” he said.

Pointing out that this was still illegal, he said that since there was an enforcement order, the owner needed to remove it by a certain date.

“Since we do not break the law you are confirming that through the enforcement order we are taking action,” Dr Falzon said, visibly uncomfortable.

But the enforcement order was attached to the Naxxar billboard by planning authority officers on July 30 and the owner was given three days to remove it. Despite clearly ignoring the planning authority, the government has continued to use the billboard, mounting its latest Independence Day poster on it just a few days ago.

Times of Malta is informed that despite the government’s official declaration that it was acting to remove dozens of illegal billboards which have mushroomed across the island, several of them remain standing.

And it has continued to use them even in instances where they are clearly illegal – after the issue of enforcement notices by Mepa.

Asked to say why the government and Mepa were turning a blind eye to this blatant breach of the law, Dr Falzon denied this was the case and said the authority was currently removing the illegal billboards.

At the same time, he said, Mepa was developing a new policy on billboards and had issued a call for expressions of interest from those who wanted to start offering a billboard service.

He denied the government was allowing certain illegal billboard owners to continue to break the law and said the billboards were being removed in a staggered manner.