Parliamentary Secretary for Planning Michael Farrugia had asked the planning authority to halt discussion on two applications for a new waste recycling plant as the Government planned to “review” them, according to minutes seen by The Times.
The minutes belie statements made by Dr Farrugia in Parliament on Wednesday, when he insisted he had never asked for any such suspension of the applications.
“This morning, (Nationalist MP) George Pullicino said I had gone to Mepa and stopped the decision-making process on the (Għallis) water treatment plant. Not true. I challenge him to say who gave him this information.”
Earlier, Dr Farrugia had said he would not describe Mr Pullicino’s statement as a lie because he was prevented from doing so by parliamentary procedure. He would instead call it an “untruth”.
But Mepa minutes for March 14 show the authority’s former chairman Austin Walker had informed the board that Dr Farrugia instructed him to stop the applications for Malta’s second waste recycling plant as he would be discussing them with Environment Minister Leo Brincat.
Dr Farrugia said the Government would “most probably review the proposals to ensure they are in line with Government’s Waste Management Strategy”, according to the minutes quoting Mr Walker telling the board.
Mr Walker had joined the board hearing late as he had been in a meeting with Dr Farrugia.
Earlier in Wednesday’s debate, Mr Pullicino made reference to the waste recycling plant and asked for details about the Government’s plan for this project, since €50 million in EU funds is committed to it.
The new 38,000-square metre plant, located between the Magħtab mound and the Għallis landfills, would handle domestic waste collected from Malta and Gozo, except for the portion which goes to the Sant’Antnin plant in Marsascala.
The project is a crucial component of Malta’s existing waste management strategy, which aims to reduce to a minimum the amount of waste currently going into the engineered landfills that are fast being exhausted. Asked about his statements in Parliament, Dr Farrugia said through a spokeswoman: “As is customary the board is expected to resign after a general election and therefore pending issues should not be discussed before a new board is appointed.
“The previous chairman should not have called a meeting a few days after the swearing in of a new government in office, when he knew there would be a new board a few days later.”
The Government’s plans to “review” the applications would require the process be started over and also the renegotiation of funds with the EU.
Questions to this effect remained unanswered at the time of writing.
However, sources close to Mepa told The Times that the applications have been placed back on the agenda unchanged on Wednesday.
Mr Walker confirmed all the information in the meeting, pointing out he had raised concerns that EU funds could be jeopardised, should the application be altered at this stage.
“Dr Farrugia insisted that this was the Government’s prerogative, which I agreed with of course, but I felt it was my duty to point this out,” he said.
mmicallef@timesofmalta.com