A wing at St Vincent de Paul Residence, Luqa, was the target of an attempted arson late yesterday afternoon, not long after the Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly and Community Care, Mario Galea said is being refurbished.

Mr Galea was still in a meeting at the Residence when he was informed by security personnel that somebody had tried to set John Paul II Hall on fire, a secretariat spokesman said. Vegetation was apparently placed outside the building and ignited, the spokesman added.

Civil Protection Department personnel were called in and controlled the fire within minutes.

The refurbishment programme on the wing, which consists of three floors, will include the construction of wards equipped with modern facilities and better accessibility to the elderly patients.

It will house 144 beds, split into 24 rooms. Of these, 48 beds will be used for patients suffering from dementia. The secretariat said each room will be painted in different colours in order to enhance orientation and patients will have access to a garden where a number of activities will be held.

Staff will receive training by professionals in collaboration with the Department of the Elderly and Community Care, the Malta Dementia Society and the University of Stirling in Scotland.

Works are expected to be completed in the first months of 2009, the secretariat spokesman said.