The government will be examining Caritas' report "A minimum budget for a decent living," in more detail and this will also be discussed within the Malta Council for Social and Economic Development, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this evening.

Speaking during the appointment ceremony of councillors elected on March 10, Dr Gonzi said that following the publication of the Caritas report, he invited the organisation to give ministers and parliamentary secretaries a presentation.

During the discussion, a point was raised on the role councils could have to help the people make better choices.

Councils could be instrumental for so that what was being taught at schools during home economics and personal and social development to be spread to the community, for the advice given by the Health Promotion Unit to reach more people, leading them to a better lifestyle.

Caritas proposed initiatives on a local level for the choices, including financial ones, and lifestyles to be more adequate and sustainable.

This could be through simple advice on how the people could reduce their water and electricity consumption without lowering their standard of living, through talks on healthy eating to reduce diseases and the expenses related to illness, through the encouragement for greater participation in sports activities as well as through family planning meetings.

He invited councils to consider initiatives they could take at a local level in this direction.

Dr Gonzi congratulated the elected councillors and thanked those who contested but were not elected.

All candidates, he said, showed a sense of civic duty and he appealed to councillors to involve these people in their work for the benefit of the locality.

Dr Gonzi also thanked previous councillors for the work they did in previous years.

He called on the new councillors to increase the investment potential in their locality by making use of EU funds and pointed out that 64 council projects had already benefitted from more than €8 millions of these funds through the assistance of MEUSAC.

The government, he said, will be assisting councils by ensuring an annual financial investment and improved administrative and legal structures as well as a public sector more oriented towards councils' needs.