While admitting that the sheer numbers of immigrants put considerable strain on the accommodation facilities, the following considerations clearly show that MEP Giusto Catania's statement in the European Parliament regarding the physical conditions of detention in Malta was somewhat biased and blown out of proportion.
Irregular immigrants at Safi and Lyster had known in advance of the MEPs' visit and some began to perpetrate acts of vandalism within the sanitary facilities of the centres. In fact, a number of showers, wash-hand basins and toilets were vandalised prior to the visit. Indeed, some lights were even removed from their wall mountings.
Furthermore, although cleaning materials (including detergents and disinfectants) are distributed to immigrants every two weeks, it was observed that on this occasion some irregular immigrants stopped cleaning their living quarters and the sanitary facilities well in advance, in preparation for the MEPs' visit.
All centres have adequate open recreation areas which are accessible to immigrants during the day.
All immigrants are given eating utensils on arrival. These comprise a plate, a knife, a fork and a spoon, all made of durable plastic. Most of the food is served in sealed aluminium foil containers
It has never been reported that there was a rodent situation at any of the centres. Otherwise, immediate action would have been taken by the centres' management.
However, on the day of the MEPs' visit at Safi one dead mouse was displayed in the living quarters. Most probably, an immigrant must have caught the mouse from the grassy area around the centre by enticing it with food, killed it and then placed it in the living quarters to impress the MEPs.
It appears that Mr Catania "missed" the toilets on his visit because, as can be seen by anyone visiting these centres, there are enough sanitary facilities. If the two toilets he saw were filthy, that is probably due to the fact that the immigrants refused to clean them to give the MEPs a negative impression of the sanitary facilities within the centres.
The MEP's statement that pregnant women were held for months without running water is incorrect. All centres have got taps with running water, obviously except those vandalised by immigrants.
And there is hot water as well, but it has been observed that immigrants often have a tendency of leaving the water running even after having done with it. Consequently, the supply of hot water practically never meets demand.
All immigrants are given the necessary bedding including pillows, bed sheets and blankets. The amount of these items issued is considered to be more than adequate as on a number of occasions bed sheets and blankets were used as improvised ropes during escape attempts. Mattresses provided to immigrants are relatively new and there are more mattresses within the centres than required.
All buildings used as accommodation have serviceable windows. However, although maintenance is an ongoing task, prior to the MEPs' visit a number of window panes were broken on purpose by the immigrants.
One fails to understand the reference to air-conditioning within closed accommodation centres when it is worth considering that such a system is not even found in the soldiers' living quarters!
On the other hand, one fails to comprehend why no reference has been made of the fact that the delegation was shown a brand new multipurpose centre at Safi which possesses all the necessary facilities. The new centre was earmarked to accommodate the immigrants presently in tents at Hal Far. For unknown reasons, the immigrants refused to even consider moving to the new centre.
Finally, it is worth noting that the MEPs' statements in Parliament seems to be in contrast to the recently published report by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe. Indeed, in the report, the Commissioner for Human Rights objectively acknowledges the Maltese authorities' efforts for improving detention conditions within the centres despite the seemingly never-ending influx of irregular immigrants.
Lt Col Gatt is commander of the Detention Service