The government has no plan to address the problem of the cost of living at a time when it has reached record heights, the Labour Party's spokesman for consumer protection, Silvio Parnis, said.

The government has failed drastically in terms of consumer protection, he insisted. This emerged clearly when Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi could not give a date for the setting up of the authority for consumer protection, which is meant to replace the National Euro Changeover Committee. Mr Parnis said Dr Gonzi had promised it would be set up last March. This was clearly another electoral promise by the PN that would not be kept.

He questioned what had become of the NECC employees and how many were still working for the committee.

At a time when the consumer is facing record increases in the prices of the most basic products, the government has failed to reappoint the Consumer Affairs Council and the medicines prices surveillance board has not met for over a year, Mr Parnis claimed.