Joseph Muscat (The Last Week, September 22) seeks for contradictions where there are none. It is not a contradiction to say that higher electricity prices are a higher burden on the entire community (as Tonio Fenech is quoted as saying) and to say that the government will keep up its commitment to help the most vulnerable members of the community (as Austin Gatt is quoted as saying). This is how this government has ensured that state subsidies are not used to cover wasteful use of electricity but to go directly in the pockets of those who, without some help, risk living below the minimum standard of living our community rightly expects for all its members.

This is the balance between fiscal and social responsibility which the government is committed to and has an impeccable record of delivery in the energy sector. Dr Muscat's record? The shrill support of Alfred Sant's Utility Bill reform that was both fiscally ineffective and socially brutal and unjust.