Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this evening highlighted measures being taken by the government in several sectors, implementing more than it promised in its electoral manifesto.

Speaking during a party activity in Gzira as part of the MEP elections electoral campaign, he said University and Junior College students were still receiving their stipend if they had to repeat a year.

Free childcare was extended to also include single parents and those who want to further their studies, enabling more people to seek employment.

Measures had also been taken in the health sector including an agreement signed this morning with the private sector to reduce the waiting time for MRI scans.

Although a lot still needed to be done, Malta had a state of the art hospital with dedicated staff who were among the best in their field.

“But there are problems at Mater Dei and we are working to solve them," he said. He praised former Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia for laying the foundation for a better health service.

Dr Muscat promised that other waiting lists, such as those for cataract operations, would also be tackled to continue to improve the health service.

Turning to the justice sector, Dr Muscat said this was operating with work practices introduced decades ago.

"It is a sector where time stood still but we are tackling this by changing certain aspects which makes people's lives easier," he said.

He also spoke about the party financing law which he said was long overdue. Dr Muscat said that thanks to political goodwill, Malta would finally have rules regulating party financing.