Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia said today that he voted in favour of Malta joining the EU during the referendum 10 years ago.

He was speaking during a visit to the Oncology Centre at Mater Dei when a member of the media pointed out that the centre would not have been possible without EU funds.

Dr Farrugia sad the project works were on target and the centre should open for patients in the second quarter of next year. He said works had at one time fallen back by four months but the delays were being recovered.

The project was initially projected to cost  €60 million, he said, but that had been reduced to €54 million after careful analysis by the government, he said, without going into specifics. €44m of that amount will be issued by the EU.

Dr Farrugia said the former government's cancer plan involved an outlay of €2.5m but the government of the time had only allocated €800,000 for it. The new government was trying to make up the shortfall because it involved, among other things, the engagement of radiographers.

With the completion of the Oncology Centre, the Rainbow ward and the haematology unit of Mater Dei and the Solid Tumour section of Boffa Hospital will migrate to the new premises.

The Oncology Centre will have 105 beds, an increase from 96 as originally projected.

The government, the minister said, was considering options to increase parking spaces around the building.

Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg, who is responsible for the absorption of EU funds, said that on election, the government found that 53 projects were being schedule and risks losing €190 million in EU funds.

Efforts were being made to speed up those projects including the rebuilding of December 13 Road.