Malta is bucking the trend, as unlike the rest of Europe it is debating a rise in pensions, after having already lowered utility tariffs and brought stability in fuel prices, the Prime Minister said yesterday.

Speaking to One Radio by telephone yesterday, he said the government was going to take on board the vast majority of proposals submitted last month by the pensions’ strategy group.

Apart from guaranteeing pensions’ sustainability for the future, the reform aimed to fight poverty, he said.

The Prime Minister said persons on a lifelong minimum wage would receive a pension of €620 a month instead the current €590. While acknowledging that this was nothing spectacular, he pointed out that pensions had not been reviewed upwards for many years.

Dr Muscat said that people with several part-time jobs as their only source of income would have the opportunity to boost their pension by paying a social security contribution on more than one job.

Touching on the health sector, he said this administration had inherited a bed-shortage problem, as Mater Dei Hospital was too small. However, the Labour government was taking measures to make amends for this.

“We have attracted Barts Medical School which will open a campus in Gozo and are working on a private public partnership to refurbish St Luke’s Hospital to the highest standards,” Dr Muscat said.

In his comments, the Prime Minister also referred to the Greek crisis, saying it was inconceivable how somebody could expect to be granted a loan with no conditions.

“The International Monetary Fund is being criticised for being anti-social due to its insistence on pension cuts, but this would mean avoiding further tax hikes,” DrMuscat said.

The Prime Minister said eurozone leaders would probably have to meet this week to analyse the way forward on the basis of the outcome of yesterday’s referendum.

“The result will have a huge bearing on the kind of support Greece will be eligible to receive and the speed at which it would be delivered,” he said.

Dr Muscat reiterated that if, Greece were to exit the eurozone, the impact on Maltese banks would be minimal as their exposure to unsecured Greek loans and bonds was small.