There is no agreement yet on the sum owed to the police for overtime worked, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said this evening.

There were claims that dues went back to the early 1990s.

Replying to a Parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi, Mr Abela said the sum due ranged from nothing to several millions.

There was no agreement on the sum even among police members’ representatives.

The first step towards payment, he said, was for an agreement to be reached on the amount due between the government and police representatives.

“We cannot start to pay unless we agree on a figure,” Mr Abela said adding that while deally the situation should be resolved as quickly as possible, that also depended on how many millions were involved.

If the sum was more manageable it could start being paid sooner than if it was astronomical, the minister said.