The government’s proposed new water and electricity tariffs would increase bills by €5 to €9 per family per week, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said yesterday adding that the party would be presenting its workings of the new tariffs tomorrow.

Speaking in Balzan this morning, Dr Muscat also insisted on an inquiry into the MITTS “scandal” now that the government had now confirmed that someone hacked the MITTS system and stole the personal details of more than 20,000 people.

These people included members of parliament and the judiciary. The scandal was even bigger considering that two weeks had gone before the problem was acknowledged. And there was no guarantee yet that these details were not used to spy of those whose details were stolen.

An inquiry was necessary, Dr Muscat insisted, saying he still did not know why the Maltese police did not want the help of American experts in investigations at the Cairo embassy.

He pointed out that according to experts this attack was carried out by a free downloadable software programme and was the work of an amateur. What would have happened had it been by a professional?

The minister, Dr Muscat said, irresponsibly did not accept the resignation of the members of the MITTS board. For this, he was personally responsible to all that had taken place and could take place.

The opposition was also holding the minister responsible for his declaration that the opposition intended to hinder police investigations.

“We want an inquiry about all that has taken place in MITTS, not just in September but also in the past, especially since the minister could not guarantee that personal details were not hacked and entered into in the past,” Dr Muscat said.

On water and electricity, the Labour leader said that it was ironic that when, according to the government, the economy was doing very well, the government did not want to put an 83 per cent surcharge on bills saying this was something the economy could not take, and, in the name of social conscience, reduced this surcharge by half.

Following the March election, the surcharge was pushed to 95 per cent but the worst was yet to come. For if one were to translate the government’s proposals for new water and electricity tariffs into a surcharge, they would work out to 245 per cent.

Now, Dr Muscat said, was the time to be courageous and stimulate the economy - putting money in people’s rather in the government’s pockets. This was Labour’s vision which separated it from the PN government.

At the beginning of the meeting a minute of silence was observed in remembrance of the late MP Karl Chircop whose funeral was held yesterday.