The government had to clearly say what was happening with its incinerators at St Lukes, Marsa and that projected for Delimara, the Labour Party’s spokesman for the Environment, Leo Brincat said.

The government, he said, should say why the St Luke’s Hospital incinerator was reported emitting black smoke several times in the past days although this was supposed to have been decommissioned and dismantled last year.

If the smoke was caused by the boilers, the government should say this clearly as the soot was causing major inconvenience to the residents of Msida, Pieta and parts of Ta’ Xbiex.

Was it true that the government planned to transfer the fish market to near the abattoir and Marsa incinerator? If this was the case, had any feasibility studies been held?

Mr Brincat asked whether the government had implemented all the recommendations of the EU Food and Veterinary Mission regarding the slaughterhouse and the incinerator, especially since this mission was expected in Malta towards the end of the year.

He ask why studies on the health and environmental impact of the prospective Delimara incinerator had not yet been published.

He also asked if a final decision on this incinerator, including its location, could be influenced by the footprint of the new extension to the power station.

If this was the case, when was a final decision expected, especially since the new waste strategy had supposedly come into effect a long time ago, Mr Brincat asked.