Updated 7.40pm - Added Muscat comments
People whose disability rendered them unable to work would receive a pension in line with the €170 weekly minimum wage under a Nationalist government, party leader Simon Busuttil pledged this afternoon.
Those who could work despite their disability would also be able to claim their disability pension over-and-above their wages, he pledged.
"Joseph Muscat promised but didn't deliver," Dr Busuttil said. "We will."
Replying, Dr Muscat said many of the PN's proposal had already been announced in last year's Budget (see below).
Dr Busuttil made the promises during an appearance on NET TV during which he unveiled the PN's proposals for the disability sector.
He said that a PN government would ensure amputees had the right to a disability pension. He acknowledged that work to introduce this was already underway, but said it had yet to be introduced into law.
Children's disability allowance would rise from €20 to €25 weekly and children living with a disability would be able to attend summer schools, with additional LSAs employed to make up for the increased workload, he said.
Dr Busuttil also promised to increase state aid for things such as hearing aids, service dogs and costs to home alterations to accommodate people living with a disability.
Life plans
Dr Busuttil said a PN government would look to introduce "life plans" whereby parents of people living with a disability would enter into a legal agreement with the government, which would stipulate how much money each party would be putting into the person's trust.
The PN leader noted that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had pledged to tackle this issue before the 2013 election, but said the plans had never materialised.
Community housing
He also said Dr Muscat had failed to boost community housing for people living with a disability, and pledged to increase the number of small-scale homes available to people living with a disability if elected into government.
NGO funding
Dr Busuttil also pledged to increase the responsibility of NGOs working in the disability sector.
"The government cannot and should not do everything," he argued. "But if an NGO is doing a good job, the government should pay them to do it."
The PN leader said that, if elected, his government would pay NGOs to provide more services, or to improve existing services.
'We already announced your key measure' - Muscat
Speaking during a public forum in Għargħur this evening, Joseph Muscat noted that the PN's proposal to pay the minimum wage to those unable to work due to disability was already on the agenda.
"Go and read last year's Budget speech. We had already announced it," he told interviewer Ozzy Lino.