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MEPA reform costs €1.3 million more in salaries
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority reform has cost the taxpayer €1.3 million a year in salaries.
17 July 2011, 12:00am
James Debono
James Debono
1 min read
MEPA has seen its expense on salaries increase by €103,163 every four weeks. This represents a 13% increase in MEPA’s expenditure during the past two years.
A major part of the expense was incurred to eliminate the conflict of interests of part time architects serving as board members who often heard cases of potential, past or present clients. This led to various scandals involving DCC board member.
The appointment of full time board members was meant to eliminate this abuse.
This reform led to greater consistency in decision-making and stricter criteria with regards to ODZ development. But this reform has come at a financial cost.
The full time employment of the nine members of MEPA’s Environment Planning Commission costs MEPA €440,278 a year.
Commission chairpersons Sandra Magro and Franco Montesin earn an annual salary of €54,043. The other board members receive € 47,456 a year each. This includes a basic salary of €32,456, a petrol allowance of €1,980, a car and two additional non-pensionable allowance of €13,020.
MEPA chairman Austin Walker who originally performed the role of Chief Executive still earns €93,000 a year despite the appointment of Ian Stafrace who took the duties of CEO and a salary of €65,000.
Walker’s salary will be revised “once the transition is over and the roles of the Chairman and the CEO are settled,” a spokesperson for the Office of the Prime Minister told MaltaToday in April.
James Debono is MaltaToday's chief reporter on environment, planning and land use issues, ...
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If GONEZI really wanted to reform MEPA and stop the people from believing that corruption was and is rampant in MEPA all he has to do is to repeal prescription and protect any whistle blower who presents corruption evidence.
Go on GONEZI.
DO IT.
Do it and see how people will present you with corruption cases.
Or are you afraid?
Whom are you protecting?
Remember there was someone, from your own party, who had said that he who knows about corruption and does not stop it is himself corrupt.
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The MEPA reform was designed to fail; there was never an intention to even touch on real issues of nepotism, scandalous pre election permits, efficiency, ODZ permits, blatant breach of its own policies, useless internal audit... The list is endless!
The government has used MEPA as one of its ‘power of incumbency’ tools to win elections and the PM will definitely use MEPA again in the next election. Why would the PM appoint a personal friend to head MEPA? The pledge to reform MEPA was a deception for the start that many people believed. The PM can’t be trusted again; he treats the Maltese as fools. The so called MEPA reform is one example. Soon the PM will realise that times have changed.
Alex Grech •
@haha, i might agree with you, but going back to a full governmental agency isn't the solution neither. permits should be handed to a 'reformed' local councils, that should see them responsible to grant development permission in their districts (because local council should be shrinked to regional councils). by doing so, you would install political accountability to every decision, something which is missing now!
and another important area of MEPA, enforcement, should be transferred to a newly created government agency that will get together all enforcement sections of government entities. this will be like another police force. just like italy have the polizia and carabinieri, who in italy are responsible for environmental infringements.
other areas of MEPA, should all be abolished, they are simply a waste of taxpayers money!
that would really be a true reform!
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Ghamel riforma ghal BLUE EYED BOYS hux hekk Dr. Gonzi? Darba kien hemm Ministru li kienu jghidulu l-bulldozer (Alla jahfirlu) imma Prim Ministru ma kien hemm qatt li laqqat dan il-laqam, donnu inti mhajjar tirtu ghax kull fejn missejt int farraktu.
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So salaries have gone up from EUR 800,000 to 900,000 EVERY FOUR WEEKS! That's some 11.7 million a year.
Maybe we should change MEPA's name to "Tarzna II".
Plus ca change...........
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And it is still as inefficient as it was before the reform.
L-aqwa li bhala chairman ghandna Ferrari b'xi €100,00 fis-sena salarju!
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Now there is a first task for a future Labour Government. Scrap MEPA and put it under a New Ministry subject to the Auditor's scrutiny. Am sure there will be some cost savings and reduce Public Expenditure.
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SCRAP MEPA.
REVERT TO A GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT.
MEPA IS ONLY THERE TO MILK THE PEOPLE WITH THEIR FABULOUS SALARIES FOR THE BLUE-EYED BOYS AND GALS.
