Liveblog - PN parliamentary group meeting ahead of confidence vote

Welcome to our live-blog on the Labour motion of no confidence in transport minister Austin Gatt over public reform. CLICK TO REFRESH

LISTEN LIVE here and Read the Labour motion here [Google Docs]

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Saturday, 5 November 2011

18:17 Government reaches agreement with Opposition to hold confidence vote on Tuesday evening.

18:00 PN summons parliamentary group meeting at party headquarters on Monday at 12:30

13:00 Nationalist backbencher Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has called for the PN parliamentary group to be summoned ahead of next Tuesday's vote of confidence in government.

07:50 Nationalist backbencher Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando writes on Facebook that he will vote in favour of confidence motion on Tuesday. He wrote: "Good morning. I will obviously be supporting government. I was given a mandate to do so for the full term by my constituents. Reason also dictates that instability will harm our nation." 

07:30 Good morning, MaltaToday's live blog continues,

Friday, 4 November 2011

20:10 This live-blog has ended. Thank you for following MaltaToday.com.mt

20:07 34 MPs against, 34 MPs in favour, 1 MP abstains on motion: Speaker casts vote against motion. Motion not carried.

20:03 Franco Debono has not stood up to vote against the motion with the government side,

VOTING will be taken by MPs standing up to declare whether they are in favour, against or abstaining.

19:55  Sitting suspended for a few minutes: vote on Labour motion to be taken shortly.

19:52  “What has Gatt done after all, for the praise he receives from the government side… he lost €70 million from the Shipyards through the Fairmount contract, he was responsible for the award of the €10 million Maltacom property in Qawra to Tecom for free; he was the minister responsible for the hikes in utility rates; the minister responsible for the BWSC award and the change in emission limits.”

19:50  “The prime minister is a hostage to the situation if not a hostage to this individual.”

19:49  Muscat is quoting from a newspaper column penned by Austin Gatt in which he wrote that there was no playing about with political ethics.

19:45 Muscat lists ‘strategic mistakes’ in reform: scaling down of Valletta terminus which now has to be resize to accommodate more buses; the Park and Ride reduction in parking spaces.

19:42  “Everyone knows the public transport reform system has failed… this system was the minister’s battlecry throughout the year, without even mentioning the role of the previous ministers who undertook the reform. Only know has he mentioned, partly in a bid to ‘credit’ them with part of this failure.”

19:37  “Labour was prudent about this reform… we waited until 11 September, when we were promised that the transport system would have been fixed, that we decided to speak out on the system.”

19:32  “Transport Malta spent two years creating routes and employing consultants that only TM wanted, delivering a reformed service that was seven months late at the height of the summer season… and only God knows, if the EC decides against the double fare system [for tourists and residents] what the financial repercussions of their decision would be.”

19:29   “The Prime Minister is the common denominator between the reforms carried out by former transport ministers and the present reform, having gone against their word in their promises to bus drivers.”

19:24  Opposition leader Joseph Muscat addressing the House.

19:22  "The thing that keeps me going is the trust the Prime Minister and the parliamentary group have given me on a daily basis... Even though I will retire, I will militate to the very end because my ultimate aim is to see the Nationalist party in government."

19:21 "Leo Brincat never resigned over the CET failure? We should use the same standards for everyone."

19:18 Austin Gatt has faced four votes of no confidence and six motions of censure. "It's down to the radical reforms I have piloted"

19:13  "We will not be paying out the €5 million subsidy we previously paid to the ATP."

19:00 Austin Gatt says it was a technical team from Transport Malta with post-graduate degrees in transport and Halcrow transport consultants [of Mugliett fame] that mapped out the new reform. GAtt is also tabling consultancy details, and engagement letters of all experts on the job of public transport reform. The coordinator of the reform was Manuel Delia, head of Gatt's secretariat, who offered his resignation to the minister. So did Transport Malta chairman Mark Portelli.

18:57  Basically the new fare highlights are: cheaper daily, three-day, five-day or week fares than before; a €2.50 reduction on student fares every week; free transport for wheelchair users; and a €2.60 fare to the airport.

18:54  Gatt has also tabled this (not very visible, sorry) table of fares.

18:53 More details presented by Gatt in parliament: a fleet capacity that takes 6,000 commuters (34% more than before); 700 more bus stops (55% increase); covering 45% more kilometres than before, and longer service with all routes working till 11pm.

18:51Karl Stagno-Navarra sends this picture from Republic Street,Valletta where some 200 demonstrators are protesting against the public transport system.

18:49  "Under the old system you had to be from Sliema to have a regular bus service. Today all towns are connected with the system. And for the first time we have a direct bus route to the airport."

18:45 "There wasn't even customer care with the old system."

18:44 “We have saved €50 million over the next ten years… have we forgotten the failure of the previous ‘ATP’ system. 11% of the fleet was built when Nerik Mizzi was still prime minister. 68% were built when Dom Mintoff was prime minister.”

18:41  “Let’s not forget that this was also an environmental reform… not one vehicle is spewing black smoke. They are hybrid cars… probably the most advanced fleet in Europe if not the world. The average age of the fleet is one year…. Doesn’t it count for anything that CO2 emissions will be cut by 50%?”

18:38 "The reason we introduced the maximum waiting time is so that the regulator would not interfere in the way how the service was offered."

18:35 Austin Gatt is listing the written obligations in the Arriva contract: the bus fares, routes, maximum waiting time, new termini and buses, 1,000 employees, 300 new vehicles, bus stops, and route scheduling. “Previously, all we had is a carrot but the ATP could use the stick on us because when they wanted they would strike. Today we have a list of obligations… not even a written timetable was available with the ATP.”

18:31 “Sincerely, I can see nothing wrong in what we did up to when the transport reform was launched, because the Opposition – which knew of the public process all along – did not raise one single objection, either on tendering or on the preparations. So up until 30 July, the Opposition was in agreement with all preparations for the transport reform.”

18:29  “The tender published was finalised without any trouble at all. There was never one single objection to the tender’s contents by the Opposition.”

18:28 The agreement with ATP bus drivers has been posted on a third party site HERE.

18:24  “Our compensation to bus drivers, €52 million, is equivalent to the subsidies we would have to pay them over the next three years. Over and above, we introduced a brand new fleet of buses.”

18:23  “We gave compensation to bus drivers because it was what they were entitled to, based on three years’ revenue.”

18:22  “Everyone in this House remembers the tribulations of having to undertake reform of the public transport system… and now that we bit the bullet, we hear the Opposition taking to task this reform.”

18:21 Austin Gatt: “In the past house, have we heard one single proposal towards this reform?”

18:20 Transport Minister Austin Gatt addressing the House.

18:19  “The prime minister did not accept that the government has failed… and is trying to defend the minister in the highest institution of the country.”

18:18 “Austin Gatt should be man enough to see how competent his own people are, before criticising others…”

18:15 "The national plan for transport, had it been finalised, would have been holistic and integrated, affecting all aspects of the economy." 

18:06 "We have a dishonest Cabinet... if it weren't, it would resign en masse for the problems that they have created."

18:05  Opposition whip Joe Mizzi addressing the House.

18:04 "I proposed a committee to monitor public transport reform... in this case the Opposition refused this request."

18:03 “I didn’t accept Gatt’s resignation because we shoulder all responsibility together.”

18:01 "We have to be humble as a government... that is why we're proposing an amendment to the motion."

17:59 “The buck stops here. I don't wash my hands... I take upon my shoulders the responsibility to lead the country, and every decision we take is bequeathed to or children. I take responsibility for this reform.”

17:55  “Labour made no single mention of their own motion’s details… it solely says the only improvement brought by the reform was the courtesy of drivers and air-conditioned vehicles… nobody mentioned the low-floor buses and how this has helped the elderly, the disabled or parents with push-chairs.”

17:54  “The environmental standards brought by this reform was the main priority in these changes, and tackling air pollution was a paramount concern.”

17:53  “This reform is Gatt’s as much as it is mine, as prime minister.”

17:52  “If someone thinks public transport reform was a project of Austin Gatt, they are very mistaken…”

17:51  “I can’t not mention that while we are debating this reform, Greece is currently debating its own problems precisely because they did not carry out the necessary reforms in the right time.”

17:50 Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi addressing the House.

17:45 Zammit, one of the more girthsome of MPs, earns a sarcastic complement from the other side of the House after saying that people were losing weight from walking longer distances to bus stops.

17:41 "The biggest expectations earn the hardest fall... "

17:40 Labour MP Anthony Zammit addressing the House.

17:39 "I hope Labour will have something stronger to say rather than this."

17:36 Censu Galea was a former transport minister who dealt with the former bus drivers' lobby ATP.

17:34 Nationalist MP Censu Galea addressing the House.

17:33: Refers to former UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox’s resignation. Says Fox acknowledged his mistake and resigned accordingly. 

17:29: “Minister Gatt offered his resignation because he felt the public’s frustration. I think he felt ridiculous making changes one after the other. He offered his resignation because he accepted to spend the public’s money in nothing. He gave money to incompetent people. He gave money to people who never set foot on a bus if they came out with that plan.

“I don’t think he found the consultants off the Yellow Pages, but they are friends of the inner circle.”

17:24: Opposition spokesman for foreign affairs George Vella addressing the House.

17:21: Says with the reform Malta would be saving millions in subsidies. “We were ambitious, and we confess maybe even too much. Where there were high expectations and we failed we say we are sorry.”

17:13: Parliamentary Secretary Jason Azzopardi addressing the House. Says the Opposition is not able to provide solutions, is regressive and far from progressive.

17:15: Dalli says government should be ashamed in criticising the Opposition for failing to the come forward with answers to the problem, when government itself spent €400,000 in consultancy.

“This cost was paid from the taxpayers’ money,” Dalli said.

She also criticised Arriva for stating that they underestimated the level of congestion on the island: “Can you stoop lower than designing a policy without knowing what the real situation is?”

17:04: Labour MP Helena Dalli addressing the House

17:00: Zammit Dimech said the Opposition is only there to oppose and is not able to offer solutions, even on something itself would have pushed forward.

“This is a condemnation on the Opposition which needs to be done. It just sits there on the sofa, as if it is watching a film, and simply says whether it likes or not.

“When asked what its programme would be, the Opposition either tells us to wait to the general elections, or that we would take its ideas. It’s this lack of seriousness which leads the Opposition to resort to populist rhetoric.”

16:57: Nationalist MP Francis Zammit Dimech addressing the House.

16:47: Referring to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s statement, describing the Opposition motion as a “negative reaction”, Mangion said this only goes to confirm that the PM is detached from the reality of the public.

“They said the reform would be state of the art. In reality, it has been a state-of-the-art-confusion.”

16:48: Labour MP Charles Mangion addressing the House.

16:41 Nationalist MP Frederick Azzopardi addressing the House, says the amount of cars on the road has reduced since the public transport reform. Hit out at the Opposition for "riding on the public's complaints to gain political mileage".

16:39: Gulia describes the transport service in summer as "a film of horror with the tourist as a spectator." He added that it is unacceptable that it is enough for someone to assume responsibility by simply apologising.

16:30: Labour MP Gavin Gulia addressing the House.

16:24: Mario de Marco says there had been lack of public interest in the designing of the routes: "But this is now an opportunity  to address the problems. Every reform is a process of change. This government was never afraid of change.

"We are only responsible of one thing: we are ambitious. But if we weren't ambitious we would still be a colony, we would not have a liberalised economy and we would not be members of the European Union."

16:19: Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco addressing the House.

16:12  Labour MP Roderick Galdes addressing the House.

15:48  Debono: New Gozo routes has allowed better distribution of economic activity on sister island.

15:45  Debono is giving a rundown of the general accessibility that the new buses has provided certain commuters, their environmental standards, and the general improvement of the service’s efficiency in Gozo.

15:44 Gozo minister Giovanna Debono addressing the House.

15:33 Michael Farrugia addressing the House: “This is a reform that has promised us less emissions from Euro V buses, but retained the high emissions from the Delimara power station extensionand now have the emissions of added traffic congestion.”

15:30  “This is a government that has involved itself in various reforms and invested in many infrastructural changes, such as waste recycling and waste water treatment…”

15:27  Stephen Spiteri addressing the House.

15:21  “From these incidents I see this parliament’s ‘stocks and shares’ performing well… these are normal incidents in parliaments abroad.”

15:20  "Government’s backbench today is a more mature and audacious one from the backbench we knew."

15:15 Labour MP Jose Herrera thanks the House for allowing to speak earlier since he has an appointment. Minister Austin Gatt chips with a quick jibe: "Why don't you catch an Arriva bus...?" (laughter in the House...)

15:12  “When the Opposition leader Joseph Muscat criticised the €50 million buyout of the former bus drivers, he was against this compensation and the public transport reform.”

15:09  “A vote against this motion is a vote in favour of a solution… we started this reform and must continue under its present minister. This reform is a political asset, not a liability. For the Opposition, it is protest that is their political asset, and its success a liability for them.”

15:08  Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo addressing the House: “It is obvious that this motion is only a protest motion… the Opposition lives off protest, it is nurtured by chaos and disorder, so we should see where the Opposition is leading to.”

15:05 "Have we heard what the people wanted from this reform... or were the engaged experts ignorant of the needs of commuters?"

14:58 Labour MP Anthony Agius Decelis now addressing the House, also listing shortcomings in his district.

14:53  "One of the reasons I cannot vote in favour of this motion... is that the aim of the motion is not intended at the betterment of the transport system."

14:51  Nationalist MP Joe Falzon addressing the House.

14:48  Buhagiar:“The public transport system is always going to depend on the quality of our road infrastructure… once you have problems of access to towns and villages, congestion will always be created. That is why we need to think of alternative public transport systems.”

14:46 Nationalist MP Jean-PIerre Farrugia addressed the House where he gave a rundown of illnesses directly related to air pollution, and now Labour MP Charles Buhagiar is addressing the House.

14:34 Labour MP Roderick Galdes [some bandwidth problems will be making the site slower]

14:25 Cassar is highlighting the positive aspects of the new service after 40 years of a bus service which had a dismal service by drivers, polluting vehicles and no air-conditioning. "We have a service that can be improved for the future."

14:19  Health Minister Joe Cassar addressing the House.

14:15 Opposition whip Joe Mizzi is asking the deputy Speaker to investigate why the 106.6 FM transmission was interrupted towards the end and music was playing.

13:59  “I have tried to raise issues as an MP, and I always –

 - The parliamentary transmission has just been stopped. FIrst song on 106.6 FM is the Maltese ditty ‘Baby Jo-Jo’ being played. Sitting resumes at 14:05

13:51  Debono is continuing on yesterday’s Bondiplus, in which presenter Lou Bondì asked whether Labour knew of Franco Debono’s support of their motion before they tabled it.

13:50  Franco Debono is give an extension on his speech by Opposition whip Joe Mizzi.

13:46  “I can’t understand whether that programme yesterday was about public transport or myself… he should have said that he endorsed the man behind the public transport reform [referring to Manuel Delia].”

13:44 “Public broadcasting is in an unacceptable state, Prime Minister… after I refused to acknowledge an invitation by Lou Bondì he spent the day attacking me on his personal blog. Public broadcasting, and I have been telling you this for years Prime Minister, is in a state worse than the 1980s.”

13:42  “If the motion is recognising a grave shortcoming then one cannot be exonerated of the constitutional responsibility towards the electorate.”

13:38  “I cannot follow the recommendation of the PN executive committee [to vote against the motion]… this would be contrary to my oath to the Constitution… who wants to enjoy the pleasure of not being accountable can enjoy the trappings of being a party sectional secretary.”

13:37 "Accountability demands that a person who makes a mistake bows out…"

13:36 "In all democracies which are real democracies, and not just a democracy in name… the minister responsible for wrong policies has to bow to the public will and bear responsibility for his mistakes. Now where we boasted of the best public transport reform in the world, well the minister’s actions must match this boast. It is simply a recognition of his mistake."

13:33  “Even if the new changes that come in, following my intervention in the matter, take place, it would have been the sixth change in four months in this entire mess.”

13:32  “A minister does not have an unlimited number of chances to try and make things right.”

13:30  “Agreeing with public transport reform does not mean one cannot criticise it… and it doesn’t follow that you have to be avant-garde to appreciate the reform.”

13:28  “Party loyalty does not mean that it gives carte blanche to someone to bulldoze his way over the rest…”

13:23  “I did my utmost to honour this parliamentary seat and bring issues up that are usually not part of the debate… this motion is not about pubic transport reform only, but about the way democracy actually functions in this country.”

13:22  “I hope ‘collective responsibility’ here will not mean that the same happens just like a kid in a playground summons his friends for a fight.”

13:19  “The motion is calling for the resignation of the minister, the officials responsible, and the Transport Malta chiefs… but to turn this into a matter of collective responsibility is in itself something irresponsible. MP Chris Cardona stated as much: this is a matter of individual responsibility and not collective responsibility.”

13:18  “I took the position I had to take on this motion after it was table, and a press conference just days later announced an extensive reform [referring to the 36 new buses to be introduced on 9 November].”

13:15  “While the Opposition is being criticised over its lack of participation in the consultation process, it should be mentioned that there was no parliamentary group meeting either on transport… and to see what changes have taken place so far, it is clear that this was no patching-up. It was a total overhaul.”

13:11 “I have previously voted with government during the motion on the Delimara power station, over issues of energy security... I felt I was carrying out my duty well by criticising the heavy fuel oil and voting with the government rather than against it.”

13:10 Debono says the new routes are effectively a revolution, “a 360 degree that takes us back to [where we began].”

13:10 Nationalist MP Franco Debono addressing the House.

13:09 "Society demands that the minister resigns... because the way things have been managed were not in the people's interest."

13:04 "The antics of this government have come to a head... the people are fed up with these theatrics."

13:00 Farrugia tells Gatt: "You cannot keep ignoring the people."

12:59 Labour deputy leader Anglu Farrugia: refers to PQ to Austin Gatt asking for who where the official involved in the public transport reform, to which Gatt refused to answer.

12:49 Bonnici says he offers his solidarity to minister Austin Gatt.

12:48 Bonnici: “Austin Gatt has been courageous enough to bring forward his vision for public transport…”

12:47 From the Twitterfeed markbrincat Hamsters powering the parliament live stream server are dead, confirms IT minister #Austin Gatt http://t.co/a7L0pIeU

12:44 If you're following the debate on 106.6 FM, the spirited interruptions are coming from Labour whip Joe Mizzi.

12:43 Nationalist MP Charlò Bonnici addressing the House.

12:39 Labour MP Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca addressing the House, also listing several problems faced by her constituents. "When I asked Austin Gatt in parliament why Qormi was not being served well as it had been before, he claimed there were two buses passing every 30 minutes, back in July. Today we still have entire areas in Qormi that are ot being served."

12:29 Cauchi says the Paola square is a 'veritable Mecca of transport disaster'.

12:28 Cauchi also listing various routes whose duration has increased from an average 20 minutes to up to 3 hours in some extreme instances.

12:23 Labour MP Gino Cauchi: "The TM officials have evidently never been down to the south to see how the bus system has failed there... I've seen women putting their make-up on during a traffic jam, and even somebody reading a book while waiting in a traffic jam."

12:18 "Labour has been constantly against our IT revolution and privatisations led by Austin Gatt... it's with conviction that I vote against this motion."

12:16 "We are a people who is proud of our identity... Austin Gatt is a man who can deliver and it is clear that he infuriates Labour. This is the fourth time Labour moves a motion against him."

12:14 Parliamentary secretary Clyde Puli is now addressing the House: "It was Arriva that tendered for the public transport routes devised by the government. And it wa Arriva that had to made good for the shortcomings of the service that they were providing."

12:11 - From the Twitterfeed Satiristan posts this picture:

12:08 Chris Cardona is listing problems related to his constituency, namely the removal of old bus stops that have resulted in certain groups of people, amongst them the elderly, to walk longer distances to catch a bus.

12:04 Labour MP Chris Cardona addressing the  House: "The word 'Arriva' has become the joke of the year amongst everyone."

12:02 “Why has the Opposition not offered one solution to the problems in public transport reform… ‘those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who’s doing it’.”

11:57 Parliamentary secretary for the elderly Mario Galea addressing the House.

11:55 “We’re simply not pleased about the fact that commuters are just not being served… a worker from Bulebel said she has to walk from the factory to Zejun when she finishes at 3pm because she cannot trust the service. The indications now are also that the new bus service has increased traffic congestion the south of Malta.”

11:50 “The minister responsible here is answerable to parliament. If there is a motion of no confidence in that minister, he must not continue in office and the President of Malta as the guardian of the Constitution, must take any decision he may have to.”

11:49 Labour MP Owen Bonnici is speaking now.

11:47 “While I understand the people’s desire to see a better transport service, they must also see that this transport reform will succeed.”

11:44 “The previously system was, financially, irrational: there was no accountability, previous ministers tried in vain to find solutions with the fragmented ATP, and every time we tried increasing the price of the tickets or the bus subsidy this would be met by cynical letter-writers who knew that the service would never improve.”

11:42 “The Opposition should really consider repealing this motion, because when it talks of the shortcomings of the routes, long delays and postponed services… when one considers the radical changes that have taken place since July, today we have a system that should reach the aims it set out to reach.”

11:41 Finance minister Tono Fenech is speaking now.

11:34 "Passengers are king... or maybe king and queen. And have passengers in this public reform been king? I'd say the minister has been more 'king carnival' than anything else..."

11:30 Labour MP Stefan Buontempo is now speaking.

11:29 “Let’s keep the good routes we have and improve upon the old routes that people want.”

11:26 Borg is making a comparison between the old and new system: for example, the subsidies paid out to the former ATP (public transport association), the new after-hours service that has improved access to smaller towns off the arterial roads.

11:24 “It was expected that when such reforms take place, you would find unhappy voices from all ends…”

11:23 Deputy prime minister Tonio Borg is now speaking.

11:19 Highlighting the shortcomings in his own southern districts, Parnis notes that more commuters are turning to private transport because of the problems with the public transport service. He also says that the new bus terminus in Paola is now characterised by a group of buses which leave their engines switched on at all times.

11:15 Parnis: “I wonder what would have happened had this reform failed under a Labour administration… there is no capital to be made on this failure. When the moment of truth comes, it will be the people to decide on the fate of this government.”

11:12 Labour MP Silvio Parnis is now speaking.

11:10 Robert Arrigo is listing shortcomings in the Sliema area, citing eight buses congregating at one go in the Balluta area.

11:07 Robert Arrigo has asked Minister Austin Gatt to reintroduce the circular Sliema bus previously funded by the local council.

11:06 Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo is now speaking.

11:05 Had Minister Gatt delivered what he had promised within the promised time –the fact that Gatt has broken his promise in the House and on the media, justifies the motion presented by Labour.

11:02 “Increased congestion has resulted in low gear driving and slower driving, and more emissions. Apart from that there is greater fuel consumption… the problem of public transport has developed into something greater than it is.”

11:00“If criticising the service in July was premature, today’s criticism is well deserved. Who will guarantee that the service will return to normal by May 2012 and buses will have been all equipped with Euro V engines?”

10:57 Brincat refers to several damage control attempts to save Austin Gatt’s face and refers to Transport Malta’s waiver of conditions for the roadworthiness of the new 36 buses (no airconditioning and Euro 3 engines).

10:54 “When Gatt was in China to take delivery of the new buses, he said we would have a public transport system worthy of the 21^st century… hand on heart, it is useless comparing this new system to the old system. The comparison should be made against the pompous expectations generated by the minister’s talk.”

10:53 “Instead of a real public transport reform, where the minister said the time for messing about was over, it seemed it was now time for some messing about of the minister’s doing…”

10:52 Labour MP Leo Brincat is speaking now.

10:50 Fenech Adami says Labour has been “against everything” (he lists various privatisations and IT reforms)… “If it was for you we would be a Third World country, just like things were when you were governing this country.”

10:49 Fenech Adami says only Labour MP Leo Brincat gave any constructive contribution to the public transport reform.

10:46 Fenech Adami says Birkirkara’s service has been improved radically since the introduction of the public transport reform. Fenech Adami says Labour’s attempts at making its own ‘complaints service’ is futile.

10:45 Nationalist MP Beppe Fenech Adamiis speaking now.

10:42 Busuttil says Paola local council today presented a judicial protest over the noise pollution generated by the new buses.

10:40 Luciano Busuttil is listing a litany of shortcomings of the system, mainly due to the size of the large buses that seem unable to pass through busy streets.

10:35 Labour MP Luciano Busuttilis now speaking.

10:34 “The Opposition only wants to pick at the system’s deficiencies.”

10:33 “Today we have a service in Gozo that includes direct connections that never existed before… and new proposals by councils are being studied to perfect the current service. A €10 monthly saver ticket has meant Gozitans can use the transport without limit. No wonder we have seen a 400% increase in bus patronage in Gozo.”

10:29 “During the months-long consultation process we held, including a national conference, the Opposition did not participate in any way in this reform.”

10:28 Parliamentary Secretary for public dialogue Chris Saidis now speaking.

10:28 Students from the south travelling up to the University or the ITS in Pembroke, are having problems making it in time to school. “This is why we have presented this motion.”

10:27 Chris Agius: “It is time to get the routes as they were before.”

10:26 “In Kalkara, commuters had the luxury of getting one bus to Valletta, but now they have to get a bus from Xghajra that also passed through Birzebbugia.”

10:25“The point of the reform was to be more efficient… why did the bus from Bormla to Valletta have to pass through the Paola square? It just takes more time.”

10:21Agius, whose district is the Cottonera, is also talking of his constituents’ problems. He says that whereas a bus every 20 minutes left one particular terminus, the buses today no longer are as regular or punctual.

10:20 “I remember tourists praising the bus service… and now we have not one person speaking positively of this reform.”

10:18 “We believe the men responsible behind this reform, which has cost €120 million, must shoulder their responsibility… after all they are the ones to blame for this mess.”

10:17 Labour MP Chris Agius is now speaking.

10:16“As a government, I know we will be able to deliver a system that will make us truly proud.”

10:15 “When I see the Labour motion, I see that we have a responsibility to see that this reform is carried out properly. This motion has no vision or solution… it simply stops this evening.”

10:14 “I’m not going to fall for the temptation of listing my district’s shortcomings. I had my own complaints and they are being seen to…”

10:13 Nationalist MP Karl Gouderis now speaking: “We should be fair with each other. We gave the impression that such a difficult reform to carry about would have been mended within a second. The impression created was that this would be a perfect system.”

10:07 "They tell us more people are using the bus service... and yet we are seeing even more traffic than ever before."

10:05 "It is hard to think that the Prime Minister is trying to blame the Opposition for complaining about the system... and then tries to create some parliamentary committee to discuss public transport reform. Why didn't he just do that in the first place?"

10:04 "Is it a coincidence that Arriva's chief executive David Martin gave a press conference yesterday in Malta... is he trying to save somebody's face?"

10:03 "What we have today is now what we had been promised... We are certainly still a long way away from what we had been promised. We were never told there would be several phases in the way this reform was going to take place, and yet we are still not there. The government, in the meantime, prides itself that it is now 'hearing' people's complaints."

10:01 Labour MP Carmelo Abela is now speaking. "I assure the Honourable colleague and friend" [he is talking of Philip Mifsud here...] "that Labour is not exploiting these shortcomings. We gave this reform three months before making our complaints on the system."

09:59 "I need to remind Michael Falzon that he made not one suggestion during this reform, and this is the Opposition's problem. It is willing to highlight the problems, but not to participate in the bettering of what we have provided. We have provided solutions. The Opposition on the other hand is revelling in these problems."

09:57 Nationalist MP Philip Mifsud is now speaking: "The scale of reforms by the Nationalist government has made us have greater expectations than ever before. Everything is relative. High expectations means everything else is comparable."

09:55 "Transport Malta should look for someone from the Yellow Pages to redo the routes" [a dig at a claim by BWSC agent Joe Mizzi who told the parliamentary accounts committee he selected Vassallo Builders Group as BWSC subcontractors by picking them off the Yellow Pages.]

09:51 Falzon is speaking of the problems for Sliema commuters, and how buses entering the town's streets are creating deadlock due to the size of the vehicles.

09:50 Michael Falzon is complaining about the 'rude' way Austin Gatt answers PQs on the problems on the bus transport.

09:47 "I can't even imagine how the new routes had to be changed six times in the last five months... and now we have to add more buses and bring back the old vehicles... is this the famous reform the government talks about? If Pullicino thinks we're always expecting things to be simply grand, the way the government speaks with its 'money-on-problem' attitude is that things should just be smooth sailing all the time."

09:46 "If there was something you could not criticise, it was the bus service.... they told us the time for messing about had ended, but it seems like the pantomime for people who have appointments to attend, or visit the sick and elderly in hospital, surely started."7

09:45 Labour MP Michael Falzon is now speaking.

09:44 "We should be debating our economy as the rest of the European Union member states are doing."

09:42 Pullicino is giving details of the high emission levels that were emitted from the old bus system.

09:41 George Pullicino: We have to recognise that in the last 40 years, there was never any radical attempt as this to reform the bus service.

09:37 Joe Sammut speech over. Rural Affairs and Resources Minister George Pullicino talking.

09:35 It is important now that Gatt takes political responsibility for this failure... it cannot  be that a minister spends €120 million as if it were nothing. He must resign, along with the political appointees responsible for this reform. They must do the right thing.

09:30 Sammut says that while Gatt is introducing more buses, Arriva says there is no more space for added buses at the Valletta terminus.

09:28 "It is unacceptable that Gatt said the people were not ready for an 'avant-garde' bus service... it's been a total disaster."

09:27 Sammut says Arriva Malta has a conflict of interest as the operator of the bus service, and the body responsible to license bus drivers.

09:23 Sammut says other people responsible for the transport reform fiasco are Manuel Delia, who is Austin Gatt's head of secretariat, and Transport Malta chairman Mark Portelli and CEO Stanley Portelli.

09:20 Labour MP Joe Sammut says the total cost of the public transport reform, when you factor in the €55 million to pay out the old bus drivers, is €120 million.

09:17 Sammut is now quoting the critical remarks on the bus service from the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.

09:16 "Austin Gatt said Transport Malta had taken three years to study this reform… the result has been a pandemonium, three years of wasted salaries."

"Now these buses are too big for our streets, the routes system is creating great inconvenience, the computerized system is not yet in function, and the state of the art service has simply not delivered. And where was it ever heard that a passenger has to present identification to ride the bus?"

09:10 "It had to be a student to raise the anger of people, only  be faced by a no comment, no problem attitude by Minister Austin Gatt."

09:10 Sammut: Opposition gave a chance throughout summer before presenting criticism of public transport failure.

09:05 Joseph Sammut (PL) is reading the Labour motion of no confidence, citing the problems and shortcomings in public transport reform, the costs of consultancies, the cost of the Bisazza Street traffic fiasco, and calling for Austin Gatt's resignation.