Updated | Government withdraws €10,000 from drugs rehabilitation programme

Adds reaction by government

 Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici said that the total allocation for the home affairs had increased when compared to 2011.

"The funds allocated for the Police Force and the Civil Protection Department increased by almost €1.9 million," Mifsud Bonnici said, adding that the Opposition was trying to play down the positive effect brought about by the implementation of the justice reparative reform.

He added that the probation and parole department received an allocation of €477,000.

"Government is investing a total recurrent budget of €9.13 million in a system which truly reforms the prisoner. This allocation registered an increase of €225,000 over 2011," Mifsud Bonnici said.

Earlier

Labour MP Michael Falzon this afternoon highlighted the budget cuts carried out by government in the home affairs sector, primarily concerning prisoners and prison wardens.

"While it is worrying that some 40% of the prisoners have a drug problem, and while everyone knows about the drug trafficking problem within the prison, government will be deducting €10,000 from the funds allocated to the drug rehabilitation programme in the prisons," Falzon said.

"Moreover, even though the prison is also meant to be a correctional facility, €45,000 have been cut from the education and training programme of the prisons."

Falzon, who has long been criticising government for the small amount of wardens working despite the 600-population at the prison, also announced that government had cut down the funds allocated for overtime.

"The last a warden was employed at CCF was four years ago. Despite this, salaries will be cut by €51,000 and the overtime budget has been reduced by €337,000," he said, adding that these figures only raised questions on government's commitment towards the states of the home affairs in Malta.