Official statistics show ‘plummeting’ standard of living - Labour

A clear example of this, Farrugia explained, was “the constant deterioration in the standard of living” that the Maltese were experiencing. This deterioration, the Labour deputy leader for parliamentary affairs insisted, was being caused “primarily by unemployment, which is persisting”.

Farrugia explained how quality of living resulted when there were "social and economic security, social cohesion, and social empowerment... These factors, in the local context, could not manifest themselves because of the worrying situation of the political and economic climate of this country,” Farrugia insisted.

He explained how the last NSO statistics, the unemployment rate stood at 7.2% while the expenditure by consumers during 2009 decreased. “As remarked by the 2009 Annual Report by the Governor of the Central Bank, since the bad employment prospects and the instability regarding employment security, have brought about careful expenditure by people."

The main reason for this, he added, was “the decision by Lawrence Gonzi’s government to shoulder all its inefficiencies on the people with higher water and electricity tariffs.

“It looks like the Government has not learnt anything from all of this, because now we also had increased which are much higher than in other EU countries for an essential commodity like gas,” Farrugia charged.

He also noted how the quality of living was also being eroded by the fact that the purchasing power of wages was decreasing. “Prices are increasing at a higher rate than wages and the standard of living of working class families, middle-class families, self-employed and pensioners is decreasing,” the Labour Deputy leader for Parliamentary Affairs charged.

Farrugia explained how the latest NSO statistics for poverty showed that 14% of the population were facing this problem.

Moreover, 18% of those who were in risk of poverty according to the NSO were children and younger than seventeen, and people over 65 were facing most risk of falling into the poverty trap, Farrugia lamented. According to Farrugia, the latest NSO statistics on families which were raising their own children showed that the situation was “not so positive”.

He explained how most of the children who were mostly at risk of poverty were single parents or children who live in family units of three or more. In addition, there were 39,840 household unit who were earning wages of €10,000 or less.  11.5% of these units included children being raised. “Lawrence Gonzi cannot rest the Government’s conscience by saying that it was now giving energy vouchers, some of which have now resulted as being for only €0.01,” he concluded.