36 brand new mobile homes for refugees remain empty

Government in the process of recruiting detention officers in order to increase its manpower.

19 July 2013, 12:00am
by Staff Reporter

1 min read

Thirty-six brand new mobile homes at the Lyster Barracks in Hal Far have never been used due to the lack of manpower, Lt Col Brian Gatt said today.

Gatt, head of the detention services, was briefing the press during a tour of the detention centre in Hal Far.

Bought over a year and a half ago and which cost around €1 million financed by the EU, the mobile homes can be used to house irregular migrants during their stay at the detention centre. Currently, a total of 258 migrants reside at Lyster barracks, 153 of which are women whose age ranges between 18 and 60.

Meanwhile, the government is in the process of recruiting detention officers to increase its human resources.

More from Staff Reporter

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Last year, just 70 were granted refugee status. The year before it was 43 and in 2009 just 20. Surely it's a bit of an overkill to have 36 mobile homes for refugees. That's less than one home for every 2 people. The homes were not intended for refugees but for economic migrants who come here in their thousands and have there asylum application for refugee status rejected. http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=3343 PS They will remain brand new as long as they are not used. They will be trashed in a matter of months once they are in use.

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Inkompetenza kbira minn ghand uhud minn dawk li splodew f'tghajjir disuman meta l-PM tkellem dwar il-pushback. Inkompetenza akbar mill-EU li ghal xi raguni jew ohra ma gghalitx lil gvern inkompetenti ta' qabel biex jaghmel uzu minn dawn I'd-djar. Flus minfuqa biex gawdew biss dawk li bieghu id-djar, u , forsi, minn gabar xi commission. Min jisraq, direttament jew indirettament, irid irodd.

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Wait a few more years and they will all be filled to the roofs. The government should have taken those empty mobile homes near the sea and let Maltese citizens use them as houseboats.Why didn't the government recruit detention officers before they got the mobile homes. Putting the horse before the cart again?

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Grazzi ghal letargija li kien jipposiedi il-gvern precedenti. Forsi ma kellux flus biex jinpjega aktar detention officers. Smajt li Gonzi kif hareg ghal l-ahhar darba mikl kamra tad-deputati irrifonda il €500 fil-gimgha li kien ha minn wara dar kullhadd Tghid din veru?