Prime Minister's surprise visit

On Friday morning the receptionist at the Ministry of Finance was surprised to find Prime Minister Joseph Muscat standing before her asking on which floor to find Minister Edward Scicluna and Permanent Secretary Alfred Camilleri.

Source told newspaper ILLUM it was at around mid-day on Friday when Prime Minister Muscat left his office at Castile and paid a surprise visit to the Ministry of Finance, which was in the middle of pre-budget preparations.  Edward Scicluna has been criticised for his lack of focus on his job.

The receptionist's surprise was shared by the persons inside the lift who found Dr Muscat staring at them as the lift opened at the Ministry's ground floor.

During his visit, the Prime Minister met the employees entrusted with the pre-budget preparations. As changes, some of which highlighted by Muscat himself were being applied to the budget speech, the Prime Minister joked about how illegible his handwriting can be.

Source confirmed the visit lasted over three hours during which Dr Muscat, Edwards Scicluna and Alfred Camilleri poured over the details of tomorrow's budget.

ILLUM revealed how contrary to previous budgets, tomorrow's speech was not penned by a single person. Indeed it was three cabinet members who collaborated to draw the 2014 budget speech.  Together with the Minister of Finance, who will tomorrow deliver the speech, Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech and Prime Minister Muscat himself were majorly involved in the preparation of the budget.

Dr Muscat repeatedly said this budget would realise a number of pre-election promises.

The approval of the budget bill will be spread over 18 parliamentary sessions, lasting until 21 November.