Updated | Govt challenged to publish '100' encroachments awarded by previous administration

The Nationalist Party has denied that it issued over 100 encroachments on public land between the months of January and March of this year, and challenged government to substantiate their claims by publishing the details of the 100 persons who have allegedly been given encroachments during that time.

Earlier, Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi and Labour MP Chris Agius asked the Public Accounts Committee to investigate the Auditor General Report's on Good Causes Fund and encroachments issued under the PN administration on the eve of the March 2013 elections.

Mizzi and Agius are two of the MPs representing the Labour parliamentary group on the PAC.

Their request follows yesterday's call by the PN for the PAC to investigate the Lands Commissioner's decision to drop a case against the PL over a number of properties in Pembroke.

In a statement issued earlier this afternoon by the Labour Party, Mizzi and Agius said the PAC - parliament's committee responsible of scrutinising the government - should investigate how several public lands were given to the private through encroachment between December 2012 and March 2013.

The two noted that media reports of 100 encroachments issued in three months by the previous administration had not been denied.

According to Labour, the government usually issues around 150 encroachment orders over 12 months.

"This, coupled with the findings of the Auditor General's report on the Good Causes Fund, reveal lack of serious governance and transparency by the previous administration," the PL said.

The National Lotteries Good Causes Fund (NLGCF) was set up under the Lotteries and Other Games Act (2008, Cap 438) to partially fund projects of a philanthropic, cultural, sports, educational, social, religious or civic nature, or other deserving causes, proposed by individuals and non-governmental organisations.

But the fund was revealed to be over-committed to 2014 due to monies promised by the former government to entities, well into the next year.

The Nationalist Party however welcomed the comment that "the NAO 'considers the funding of most... initiatives as a valid means of supporting deserving causes that are of benefit to many and which tie in with the broader national objectives'," the PN said, quoting the report.

"It's a clear conclusion that goes against the deceptive way the government is trying to spin the report."

The PN also cited the NAO report where it point out that, even after paying all commitments entered into before March 2013, "the year 2014 is expected to end with a balance of approximately €129,000, which could then be used to pay any commitments made after March 2013." 

In a statement issued by the PN, the Opposition denied the claims and said that if government really believed what it was saying than it should state whether any encroachments were given against the advice of the Lands Department. 

The PN said that Labour "was continuing to deceive" the public, explaining that there was nothing illegal about the issuing of an encroachment and that these are usually given to a person or a group with the sole intention that that entity could make better use of the land, whilst they could be terminated by government with immediate effect. 

The Opposition suggested that Labour's claims were only a knee-jerk reaction to the PN's own request for the Public Accounts Committee to investigate the decision by the Attorney General and the Commissioner for Lands to drop a case against the Labour Party over a number of properties in Pembroke.