'A quarter of Malta's population facing poverty problems'- PN

Opposition MP Clyde Puli

Opposition social solidarity MP Clyde Puli today called on the government to implement a national plan against poverty after expressing his concern at the growing number of people in poverty or at risk of poverty.

Puli explained that recent statistics published by the National Statistics Office show that 99,000 people were in poverty or at risk of poverty, an increase of 6,000 people over the previous year.

"This means that a quarter of Malta's population is now at risk of or already living in poverty," Puli said.

“This is despite Labour’s electoral promise to eradicate poverty by the end of its current term in 2018," Puli said. "Not only have they not managed to decrease it but they have managed to increease it, this despite stabilisations in the international economic situation."

"It's clear that the government isn't spending its money properly. Instead of addressing this serious national problem, it has decided to spend money on appeasing people close to the party, relaunching schemes that it itself had dropped, and creating artificial jobs."

"The government is throwing money at problems when it should be decreasing people's dependancy on the welfare state," Puli said. 

The MP said that the problem of poverty can only be addressed through a wide and cohesive plan that addresses all poverty-related factors, including health, education, and employment. 

"The government had launched a strategy to combat poverty but it is still a Green Paper a year later. It is clear that they don't yet have a strategy to combat this problem."