Environment, transport and housing: up next for Labour

The Labour Party in government has led to a record low rate of unemployment, a booming economy and an economic growth that outperformed other countries’, backbencher Silvio Schembri and candidate Aaron Farrugia said this afternoon.

Welcoming a number of economic reports on Malta’s success, Schembri and Farrugia said the backbone of economic growth was also driven by private consumption and private investment. They pointed out that both public and private debts were going down and the level of investment was a sign of trust in government’s policies.

However, when asked, Farrugia also admitted that sectors such as social housing, the environment and transport had become “collateral damage” as a result of economic growth.

“The Labour Party is work on proposals that will address these issues and others,” Farrugia said, hinting that this may form an important part of Labour’s electoral manifesto for the 2018 general election.

Schembri said that the government was already working on measures to help those most at risk to tackle the rising cost of rent.

The government, he added, is also set to announce a measure in collaboration with private banks targeting those who don’t afford to pay the 10% required for a bank loan to be approved.