Rent sector problems are of the government’s own making - Delia

The problem of excessive rent prices has been brought on by the government itself through its policy of relying on population growth for economic expansion, Adrian Delia said.

Delia said that the new rent regulations, set to come into force next year, will not solve the issue but instead exacerbate it, negatively affecting young people looking to buy a property, and the elderly who risk ending up without a roof on their heads.

The Opposition leader, who was speaking during an interview on Net FM on Saturday morning, said that the Nationalist Party intended to be proactive by proposing solutions which would not shift the problem created by the government to the private sector, and which would give hope to those looking to purchase a home.

He highlighted that when the country’s salaries were compared to the rise in the cost of living - including rent and the prices of fuel and basic necessities - it was clear that people were ending up with less money in their pockets.

Finance Minister disrespected financial sector workers

Delia also referred to a recent interview with Edward Scicluna in The Telegraph, saying the Finance Minister had been disrespectful of finance sector workers when he had dismissed questions related to money laundering by saying that every country had problems in this area.

“Finance Minister Edward Scicluna's comments to The Telegraph show great disrespect to all the workers and professionals whose livelihoods depend on our country’s financial sector,” he said.

Scicluna had not demonstrated to the newspaper that the government was seriously addressing the money laundering problem, Delia underscored, saying that while the minister might not care about Malta’s reputation, the thousands employed in the sector did.

The government’s behaviour was tainting the Maltese jurisdiction's reputation, he emphasised.