‘Budget weak on eradication of social exclusion’ – Puli

Nationalist MP Clyde Puli said the social strategy of Budget 2014 suffered from "serious shortcomings" on the eradication of social exclusion.

Addressing the press outside the Ministry for Family and Social Solidarity in Valletta, Puli said that while there were a number of measures which were positive, the budget lacked in "implementation and long-term initiatives".

According to Puli, a number of schemes presented in the Budget had actually been voted for in Budget 2013, abandoned during the year and reintroduced for next year.

He said there was nothing on out-of-stock medicine which affected the most vulnerable.

"Eradicating social exclusion is not about pouring money but about giving back an individual his integrity and independence," he said, adding that "a number of measures made people more dependant on benefits".

He also accused the government of doing nothing tangible on the strategy against poverty, "except for music and art exhibitions".

Puli told the press that while a green paper on poverty will be published in February, no funds had been allocated.

He said that there was nothing about illiteracy, except for a consultation development which was "merely a wish list and not a roadmap".

Puli also insisted that the government did away with a national policy for children drafted by the previous administration and set up its own committee.

"This is how the government lost a year in action," he said, adding the same had happened to the children in out of home care strategy.

Puli asked why the budget had reduced supplementary assistance by €1 million and invalidity pensions by €2million.

He said the government should explain why it was forecasting a €1.3 million increase in revenue generated from pensions of elderly who were in residential homes.