PN government would improve quality of life

A new PN government would improve the quality of life of all citizens and guarantee a safe and secure future, justice minister Chris Said said during the launch of its latest billboard themed 'A quality leap.'

"Our electoral programme will improve the quality of life of pensioners, widowers, disabled persons and their families," the minister said.

Said stressed that the PN electoral programme was based on four fundamental pillars jobs, health, education and projects which would ensure a better quality of life.

"Improving the people's quality of life depends on safe and secure finances and the outgoing Nationalist government has a record of a sound economic performance despite the financial international turmoil and we are able to keep the country on the same track," Said said. 

Focussing on the PN's proposals for the elderly, pensioners and disabled persons, Said explained that pensioners who receive a foreign services or treasury pension would benefit from an increase while it is also looking at increasing the number of pensioners who have kept their job, currently standing at 14,000 pension, by slashing by half the National Insurance payments for persons over 65 and reducing the rate by 5% for persons under 65.

A new PN government would also reduce taxes for elderly persons who had a carer at home and open more daycare centres and residences for the elderly, Said noted.

He added that parents of disabled persons would be able to enter into a trust agreement with the government about the care of their children after the parents' death, while community services and centres for disabled persons would be improved.

Stressing the importance of social security, Said pointed out that the current government had increased its expenditure in health, education and social security by €600 million in the last five years, "the same amount Labour would like to spend on a power station," Said quipped.