Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1378870
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 MAY 2021 NEWS PRELIMINARY MARKET CONSULTATION MALTESE SPELLING AND GRAMMAR CHECKER SOLUTION AND RELATED SERVICES The purpose of this Preliminary Market Consultation (PMC) is to identify potential Solutions and the avaiability of Economic Operators who are able to provide a Maltese Spelling and Grammar Checker solution. For more information visit etenders.gov.mt TENDER ID: MHAL/01/2021 Interested parties are to submit their bid via the e-tenders portal by not ater than 30/06/2021 12:00 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Spell Checker 1.pdf 1 27/05/2021 08:14 MATTHEW AGIUS ADPD is the first mainstream political party to commit itself to addressing abortion in its electoral manifesto with leader Carmel Cacopardo calling for empathy. At its online annual general meeting held yesterday, AD- PD's executive was tasked with preparing the party's position on abortion. Cacopardo, who was re-elect- ed chairperson, said decrimi- nalising abortion was the first basic, essential step. He insist- ed that empathy was key in the abortion debate. "Decriminalising abortion with respect to women is the first basic essential step which requires urgent action in Mal- ta. It is essential as women who undergo abortion need the protection of the state and not being threatened with prosecu- tion and persecution," he said, criticising the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party for stonewalling the debate. Independent MP Marlene Farrugia recently presented a private members' Bill to end the criminalisation of abortion. However, the Bill stops short of providing a legal framework that dictates how and when an abortion is possible. Malta's draconian law pro- hibits abortion in all circum- stances, making it one of only a handful of countries in the world with an outright ban on abortion. The general meeting ap- proved a new executive com- mittee, composed of: Chairper- son Carmel Cacopardo, Deputy Chairpersons Mario Mallia and Mark Zerafa, Secretary Gener- al Ralph Cassar, Deputy Secre- tary General Sandra Gauci and Melissa Bagley, PRO Marcus Lauri, Treasurer Luke Caru- ana, International Secretary Mina Tolu and Members Dun- can Bonnici, Martina Caruana, Anna Azzopardi, Donal Kelly, Jamie Mercieca and Matthew Mizzi. ADPD to address abortion in manifesto PAUL COCKS HUNDREDS of people turned up at the Nationalist Party head- quarters yesterday in response to a campaign against overcharging in utility bills. The PN has pledged to refund the overcharged amounts to con- sumers if elected to government, a tab that could hit €50 million. The case concerns the system by which the utility billing company ARMS calculates bills every two months. This does not allow con- sumers to benefit from the lower tariffs based on their annual con- sumption, leading to overcharging in some instances. An unpublished report by the National Audit Office, revealed by the Times of Malta last week, confirmed that the billing system was overcharging some custom- ers to the tune of €6.5 million per year. The PN had flagged the issue two years ago and government promised to address the anomaly, which it never did. Last week, the PN urged people to register their billing accounts with the party as part of an ongo- ing campaign. Former party lead- er Adrian Delia had pledged to address the issue and refund jilt- ed consumers if in government, a commitment reiterated last week by his successor. PN leader Bernard Grech yester- day visited the people who queued outside party headquarters with their bills. He said that for the past eight years, since the billing system was introduced, government "stole around €50 million" from con- sumers. "A Nationalist govern- ment will give people back their money," he said. In 2018, then prime minister Jo- seph Muscat told Reno Bugeja on Dissett that the anomaly would be corrected. However, no changes were ever introduced to change the billing system. The issue is also the subject of court proceedings initiated by two consumers. Hundreds respond to PN's utility bill overcharging campaign PN leader Bernard Grech discussing utility bills with people who turned up yesterday at party headquarters to register their complaints on overcharging by ARMS