Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514895
2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 24 JANUARY 2024 2 KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Thus, a family comprises a cou- ple without children, a couple with one or more children, or a single parent with one or more children. Different families can also live in the same household. Husband, wife and child The most common family form still consists of a husband, a wife and at least one child. The Cen- sus found 56,445 of these family nuclei, which account for 44% of the total number of Maltese fam- ilies. These included 15,274 fami- lies where the oldest child is older than 25 years of age. The Census also records 34,562 families consisting of a husband and wife with no dependents, which account for 27% of the to- tal number of families living in Malta. Single parent families The third most common fam- ily type in Malta consists of a single mother with at least one child. The Census found 18,166 such families, which included 6,031 families in which the son or daughter is over 25 years of age. These accounted for 14% of the total number of families. Another 5,940 families con- sisted of a father and at least a child, accounting for 5% of the total number of families. These included 2,074 families in which the youngest child was over 25 years of age. Sames-sex families The Census also records 968 families which included a same sex couple. Of these, 287 were married while 681 were cohab- iting. Meanwhile, 323 of these family units had resident children living in the same household. Families which included same sex partners accounted for just under 1% of the total number of families. The Census also records that there are 25,261 separated people and 7,291 divorced people living in Malta. 5,940 families led by single fathers No. % Married Same Sex without children 221 0.2 Married Same Sex with children 66 0.05 Married Opposite Sex without children 34562 26.9 Married Opposite Sex with children 56445 44 Unmarried same sex couples without children 424 0.3 Unmarried same sex couples with children 257 0.2 Unmarried opposite sex couples without children 6760 5.3 Unmarried opposite sex couples with children 5472 4.3 Lone father families 5940 4.6 Lone mother families 18166 14.2 128313 100 The most common family form still consists of a husband, a wife and at least one child. The Census found 56,445 of these family nuclei, which account for 44% of the total number of Maltese families THE State Advocate wants Judge Giovanni Grixti to with- draw his recusal from a case filed by Opposition MPs, insisting the decree on Monday was proce- durally incorrect. In a sworn statement on Tues- day, State Advocate Chris Soler said the judge did not follow the correct procedure thus denying the parties to the case the chance to make submissions. On Monday Grixti was ex- pected to deliver judgment as to whether the Prime Minister and his Cabinet could join the case instituted by Bernard Grech and Adrian Delia against the State Advocate. The Opposition MPs want the court to order the State Advocate to initiate legal action to recoup the millions of euros paid to Steward Healthcare as part of the hospitals deal. The deal was struck down by the courts last year. The government had asked to join the case but when deci- sion-time arrived on Monday, the judge announced he was recusing himself because his partner had since been appoint- ed curator of Steward on a deed that cancelled the original con- tract. Steward was absent from the deed and so a curator had to be appointed. In these circum- stances the curator's role is of minimal importance. Nonetheless, Grixti ruled that it was right for him to step away from the case to avoid any con- flict of interest despite both par- ties having expressed trust in him during a sitting earlier this month. The lawyers for Grech and Delia had raised the point that a now-deceased relative of the judge had in his medical ca- pacity been asked by the govern- ment to carry out due diligence on the medical aspect of the deal. However, they eventually agreed that the judge should continue hearing the case. In his sworn declaration to- day, the State Advocate said the judge should have first informed the parties prior to his recusal. The law stipulates that the judge may continue hearing the case if the parties consent al- though he may still recuse him- self if he feels he should. "For a court decree to be legit- imate, it has to be procedurally correct… the law requires that a ruling is given before the sitting, the parties are notified and giv- en the opportunity to make their own submissions," the State Ad- vocate said. Soler asked the court to revoke the recusal decree and follow the procedures laid out at law. State Advocate wants judge to revoke recusal decree in Steward case State Advocate Chris Soler