Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1547205
THE Nationalist Party has called for an urgent review of affected school bus routes, in consultation with parents, schools and opera- tors. They said free school transport provides important support for families, but it must also be effi- cient and not push parents to use their own cars. "It is unacceptable that our chil- dren are arriving at school ex- hausted by the journey from home instead of feeling fresh and ready to learn," the Nationalist Party said, adding that the consultation should aim to reduce unnecessary detours, improve how students are allocated to routes, and assess whether capacity should be in- creased. They pointed out that any changes must ensure the safety of pick-up points while considering children's ages, travel distances and individual needs. This follows reports from par- ents who raised concerns about school transport arrangements, claiming their children spend more than 90 minutes travelling each way. Some children are reportedly being picked up as early as 5:45am for the journey to school, which previously took around 45 min- utes. The group consists of 14 par- ents from seven families living in northern Malta, whose children attend St Francis School in Borm- la. They claim that changes to the route allocation have doubled journey times since the previous school year, despite repeated re- quests for a review by the educa- tion authorities. "There should be clear standards on acceptable pick-up times and punctuality, strengthened where necessary, with shortcomings addressed within a defined time- frame," they said, adding that ex- isting technology should be used effectively to improve the service, and that a notification system should be implemented to inform parents of delays or route changes. They pointed out that trans- port connections for students at the University, MCAST, ITS, and other institutions must also be strengthened to meet demand and serve students when they need them, both in the morning and after classes finish. They also proposed extending free travel on Tallinja Direct to students, which is excluded from the regular services already free with a personalised Tallinja card. "Where necessary, additional di- rect services or services with fewer stops should be introduced," they said, adding that service frequen- cy should reflect passenger num- bers, population growth, and wait times. They recognised that drivers and operators work in difficult traffic conditions, and that "the Govern- ment must ensure the planning, coordination and resources need- ed for them to provide a good ser- vice." The PN calls on the Ministries responsible for Education and Sustainable Mobility, together with Transport Malta and op- erators, to present a plan for the worst-affected routes, with clear deadlines and reports on results. "Our children's time is valuable. Success is measured by how relia- bly they arrive on time, safely, and ready to learn," they concluded. 7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 21 OCTOBER 2026 NEWS Over €580,000 in extra allowances paid to government board members, NAO finds OVER €580,000 were paid in ad- ditional allowances to members of government-appointed boards despite such payments not being provided for under the applicable remuneration framework, the National Audit Office found. The figure represents the total allowances paid up to the end of 2023, although the report does not specify when the payments began. The NAO also warned that the actual amount could be higher because the information provided by ministries was in- complete. In a report presented to Speaker Carmelo Abela in parliament on Monday, the NAO revealed that the payments included car and fuel allowances, health insurance, communication allowances, and mobile expenses. Most of the beneficiaries held chairmanship positions, while, in some instances, health insurance benefits were also extended to members' spouses or partners. Payments received despite no meetings held The audit also found instances where government-appointed board members received fixed annual remuneration despite no formal meetings being held throughout 2023. Other boards and committees met only once or twice during the year, but their members con- tinued to receive fixed remuner- ation instead of payments calcu- lated on an hourly basis. In a couple of cases, ministries failed to specify the number of meetings held, preventing the NAO from being able to verify whether remuneration was jus- tified. Over €9 million spent on gov- ernment boards The report also found that gov- ernment spent around €9.05 mil- lion on remuneration for mem- bers of 361 categorised boards and committees in 2023. The audit identified a total of 462 government-appointed bod- ies operating across 19 ministries, comprising 3,901 membership positions. From these bodies, 74 operated without remuneration, while another 27 had not been categorised in adherence to the framework. Overstated remuneration, underpayment, and missing information Of this amount, the NAO found that just over €500,000 had been paid during 2023 to members of boards and committees whose remuneration rates it could not fully verify because of insufficient classification information. It further identified cases where commercial boards were incor- rectly classified, resulting in over- stated remuneration for their members. Meanwhile, some deputy chair- persons were underpaid, receiv- ing either the same remuneration as ordinary members or half the chairperson's entitlement, rather than the stipulated two-thirds. The report also found that re- muneration was not always re- vised following the expiry of board members' terms, with some payments remaining linked to salary scales dating back to 2016. NAO wants tighter controls Based on its findings, the NAO called on ministries to ensure that remuneration is supported by verifiable records of meetings, insisting that no payments should be made in years when boards and committees do not convene. It also urged ministries to strengthen their oversight of gov- ernment-appointed bodies and ensure that additional allowanc- es and benefits are only granted when authorised under the appli- cable framework or approved by the Cabinet Office. In its response, the Cabinet Office said it had completed the categorisation, classification and determination of remuneration levels for all government-ap- pointed bodies by March 2026. A revised manual was subse- quently tabled in parliament on 22 July 2026, introducing tighter rules on appointments, remuner- ation, and oversight. The NAO acknowledged that several of its recommendations had already been incorporated into the revised framework, add- ing that a follow-up audit may be carried out to assess their imple- mentation. EVA BRANNON ebrannon@mediatoday.com.mt The report was presented to Speaker Carmelo Abela on Monday (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) Nationalist Party calls for urgent review of school bus routes JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Parents claimed that changes to route allocation have doubled journey times since the previous school year (File Photo)