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MT 11 December 2013

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6 News maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2013 Graduates more worried about the environment… … and trust Simon more Immigration is main concern for those with a post-secondary education, jobs worries those with a secondary education, and the cost of living for those lacking secondary schooling Top 5 concerns of each educational group (%) University Environment Citizenship Finances/Economy Roads Employment 31.2 15.6 12.5 12.5 12.5 Post-Secondary Immigration Employment Finances/Economy Environment Roads 19.5 17.1 17.1 14.6 7.3 Secondary Employment Public Transport Roads Health Cost of Living 22 13.1 11.9 11.3 11.3 Primary Cost of Living Employment Health Public Transport Utility Bills 17.4 15.4 14.4 10.6 8.7 Top 5 concerns by age 18-34 Public Transport Employment Roads Immigration Environment Simon Busuttil (left) enjoys a higher trust rating than Joseph Muscat within the university-educated demographic, which in turn have different concerns than those sectors which say have more trust in Muscat JAMES DEBONO THE latest MaltaToday survey shows that the environment has emerged as the top concern of university-educated respondents. The survey shows that 31% of respondents with a university level of education mentioned the environment (mainly land use and over-development) as one of their two top concerns. The same survey shows im- migration topping the list of concerns of respondents with a post-secondary level of education; employment topping the concerns of those with a secondary; and the cost of living topping the concerns of those with a primary level of education. The university-educated also emerge as the only educational group where opposition leader Simon Busuttil is trusted more than Joseph Muscat. This particular educational group also registers the highest number of respondents who trust none of the two leaders. On the other hand Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is more trusted than Busuttil among all other educational groups. The educational divide The survey shows that a marked difference in the list of concerns of the four educational groups. The only concern to feature in the top five concerns of all groups is employment. Concern on employment is highest among respondents with a secondary level of education. Among this category 22% consider employment as one of their top two concerns. Concern on the cost of living is highest among respondents with a primary level of education. While among this category, 17% mentioned the cost of living as one of their two top concerns, only 3% of the university-educated and 15.1 14.9 14.9 12.6 10.6 35-54 Employment Roads Immigration Cost of Living Environment 22.6 15.1 13.2 13.2 13.2 55+ Employment Environment Health Cost of Living Public Transport 16.5 12.5 10.5 10.5 8.5 Brits fear Maltese's golden passport un MATTHEW VELLA A UK shadow minister from the Labour Party has expressed "serious concerns" about Malta's individual investor programme (IIP) which will sell Maltese passports for €650,000. David Hanson, UK shadow immigration minister, told MaltaToday yesterday that he had "serious concerns" about the Maltese proposal and had tabled parliamentary questions to find out what steps the Home Office had taken to oppose it. "This risks being a back-door route to reside anywhere in the EU which is not a tight or appropriate immigration policy," he told the FT earlier on Monday. "My main concern is that there is no residency test in Malta for the appli- cation for a passport, and that anyone who wishes to can purchase a passport and have via that passport access to residency anywhere in Europe," Hanson told MaltaToday. "Because the applicant's identity is also secret, no other EU country knows the validity of the entrant to their country – it is open to tax abuse and avoidance and I'd like to know what criminal checks are taken." Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has already declared that he will remove a secrecy clause that would prevent the identity of IIP beneficiaries from being published, albeit having been passed in parliament. Eric Major, chief executive of IIP concessionaires Henley & Partners, also said that a strict due diligence system will flag any sort of criminal David Hanson background. According to the Financial Times, UK ministers were "under growing pressure to intervene" against Malta's plans for the IIP, which will sell Mal- tese and consequently EU citizenship to non-EU nationals. The controversial scheme was passed through parliament but it was only after Joseph Muscat flew to Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) – where he met British prime minister David Cameron – that he decided he would back-track on a controversial secrecy clause that gave confidentiality to those who purchased a Maltese IIP passport. The fast-track citizenship scheme was criticised by the Opposition for not carrying a heftier price tag or a tangible form of investment. But the government claims it can reap in as much as €30 million in 2014 alone, and it has earmarked €15 million of these revenues for this year's consolidated budget. The FT claims the plans "prompted a backlash from UK and European politicians warning of a risk to national security" although it also cites

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