Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/306555
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 MAY 2014 4 News DANIEL MIZZI THE Nationalist Party's deputy leader for party affairs Beppe Fenech Adami yesterday claimed that the Labour cabinet had cost the taxpayer €20.1 million during 2013 and 2014, an increase of €8.5 million over the previous Nationalist administration. In March 2013, Joseph Muscat ap- pointed a Cabinet of 14 ministers and eight parliamentary secretaries, unprecedented in size when com- pared to Lawrence Gonzi's 14 min- istries, including the OPM. Fenech Adami claimed that the in- crease in costs for the Cabinet could have been spent "on employing 440 teachers and 530 nurses", when in- stead it was "only catering for the Labour core." "In five years' time, the govern- ment would have spent a total of €100 million on its Cabinet – an in- crease of approximately €42 million when compared with the PN's costs," Fenech Adami said. PN executive committee president Marthese Portelli said the costings were "not based on historical ac- counting information", but on of- ficial data provided in PQs, budget estimates and guidelines published by the OPM. The PN said that Cabinet costs under the former PN administra- tion totalled €11,605,294 while the Labour Cabinet was costing €20,118,604. In five years' time, this would total €100,593,020, an increase of €42,566,500 over the PN's costs, Fenech Adami claimed. A similar exercise carried out by MaltaToday in November 2013, based on the Budget 2014 ministerial line- item estimates set the cost of minis- terial and private secretariat salaries, bonuses, allowances and overtime at €11.8 million for the year – 46% more than Gonzi's €8.1 million in 2013. Fenech Adami, flanked by MEP can- didates Kevin Plumpton and Norman Vella, lambasted the government for "wasting public funds on the Cabi- net" instead of fulfilling a promise to "spend taxpayers' money diligently". "Costs for ministries increased not only because Muscat has the biggest ever Cabinet in history, but due to the large secretariats and the employ- ment of various consultants," Fenech Adami said, having added political consultants employed as persons of trust by the ministers. "Over two- thirds of the members of the secre- tariats were employed from outside the civil service," Fenech Adami said. Fenech Adami conceded that the figures did not include the €500 weekly salary increase awarded to ministers and MPs in 2008, which had been refunded since 2012 and not included in Muscat's new cabinet salaries. In a reaction, the Labour Party ac- cused the Opposition's former cabi- net of pocketing the €500 weekly salary increase while having raised utility tariffs. "That cabinet dished out €1 million in consultancies, most of them by direct order, and left En- emalta debt-ridden." In an off-kilter question from the Labour stable, Fenech Adami dis- missed claims that he was interested in PN leader Simon Busuttil's post. Fenech Adami, whose father Eddie led the party from 1979 till his resig- nation in 2003, said he was "definitely not" gunning for the party leadership and that he was "confident in Simon Busuttil". "All the PN's members and officials are backing Simon Busuttil in the up- coming election," Fenech Adami said, as Busuttil faces his first important electoral test in the forthcoming Eu- ropean Parliament elections. dmizzi@mediatoday.com.mt PN deputy leader dismisses claims he is gunning for Simon Busuttil's post Beppe Fenech Adami claims Cabinet costing €20 million Beppe Fenech has dismissed claims that he is interested in the PN leadership Budget 2014 Financial Estimates Total estimates for salaries and wages for holders of political office, secretariats, bonuses and overtime, allowances, and social security contributions in Euros Ministry for Education and Employment 627,530 Ministry for Energy and the Conservation of Water 526,000 Ministry for EU Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto 339,000 Ministry for Finance 479,400 Ministry for Foreign Affairs 538,000 Ministry for Gozo 695,800 Ministry for Health 506,000 Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security 664,000 Ministry for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs & Civil Liberties 476,000 Ministry for Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Change 627,530 Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business 707,000 Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity 551,000 Ministry for Tourism 395,000 Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure 461,000 Office of the Prime Minister 1,311,000 PS for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal Rights 478,470 PS for Competitiveness and Economic Growth 345,000 PS for Culture and Local Government 318,000 PS for Justice 297,000 PS for Planning & Simplification of Administrative Processes 364,000 PS for Research & Innovation, Youth & Sport 478,470 PS for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing 335,000 PS for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds 337,300 TOTAL in EUROS 11,857,500