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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER 2014 News 4 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In Feb- ruary last year Prime Minister Joseph Muscat declared that the Gozo airstrip was "not a priority", and that a helicopter service and a fast-ferry service between Mgarr and Valletta would be considered instead. But at a consultation meeting the following July the Tourism Min- istry announced that the govern- ment was considering a new 400- metre or 650m airstrip in Gozo, at an angle adjacent to the existing short airstrip. In November 2013, the govern- ment confirmed that talks were ongoing with an "Italian company" on an airlink between Malta, Gozo and Sicily, and funds for a study on an airstrip were included in the national budget. Then last January works com- menced to clear rubble and dump- ing in the area but the government denied that this was being done to clear the way for a runway. But the Gozo Business Chamber and the Gozo Tourism Association both welcomed this development and are looking forward to having fixed-wing services to Gozo. Last March Muscat announced that the government was consider- ing the construction of a grass air- strip in Gozo but the government would first need to evaluate the environmental impact. One of the advantages of a grass airstrip, ac- cording to Muscat, is that it would be reversible. A draft Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED), which is set to replace the Structure Plan approved in 1992 to serve as the general guide for plan- ning decisions, foresees the de- velopment of an airstrip, a cruise liner terminal and a yacht marina in Gozo. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt MIRIAM DALLI A €3 million investment will see the construction of a new wing at the YOURS Mtahleb facility, the residence for young offenders. The facility is currently home to 12 foreign youths who have been sentenced to prison by the courts for crimes usually involving drug addiction or theft. The construction of a new wing will increase the bed space to 21, also making it possible to transfer women prisoners aged under 21 from the Corradino Correctional Facility. The longest prison term ever served at YOURS was of four years. The longest one currently being served is of a year. The facility provides youths with a rehabilitation programme, with the small group actively involved in preparing their meals, taking part in P.E. lessons and sports taught to them by two full-time sports in- structors. They also have access to a small recording room. Visiting the facility, Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia and youth parliamentary secretary Chris Ag- ius spoke about the importance of helping young people rehabilitate by providing them with ways to keep active. "This place helps youths prepare themselves for when they rejoin so- ciety," Mallia said. The government has now provided gym equipment to both CCF and the YOURS facil- ity. MATTHEW AGIUS THE Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Manuel Mal- lia, announced that the ministry intends to give inmates new skills that will give them a better chance of staying out of prison after re-in- tegrating in society. "When I was entrusted with this ministry, I wanted to make CCF not only a place of discipline, but also a place of rehabilitation," Mallia said, listing the creation of the RISE foun- dation, the introduction of sewing classes, and the setting up of a new games room and music room as evi- dence of this. The fight against drugs in prison continues unabated with the train- ing of new sniffer dogs, which re- placed the previous dogs which, the minister said, "had become the inmates' pets, such was the ne- glected state of affairs in the past". "Prison is not a place where you can take drugs," Mallia said. The minister spoke with a group of inmates, surrounded by their paintings, which range in style from landscapes, to cubist, to ab- stract, admiring and hearing about their work. Announcing that art lessons are now being offered to the prisoners, Mallia said: "We want to give the inmate the chance to learn a skill or language of his choice and we achieved this thanks to the employees and director- ship of CCF… inmates want to kill time, not be killed by time. We are all susceptible to error, but society must understand that justice de- mands that persons lose their liberty, not their dignity." With this in mind, Mallia thanked Acting Commis- sioner of Police Raymond Zammit for taking this con- cept on board and ordering the refurbishment of the lockup at Police HQ. Mallia also thanked the Plaza Hotel for donating a sum to purchase canvas and paint for the inmates. The Minister for the Family and Social Solidarity, Michael Farru- gia, announced the setting up of a Victim Fund, a project which will pay for psychological and medical support for victims of crime. The project will be funded by the sales of art works and curtains made by the prisoners, with part of the profit from the sales going to the RISE foundation. RISE has recently acquired a prop- erty which it is converting into a "halfway house", offering temporary shelter to released inmates who have nowhere to go, until they are able to make their own arrangements. Permits to expand YOURS facility submitted for MEPA approval Prison inmates kill time with artistic endeavour US Congress earmarks $100,000 for AFM training Malta will receive $50,000 less than last year in American inter- national military education and training (IMET) funds in 2015, although the $100,000 figure may yet be subject to change. The United States' Department of State runs a billion-dollar foreign military financing pro- gramme for allies, and Malta re- mains a recipient of international training funds. The United States considers Malta as "an important partner" in addressing regional security concerns as a major transhipment hub in the heart of the Mediter- ranean. In its budgetary justification, the Department of State noted that the election of Labour in 2013 had not changed the "largely biparti- san political consensus for main- taining Malta's constitutionally- mandated neutrality". Malta has been a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace since March 2008. "Ongoing US assistance will serve to highlight the value of the continuing part- nership between the United States and Malta," the State Department said. IMET is the primary means of US-Maltese military cooperation. IMET-funded courses and train- ing events expose Maltese defence leadership and members of the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) to US military training, doctrine, and values. IMET activities included ca- pacity building to combat tran- snational threats and enhancing maritime interdiction capabilities and forge lasting relationships between Malta's emerging mili- tary leaders and their US counter- parts. Most IMET-funded activities are conducted at military institutions in the United States, allowing for valuable cultural exchanges with communities across the country. IMET funding will provide professional military education courses for junior- and mid-level officers and senior non-commis- sioned officers. US Congress earmarks $100,000 for AFM training Malta will receive $50,000 less than last year in American inter- national military education and training (IMET) funds in 2015, although the $100,000 figure may yet be subject to change. The United States' Department of State runs a billion-dollar Gozo runway: a priority or not? Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia at the YOURS facility yesterday Minister Michael Farrugia (right) said a Victim Fund is being set up

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