Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/553115
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 AUGUST 2015 News 9 MATTHEW VELLA THE Labour government has de- fended its spend on political and 'trust' appointments in the public sector, saying that at least 30% of appointees featured on MaltaTo- day's public sector 'rich list' were costing the country much less than what was spent on the same roles back in 2013. According to salaries for 2013 provided by the Office of the Prime Minister, the salaries listed by MaltaToday under Labour are €300,000 'cheaper' than under the PN administration. MaltaToday listed 76 positions totalling just over €3.3 million, while under the PN this cost €3.6 million. Notably, they included the €500,000 salary of former Air Mal- ta chief executive Peter Davies, mandated with the ambitious re- structuring of the national airline under EU state aid rules. That po- sition is today occupied by Philip Micallef, who earns the country's highest salary at €125,000. Labour also curtailed expensive salaries paid to MEPA chairman Austin Walker (€94,000) and CEO Ian Stafrace (€70,000), going down to €18,000 for chairman Vince Cassar and €66,000 for Johann Buttigieg. Walker, who famously likened himself to an 'expensive car', had retained his executive salary even after MEPA's day-to-day running was passed on to Stafrace. "This administration has saved further salaries by eliminating a number of CEO positions which existed under the PN government and requesting one appointee to carry out the role of executive chairman," the OPM spokesper- son, Matthew Carbone, told Malta- Today, pointing to 'savings' for the gaming authority's top post with €114,000 instead of a combined €123,833, or more notably the MITA position tagged at a €70,212 salary instead of €110,128. The OPM said that another 40% of the appointees earned the same package as in 2013, apart from var- ious executives who retained their posts, such as Anton Attard at PBS, Central Bank governor Josef Bonnici, and Children's Commis- sioner Helena d'Amato. "This means that 70% of the po- litical appointees and public sec- tor CEOs quoted by MaltaToday are today earning less, or equal, salaries than what they would have earned for the same positions just over two years ago," Carbone said. "The few positions earning more reflect the different work being carried out. For instance, Film Commissioner Engelbert Grech earns €38,000 anually compared to €36,000 under the previous ad- ministration, when the result is an increase from €5 million in FDI from the film industry in 2013, to €100 million this year. Others, like the chairs of the CHOGM task force and the Housing Author- ity, are on a full-time basis, unlike their predecessors." The rich-list also included the Prime Minister's current €68,000 salary, which excludes the con- troversial €25,000 salary hike on ministerial pay and MPs' hono- raria that was eventually repealed. In 2010, Lawrence Gonzi's salary totalled €85,504. "The former Cabinet members benefitted from a total of €1.6 million in salary increases, out of which only €300,000 were re- funded despite the PN giving the impression that all extra earnings had been returned," Carbone said. CLARIFICATION Luciano Busuttil's salary was re- ported to be over €24,000 in the list, when it actually is at €14,000. Labour defends 'smaller' public salary bill Name Entity Salary 2014 Role Name Salary 2012 Philip Micallef Air Malta €125,000 CEO Peter Davies €500,000 Vincent Mifsud MIMCOL/MGI €119,599 Exec. Chairman Vincent Mifsud €119,599 Joseph Cuschieri Malta Gaming Authority €114,000 Exec. Chairman Reuben Portanier/Nick Xuereb €123,833 Frederick Azzopardi Enemalta €95,000 Exec. Chairman Louis Giordimaina €95,454 Josef Bonnici Central Bank Malta €85,000 Governor Josef Bonnici €85,000 Mario Vella Malta Enterprise €85,000 Exec. Chairman Alan Camilleri €70,000 Marianne Scicluna Malta Financial Services Authority €85,000 Director General Andre Camilleri €95,000 James Piscopo Transport Malta €85,000 Exec. Chairman Stanley Portelli €97,305 Ivan Falzon Mater Dei Hospital €84,000 CEO Joe Caruana €84,000 Joseph V. Bannister Malta Financial Services Authority €82,105 Chairman Joseph V. Bannister €82,105 Peter Grech Attorney General €78,955 Attorney General Peter Grech €78,955 Paul Bugeja Malta Tourism Authority €76,400 CEO Joseph Formosa Gauci €76,403 Jonathan Cardona Identity Malta €75,000 CEO n/a €0 Anton Attard Public Broadcasting Services €74,466 CEO Anton Attard €74,466 Marie Louise Preca President of the Republic €71,000 Head of State George Abela €67,000 Tony Sultana MITA €70,212 Exec. Chairman Matthew Gatt/Claudio Grech €110,128 Joseph Muscat Prime Minister €68,000 Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi €85,000 Johann Buttigieg MEPA €66,193 CEO Ian Stafrace €70,000 Carmen Ciantar ARMS €65,919 General Manager Wilfred J. Borg €65,323 Alfred Grixti Foundation for Social Welfare Services €62,700 CEO Sina Bugeja €50,441 Clifton Grima Mount Carmel €60,000 CEO Dolores Gauci €60,000 Kenneth Gambin Heritage Malta €59,579 CEO Joseph Scerri €59,579 Marcel Pizzuto MCCAA €57,011 Exec. Chairman Francis Farrugia €85,938 James Camenzuli Foundation for Medical Services €57,000 CEO Brian St John €65,156 Stephen Cachia Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology €57,000 CEO Stephen Cachia €57,000 Tonio Montebello WasteServ €56,452 CEO Saviour Abela €59,599 Lou Bondì National Committee for Festivities €54,000 Consultant n/a €0 Phyllis Muscat CHOGM task force €52,724 Head Salv Stellini (p/t) €21,430 J. Pullicino Orlando Malta Council for Science and Technology €51,789 Exec. Chairman Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando €51,789 Aaron Farrugia Malta Freeport Corporation €50,723 CEO n/a €0 Philip Rizzo ETC €50,440 CEO Claudio Farrugia €52,470 Pierre Fenech Mediterranean Conference Centre €48,180 CEO Ray Attard €60,612 Adrian Said Projects Malta €43,000 Exec. Chairman n/a €0 Emanuel Camilleri Privatisation Unit €42,500 Chairman Emmanuel Ellul €40,000 Lawrence Mizzi IPSL €42,105 CEO Joe Grillo €42,015 Stephen McCarthy Housing Authority €42,012 CEO Albert Buttigieg €43,754 Silvio Schembri Responsible Gaming Foundation €39,000 Chairman n/a €0 Peter Paul Zammit Chief security national events €38,937 CEO n/a €0 Michael Cassar Commissioner of Police €38,937 Commissioner John Rizzo €47,013 Albert Marshall Malta Council for Culture and the Arts €38,494 CEO Davinia Galea €49,494 Engelbert Grech Malta Film Commission €38,000 Commissioner Peter Busuttil €36,000 Mark Camilleri National Book Council €37,713 Exec. Chairman (director) Scale 7 Anthony Agius Decelis Commissioner Against Bureaucracy €37,000 Commissioner n/a €0 Miriam Theuma Agenzija Zghazagh €33,869 CEO Miriam Theuma €33,869 Emanuel Buhagiar Commission for Animal Welfare €32,239 Commissioner n/a €0 Helen d'Amato Commmissioner for Children €30,700 Commissioner Helen d'Amato €30,700 Joe Cordina Gozo Channel €30,000 Exec. Chairman Joseph Grech €56,025 Charles Buhagiar BICC €29,101 Chairman Censu Galea €29,101 Mario Friggieri Refugee Commission €27,764 Commissioner Charles Buttigieg €35,423 Prof. Kenneth Wain National Comm f/Voluntary Organisations €25,183 Commissioner Prof. Kenneth Wain €25,183 Edward Woods Malta Communications Authority €22,800 Chairman Antonio Ghio €116,232 Silvio Parnis Consultative Council for South €22,000 Chairman n/a €0 Antoinette Vassallo Housing Authority €20,100 Chairman Saviour Paul Gauci (p/t) €16,305 Anthony J. Tabone Broadcasting Authority €19,709 Chairman Joseph Scicluna €19,708 Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi Grand Harbour Regeneration Corp €18,816 Chairman Chris Paris €91,861 Vince Cassar MEPA €18,724 Chairman Austin Walker €94,716 Franco Debono Commissioner of Laws €18,401 Commissioner Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici €7,129 Maria Micallef Air Malta €18,000 Chairman Louis Farrugia €18,000 Robert Sarsero Malta Freeport Corporation €18,000 Chairman Mark Portelli €16,305 Gavin Gulia Malta Tourism Authority €18,000 Chairman Ray Fenech €16,305 Albert Leone Ganado Malta Statistics Authority €16,975 Chairman Reno Camilleri €16,305 Luciano Busuttil Kunsill Malti ghall-Isport €14,000 Chairman Bernard Vassallo €13,975 Deo Debattista OHSA €14,000 Chairman Robert Messina €14,000 Joseph Portelli Malta Stock Exchange €13,976 Chairman Arthur Galea Salamone €13,970 Charles Mizzi Kordin Grain Terminal €13,976 Chairman n/a €0 Philip Sciberras Embryo Protection Authority €13,954 Chairman n/a €0 Tony Zahra Malta Industrial Parks €13,000 Chairman Alan Camilleri n/a David Borg WasteServ €13,000 Chairman Benedict Farrugia €32,868 Jason Micallef Valletta2018 €13,000 Chairman David Felice €13,000 Martin Scicluna National Commission for Higher Education €12,460 Chairman Philip Von Brockdorff €35,459 Carmen Fearne Children & Young Persons Advisory Board €10,000 Chairman Carmen Zammit €10,000 Oliver Scicluna National Commission Persons with a Disability €6,988 Chairman Joe Camilleri €10,000 Peter Grech Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit €4,660 Chairman Peter Grech €4,660 Yana Micallef Stafrace Commission for Domestic Violence €2,329 Chairman Marcelline Naudi €2,329 Philip Sciberras Management Committee St Vincent de Paul €2,329 Chairman n/a €0 €3,329,198 €3,635,289