Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/621909
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 JANUARY 2016 3 News Church homes ask for tax returns to set 2017 fees MATTHEW VELLA IN a bid to stem losses from run- ning its homes for the elderly, the Maltese archdiocese has asked residents of their homes to vol- unteer their tax statements and returns in a bid to work out new fees for 2017. The unorthodox request was made in a letter to residents' rela- tives from one of the directors of the homes. "In 2016 all residents' fees will increase by €5 a month, that is 75% of the COLA (Cost of Liv- ing Allowance). In a bid to con- tinue our work at the elderly people's homes, we would like to inform you that in 2017 fees will be revised. Towards this aim, we would wish that you forward us the resident's 2014 tax return or assessment," André Vassallo Grant wrote. A government source who has seen a copy of the letter told MaltaToday the request was "bi- zarre" given that elderly residents should not have their fiscal infor- mation shared with third parties. At the time of writing, MaltaTo- day was not in a position to assess whether the request was a bid to work a maximum level of fees payable by elderly residents, or whether to assess which residents could not afford higher fees. In 2014, the Dar Sagra Familja home for the elderly in Naxxar lost €48,789. The home, run by the Church's secretariat for the care of the elderly, takes €1.04 million in residential fees, but has an exorbitant salary base of €786,000 and pays €117,000 in food costs, €30,000 in cleaning, €27,000 to the Curia's admin- istration, and almost €58,000 in energy bills. In all, expenses amounted to €1.09 million. Church-run homes are not reg- ulated by the State, although a bill to have the parliamentary secre- tariat for the elderly and com- munity care to impose minimum standards is currently under the Attorney General's purview. A recent report by the Com- missioner for Mental Health has found that publicly-owned homes tend to outperform private and church-run institutions in both traditional aspects of care, like provision of health services, and non-tangible care like friendli- ness of staff and the general en- vironment. Under new minimum standards issued by the government, all old people's homes will have to sign a legally-binding contract with every one of their residents, de- tailing the home's responsibilities and fees payable by the resident. The contract will include details of the room to be occupied by the resident, including washing fa- cilities available, and will clearly specify the maximum number of occupants per room. It will also specify meal, snack and bathing times, and will include full details of the home's responsibilities to the residents in the event that the home has to close. An addendum to the contract will specify the level of physical care due to the resident and will be updated accordingly following consultation between the home manager and a physician chosen by the resident. The contract is one of 39 na- tional minimum standards for old people's homes that will soon form part of a Bill that will be de- bated in Parliament. Existing homes will have 10 years to implement the standards, while new homes will be obliged to implement them instantly. Other standards include regu- larly updated care plans for resi- dents, the meeting of preferences of ethnic, cultural and religious minorities, and the provision of wholesome, appealing and varied meals in pleasing surroundings. All homes must also provide private accommodation for each resident, which is furnished and equipped to ensure comfort and privacy. Schengen suspension lifted as Malta 'not under terror threat' THE Schengen rules have been reinstated for passengers travel- ling to and from Malta, the home affairs ministry has announced. The rules were temporarily suspended in November ahead of the migration and Common- wealth summits, but the govern- ment later decided to extend the suspension as a precautionary safety measure. The government's latest deci- sion means that passport con- trols from other Schengen coun- tries will no longer be imposed on passengers departing from and arriving in Malta via both the airport and the Valletta pas- senger terminal. In a statement, the government said that its decision stemmed from the fact that Malta is not under the threat of terrorism. "Several European cities were recently on high alert due to a fear of terror attacks during the New Year celebrations," the ministry said. "Malta was never under threat, which is why the government is in a position to announce that the Schengen suspension has been lifted." Increased checks and controls at the borders and the suspen- sion of Schengen rules in Malta and Italy led to renewed passport controls. This in turn uncovered "a racket" under which migrants bearing false passports would at- tempt to cross over, seeking asy- lum or work on the island. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that the government extended the Schengen suspension to get to the bottom of this racket, while repeatedly insisting that Malta didn't face any terrorist threat. "While the government has no information that Malta is in some sort of risk, we should never let our guard down and assume that nothing could ever happen to us," he said. "Like we want to keep the country safe for Queen Elizabeth, we want to keep it safe for our citizens." The decision was criticised by Opposition leader Simon Busut- til, who claimed that it was cur- tailing people's rights to travel freely in Europe. "We are ready to agree with the suspension, but only if the government explains why this is necessary," he said. "Increased security comes at a price: our freedom. If there are no risks, then why suspend Schengen in- definitely?" PN files protest over Muscat's New Year broadcast THE Nationalist Party has filed a protest against PBS for broadcast- ing Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's video message for the new year. Opposition MP Clyde Puli said in a statement that Muscat's video speech – which was broadcast on TVM on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day – amounted to "parti- san propaganda in both content and format". "It included politically contro- versial themes, such as the power station that should have been built nine months ago, and the 'Ameri- can University of Malta' that is neither American nor a univer- sity," Puli said. "The least the Prime Minister could have done in his video speech to the nation was to avoid wading into political contro- versy." He added that the PN now ex- pects the state broadcaster to take immediate action "to rectify the situation". Muscat's New Year's address was marked with a high-calibre production featuring a pianist and a chorus perched atop a cliff and a full orchestra playing on Fort St Angelo, with the Maltese national anthem being narrated. Muscat is then seen entering the house of a newly-wed couple (above), with whom he engages in conversation. He plugs his administration's ac- complishments, namely reducing first-time buyers' property tax, lower taxes for parents, and free childcare before turning to other economic accomplishments.