Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/680790
WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 Newspaper post WEDNESDAY • 18 MAY 2016 • ISSUE 469 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY EDITORIAL • PAGE 9 Opposition requests ruling following amendments to motion against Keith Schembri MIRIAM DALLI OPPOSITION leader Simon Busuttil yesterday evening re- quested a ruling by Speaker Anglu Farrugia after inde- pendent MP Marlene Farrugia was told that her motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister's chief of staff Keith Schembri was "inadmissible". After being contacted by the Clerk of the House, as in- structed by the Speaker, Mar- lene Farrugia amended her motion against Schembri, ef- fectively turning it into a mo- tion of censure against the Prime Minister. The motion now calls for the setting up of an ad hoc parlia- mentary committee to investi- gate the offshore interests held by the Prime Minister's chief of staff, after which the House of Representatives would be asked to decide whether Mus- cat should be censored for having expressed his confi- dence in Schembri. But Busuttil asked the Speak- er "how can you argue that the motion was inadmissible when you yourself had presented a simi- lar motion against Richard Cachia Caruana?" The 2011 mo- tion against Richard Cachia Caruana, then p e r m a n e n t representative to the EU, had been present- ed by then op- position MPs George Vella and Luciano Busuttil. The motion accused Cachia Caruana of having manoeu- vred the reactivation of Mal- ta's participation in Nato's Partnership for Peace (Pf P) in such a manner as to bypass the House's need for ratification of the Pf P. The motion was ap- proved after a government MP – Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando – had voted in favour, while another – Jesmond Mugliett – abstained. Busuttil took umbrage at the Speaker's intervention, asking on what basis had he deemed Farrugia's motion inadmissi- ble – the Speaker replied that, if he wanted to object, a ruling should be requested. PAGE 7 Simon Busuttil 'Raise the minimum wage,' Caritas tells government Caritas director Leonid McKay says minimum wage should increase gradually over a three-year period TIM DIACONO CARITAS urged government to increase the minimum wage, after a study by the Church or- ganisation laid bare how some families cannot even keep up with even the most basic costs of living. "We won't venture an estima- tion as to how much the mini- mum wage should increase by, but the study clearly shows that some families with one bread- winner on the minimum wage cannot meet everyday expenses," Caritas director Leonid McKay told a press conference. "Ide- ally the minimum wage should increase gradually over a three- year period." He argued that an increase in the minimum wage will ulti- mately boost the economy, as people will use the extra mon- ey to consume relatively basic items. Caritas' call was immedi- ately welcomed by Alternattiva Demokratika, who said that the minimum wage – currently €672 a month – doesn't guarantee a decent living. "The minimum wage has never been reviewed since its introduc- tion in 1971," AD spokesperson Mario Mallia said. "It is obvious that 45 years later, the dignity of workers at minimum wage means that it should be reviewed." Caritas' study found that a cou- ple with two children requires a minimum of €11,466 a year to live a decent life. However, such a family with one breadwinner on the minimum wage who also re- ceives in-work benefits and other allowances only earns €9,353 a year. A family with both par- ents on unemployment benefits and social assistance only earns €7,463 a year. It would however meet Caritas' target if the bread- winner is on the minimum wage with unemployment benefits with their unemployment ben- efits being tapered. A single parent with two chil- dren requires €9,197, a bench- mark that would be met if s/he works a minimum wage job while receiving in-work benefits or ta- pered benefits. PAGE 6 Caritas director Leonid McKay (centre) said the price of food shot up by 16% since the last time Caritas conducted a similar study back in 2011