Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/769023
TIM DIACONO A range of proposed punitive measures intended to clamp down on drink driv- ing could lead to a dip in people din- ing out, the head of the small business chamber's leisure section has warned. "I'm not disputing the good inten- tions behind this policy but the upshot of it is that it will become more expen- sive for people to go out," Philip Fenech told MaltaToday. "I'm not saying that businesses fared badly throughout the festive period, but we could already see an element of people opting to stay in- side rather than go out." A national alcohol policy launched in October proposes that the national al- cohol limit for drivers be slashed from 0.8g of alcohol per litre of blood to 0.5g, the equivalent of one small beer and in line with the EU average. The limit will be set at 0.2g for drivers who have held their licence for less than two years, motorcyclists and drivers of large vehi- cles, while a zero alcohol limit will be set for bus, taxi and minibus drivers. A separate White Paper – that closed for public consultation in November - envisages harsher sanctions for peo- ple found driving under the influence of alcohol, with fines for first-time offenders increasing from €1,200 to €1,800, and for repeat offenders from €2,329 to €3,000. The penalty points system for new motorists will also be extended to include all drivers, while wardens will be able to administer breathalyzer tests themselves without waiting for the police to arrive on the spot. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had in August warned that he was ready to take "draconian" measures to clamp down on drink driving. "This is an issue of responsibility. People seem to take on more respon- sibility throughout the Christmas season but this needs to be kept up throughout the year," he said. WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 Newspaper post PAGE 9 • Editorial PAGE 8 WEDNESDAY • 4 JANUARY 2017 • ISSUE 503 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY GRTU warns lower drink driving limit will harm businesses Harsh drink driving laws 'could see people dining out less often', chamber of small businesses warns SEC exams: girls outperform boys again JAMES DEBONO 54% of girl students born in 2000 obtained passes in 2016 in SEC exams that allow them to pursue their education in the Junior Col- lege – compared to only 45% of male students who did likewise. Moreover while 91.1% of the 16-year-old girls registered for SEC examinations, only 83.6% of the boys did so. Females have outperformed males in all exam sessions held since 2004. But the gap between the two sexes in 2016 was higher than in 2015 though lower than in 2014. Despite the gender gap 2016 saw the highest percentage of 16-year-old males getting a pass to sixth form. The percent- age of females who got a pass to sixth form peaked at 56% in 2014, falling to 50% in 2015 and rising again to 54% in 2016. In 2016, 49.4% of those born in 2000 obtained the passes re- quired to pursue their education in the sixth form. According to a statistical report issued by Mat- sec this is the highest percentage of passes since 2004, when only 37% of 16-year-olds had obtained a pass. This increased to 43% in 2013 and to 46% in 2015. But one fifth of students did not even obtain five or more SEC passes with at least Grade 7. PAGE 7 Shadow justice minister defends Libyan hijacker despite doubting veracity of hijack SEE MORE PAGE 4