Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/823173
maltatoday, FRIDAY, 12 MAY 2017 7 News PN government will limit positions of trust to 'bare minimum', Busuttil vows PAUL COCKS A new Nationalist government will limit positions of trust to the abso- lute bare minimum necessary to staff private secretariats, in an effort to in- troduce real meritocracy in the public sector. "Beyond the minister's private sec- retariat, public sector workers should be free to compete fairly for any po- sitions based on skills and opportu- nity," he said. Addressing a press conference in Qrendi yesterday morning, PN lead- er Simon Busuttil said he was also looking forward to see how the pub- lic react to new electronic platform launched yesterday, through which people will be able to criticise pro- posals, comment on them and vote on their implementation. Individuals are also able to submit proposals for discussion and consid- eration. "And if it is successful, I am prepared to take this platform and implement it in the government's day to day ad- ministration," he said. "We already have proposed a system of consulta- tive referenda, but this could mean consulting the citizens every day on every issue. Busuttil said that a new PN govern- ment will exempt all pensions from income tax, as announced in the last Independence Day meeting and as partly adopted by the government in the last budget. "We will also raise the minimum national pension to match the na- tional minimum wage, currently set at €169.73 per week, up from €147.23," Busuttil said. "18,000 pensioners will benefit from more than €8 million under this scheme." The PN leader said that persons who may not have paid their national in- surance in full will be able to settle the money due and be able to benefit from a full pension. In the case of non-contributory pen- sion, Busuttil said the PN was propos- ing to raise it to 60% of the national average wage, as is standard in many countries. This will rise to €155.70 per week in a measure that is set to cost €4.5 million. "To continue to incentivise elderly people who continue living in their homes, they will receive €500 yearly, instead of the current €300 allow- ance," Busuttil said. "27,800 elderly people are set to benefit from this measure which will cost €5 million." He said that a PN government would give widowed housewives the right to receive the full pension that their de- ceased partner used to receive. At the moment these widows only receive 5/6 of their husband's pensions. Busuttil said that the PN was also committed to raise the pensions of former members of the Police Force and the Armed Forces of Malta in line with the cost of living increase given each year. The PN leader said his Party would also start gradually addressing the injustices in the services pensions according to the pensioners' age. Pensioners over 80 years of age will receive the full service pension and the full non-contributory pension. "This will affect 2,300 pensioners," he said. "Similarly, increases will be issued every five years until it reach- es full settlement at 80 years." This measure alone will cost €22 million. Busuttil said that funding for these and other measures would be chan- nelled from money currently being used to finance persons and posi- tions of trust and other measures that currently favoured only a few. On the age of retirement, he said it was generally acknowledged, even by the European Commission, that Malta's current system was sustain- able. The question remained as to wheth- er the system was adequate, and that was the reason behind the proposals the PN was putting forward. "To continue to incentivise elderly people who continue living in their homes, they will receive €500 yearly, instead of the current €300 allowance"