Fisheries ministry spent more than €43,000 on three public consultation meetings
The ministry did not provide a breakdown of cost by locality or type of expense
The fisheries ministry spent more than €43,000, excluding VAT, on three public consultation meetings, parliament has been told.
Meetings were held in Gozo, Marsaxlokk and St Paul's Bay in February and March as an opportunity for people in the sector to have their say on a national strategy for the sector.
Nationalist MP Bernice Bonello had asked for a breakdown ot the cost of consultation meetings by locality and type of expendititure, such as venue hire, communications or technical services
Fisheries minister Anton Refalo did not provide a breakdown of the spending by locality or by type of expense but said the figure reflected the overall cost of staging the three consultations.
The Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights said the cost covered the full logistics, design and delivery of the sessions, which formed part of work on the Fisheries Strategy 2026–2036.
The meetings were held on 19 February in Gozo, on 24 February in Marsaxlokk and on 3 March in St Paul’s Bay.
According to the minister’s reply, the events brought together fishers, sector representatives and members of the community, who were invited to contribute directly to a long-term framework for the industry.
The ministry said the meetings were part of the public consultation process for Malta’s first national strategy for the fisheries sector.