Government paying day care centre's rent

The government has taken over responsibility for the rent of the day care centre at Birzebbuga, which the local council ceased to pay with effect from March 1, parliamentary secretary in the Ministry for Social Policy Antoine Mifsud Bonnici said yesterday.

Earlier in the year, the council had said it would stop paying the rent after a Malta-EU Information Centre representative visited the centre to give a talk on the country's relations with the EU.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said that had the government not intervened and signed a new contract with the owner of the centre, it would have caused suffering to the elderly living in the area.

Accompanied by Social Policy Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Dr Mifsud Bonnici was replying to remarks made at a news conference yesterday morning by Labour leader Alfred Sant.

Dr Gonzi said the government was working to establish minimum standards for day centres, and this work was at an advanced stage.

He said that during this legislature, seven day care centres had been opened in cooperation with local councils.

A survey carried out with the Zabbar council for the establishment of a night centre for the elderly showed that demand for such a service was very low. At night, the elderly wanted people who could stay with them, he said.

The government was however prepared to carry out surveys in other localities if other local councils were interested.

The minister said that in the past four-and-a-half years, the government had boosted the services and facilities offered to the elderly, investing millions to improve their quality of life.

The home at Cospicua had recently been extended and an agreement was signed yesterday morning for the extension of the Zejtun home by a storey, increasing the number of beds from 60 to 160.

More than Lm7 million had also been invested at St Vincent de Paul Residence and a Mellieha home was being bought in a public private partnership, Dr Gonzi said.