Utility tariffs: Ministry says MRA welcome to examine figures

The Ministry for the Infrastructure said today that it welcomed the findings of the resources regulator’s consultants that the model used in the drawing up of the new utility bills was correct.

"Of course the ministry is not surprised by this conclusion but the ministry does express hope that this further endorsement of the transparency of the rates workings will persuade the few isolated critics that remain that the facts that were presented to them several months ago are indeed correct."

The ministry noted that the regulator, the Malta Resources Authority, engaged its consultants to verify the methodology used to draw up the new tariffs but did not engage them to verify the figures that were inputted into that methodology.

Since this part of the assignment was left out of the MRA’s consultants’ brief, the latter had recommended that this is done to complete verification of this process.

"This ministry encourages the MRA to take such an initiative as this would remove any last doubt that anyone may have that the revision of the tariffs was made in the most transparent manner and that the last cent which is raised in bills is justified fully by the costs of the utility corporations not taking into account any inefficiencies in their operations.

"This conclusion can easily be arrived at by reviewing the documentation published by the government. What has been checked again by the regulator’s consultant proved to be “correct” and “reasonable” and there is no doubt that what else may be checked, and should be checked, will return the same confirmation."

The Ministry also refers to criticisms made by the General Workers’ Union and the Opposition and challenges both to publicly withdraw their several public pronouncements of the last few months where they disputed the veracity of the methodologies used to work out the new tariffs, which veracity has now been independently verified.