Malta’s middle classes are finding it harder and harder to keep up with the rising cost of living and property prices, Opposition Leader Adrian Delia reiterated on Saturday.

Speaking on radio station NET FM, Dr Delia said that the Nationalist Party’s pre-budget document was proof that the party was keen to fix Malta’s inequality problems and create a fair society for all.

Dr Delia used the radio interview to emphasise the need for money to be better spent in the education sector, which has come under scrutiny amind talk of a teacher shortage and concerns about dilapidated school buildings and classrooms.

Eurostat figures, PN secretary general Clyde Puli said in a separate statement earlier on Saturday, showed how in 2017 half of Malta’s primary and upper secondary teachers were aged 50 to 54. The figure suggested few young people were choosing to become teachers, Mr Puli said.

Dr Delia also highlighted results of a KPMG study commissioned by Malta’s development lobby. The study, which was made public this week, found among other things that there were a lack of properties available for rent below the €1,000 monthly mark and that growth in the property sector had slowed.

The government was doing nothing to help young people face the challenge of getting onto the property ladder, Dr Delia said, and had not even completed any social housing blocks for low-income citizens.

The PN leader also reserved some harsh words for minister Konrad Mizzi, who told Times of Malta that he regretted having opened his secret company in Panama.

“The only thing Konrad Mizzi regrets is getting caught,” Dr Delia said. “He should have been kicked out a long time ago, but despite what the government’s own people say about him, Joseph Muscat continues to defend him along with Keith Schembri,” the PN leader said.