As 2003 ended and ministries prepared for a year's work ahead, The Times contacted the ministries and asked them about their resolutions, or ambitions, for 2004. The main projects and initiatives on the agenda of the Health Ministry include "the gradual implementation of the autonomy process" through reforms in management systems, in preparation for the move to Mater Dei Hospital and the continuation of the ongoing work on the new hospital including the installation of the medical equipment.
The Health Ministry also plans to initiate negotiations with the unions regarding new working conditions for Health Division employees and is committed to resolving the long-standing and controversial St Luke's Hospital incinerator issue.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry agenda for 2004 includes, among other things, the opening of new embassies in strategically important countries and the re-opening of the Spanish embassy in Malta.
A new consulate will be opened in Tripoli to be able to cope with the new requirement of a visa for Libyan travellers. The consular sections in Malta's embassies in Cairo, Beijing and Moscow are also going to be better equipped so that they can handle more visa requests.
Malta is also in the process of finalising agreements with more countries so that these would be able to issue visas on Malta's behalf, the ministry said.
The year 2004 will also bring with it the signing of eight Hague Conventions, three of which will be adopted into Maltese law in the very near future.
Finally, the Malta-EU Information Centre will be organising an information campaign on the EU parliamentary elections in conjunction with the European parliament's information office.
During this year, the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry said it would like to introduce reforms to make the justice process swifter, easier and more comprehensible to the general public.
Another aim of the ministry is to reduce the number of detainees in immigration reception centres by repatriating the undeserving cases, accelerating the asylum procedure and granting remedies when detention exceeds a reasonable time.
The ministry is awaiting a report by the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights which is expected to highlight the long detention periods.
When asked about its ambitions for 2004, the Finance Ministry said it would be a year in which important strategies and policies would be implemented, particularly concerning competitiveness, employment, fiscal deficit and morality and, last but not least, the "commitment of all players".
"National priorities shall be tax enforcement, welfare reform and health reform. We should focus our attention at encouraging 'work' rather than 'merely supporting' those seeking employment...
"We may have to change some of our existing laws and procedures... and we expect the support of all in our commitment," the ministry said.
The Information Technology and Investment Ministry listed a series of ambitions for the new year. By the end of 2004 the ministry said it will have completed a reform of the way Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in government work.
It intends to forge ahead with strategic alliances with the sector leaders, through which the ministry will seek to secure strategic alliances with leading multi-nationals in the various sectors of the industry.
The ministry is also setting up the ICT Centre of Excellence, as a vehicle to offer technology services, knowledge-transfer, training, marketing, business development and a continuous product development to local and international ICT companies.
It also plans to launch an innovative project to exploit the penetration of the electricity grid to help deliver broadband internet and plans to distribute the first form of electronic ID to any citizen or business that asks for it.
Other plans for 2004 include the development of access to technology in households and public access to internet, constructing eLearning mechanisms to be used through all levels of education, the creation of more ICT specialisations, adding more eGovernment services and improving m-Government.
On a similar note, the Education Ministry said there was a need to start a process of review of the now four-year-old national curriculum.
The ministry also aims to restructure the Education Division which should separate the roles of regulator from that of manager in order to focus more on quality assurance and control.
It also plans to move towards more autonomous schools, which would have and manage their own budgets effectively. On the other hand, the ministry said it needed to smoothen out the transition between the different levels, thus making the education system more continuous.
As for the Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry, the plans for this year include the issue of a call for tenders for the rendering of banking services in connection with the setting up of a paying agency.
The Gozo Ministry's ambitions for 2004 include the continuation of ongoing projects within the education and environment sectors and the embellishment of Gozo.
Services and facilities at the Gozo General Hospital will be improved through a new gynaecology ward, the installation of new equipment and the continuation of the benchmarking project for elderly and health services. Within the tourism sector, the main projects planned include the construction of a decompression chamber, the creation of artificial dive sites, a training hostel in Qala as well as the introduction of specialised courses at the Institute of Tourism Studies, in Qala.
The ministry plans to bring more Gozitan government employees, currently working in Malta, to start carrying out back office work in Gozo.
Works will continue on the provision of workshops for small and medium sized enterprises in Gozo.
Quelle: The Times, 02.01.2004
