11% in Cospicua among Malta's most deprived
More than one in every 10 people living in Cospicua were handed out food packages as part of a new EU food aid programme for Malta’s most deprived.
According to an exercise carried out by this newspaper based on figures tabled in Parliament this week, 11 per cent of Cospicua’s population received bags of food as part of the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) rolled out last month.
The two other localities with the highest concentration of food aid recipients were Floriana (nine per cent) and Valletta (eight per cent).
The statistics tabled in Parliament by Social Solidarity Minister Michael Farrugia listed the number of recipients by location.
St Paul’s Bay scored highest, with a whopping 964 people receiving bags of food, followed by Birkirkara (888 recipients) and Qormi (776 recipients).
The EU food aid scheme, which sees Malta benefit from €4 million until 2020, was meant to be introduced last year but was delayed due to a number of technical hiccups involving tender submissions. Maltese citizens are the overwhelming beneficiaries. FEAD distribution coordinator Stephen Vella said that eligible households included those receiving non-contributory, means-tested...