Action for Housing says Govt explanation on missed meetings is ‘vague, confusing and certainly misleading’

Action for Housing has criticised what it claimed was a “vague, confusing and certainly misleading” explanation from Housing Minister Pat Orfila as to why monthly meetings with the group had been stopped between September 2024 and February 2025.

Ms Orfila had been quizzed in Parliament by GSD MP Damon Bossino as to the reasons why the meetings had not taken place.

The minister questioned the veracity of the claim and told Parliament senior officials in her ministry had met with Action for Housing last October and again in January, March and May this year.

She said it was the GSD that had stopped meeting the campaign while in government.

Mr Bossino pressed Ms Orfila several times for a response as to why she had stopped meeting with the group.

“They remain, we remain, therefore the people of Gibraltar remain, without an explanation, a reasonable explanation, as to why that stopped all of a sudden and not for one month, but for six long months when they have pressing issues to put before the minister,” he said.

“Why was it stopped? Was it some sort of childish reaction to something that they said?”

“Was it something childish that I may have said when I've been accused of being the MP for Action for Housing?”

The intervention drew a response from the Chief Minister, who insisted the Government did not accept the claim that there had been no meetings during the period in question.

Mr Picardo said the GSLP/Liberal administration had reinstated meetings with Action for Housing after the 2011 election and that the GSD’s policy in government had been not to meet with the group.

“The GSD had no meetings with Action for Housing. No meetings,” Mr Picardo said.

“It's different now.”

“What we're saying is we sometimes have ministerial meetings, we sometimes have meetings with officials, we sometimes have ministerial meetings with officials with Action for Housing.”

“We are having meetings with Action for Housing in different levels of political and official engagement.”

He said the Government recognised that housing was a pressing issue and that Action for Housing was a “meritorious” group, even if “we sometimes disagree with them”.

Following the exchange in Parliament, Action for Housing insisted that its monthly meetings with officials from the Housing Ministry had been suspended for six months between September 2024 and February 2025.

“At the time, the group were never given any explanations as to why these crucial meetings were suddenly stopped, instead we were treated dismissively,” it said in a statement.

“The reply given in Parliament by Minister for Housing Pat Orfila was vague, confusing and certainly misleading, with no genuine attempt to acknowledge her department’s unreasonable behaviour.”

“Then, as it often happens when ministers have difficulty in answering questions when challenged, the Chief Minister intervened but it was palpable that he was unfamiliar with the situation.”

“Despite his typical analytical oratory, he too failed to explain in a convincing manner why the meetings had been suspended.”

“Instead, he tried to digress by claiming that when in power, over 15 years ago, the opposition had cancelled all meetings with Action for Housing. A claim which is untrue.”

“To this day we are still waiting for the department’s reasoning behind the meeting cancellations which ultimately was detrimental, not just to Action for Housing, but most significantly to those members of the public who come to us for assistance.”

“It is our understanding that when Action for Housing challenges this administration in public, we seem to get penalised as retaliation.”