A new open centre in Ħal Far will provide more decent accommodation to migrants than the present one, Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia said last night.

“It’s not an issue of increasing space but of the need for people to have a decent place to live in,” Farrugia said on Ras imb’ Ras last night. “They’re currently living in prefabricated containers on top of each other and, after analysing recommendations by local and foreign entities, we brought EU funds to develop a more decent open centre so we can treat people in a humane manner.”

The new open centre is expected to house around 1,000 people, bringing the total capacity of Ħal Far’s open centres up to around 2,400 people.

Farrugia yesterday said Malta is facing stress on its infrastructure, with several migrants picked up by NGO-operated vessels still on the island despite promises from EU countries to relocate them.

However, he struck an optimistic tone, stating that delegations from France and Germany will visit Malta next week to move the relocation process forward.

READ NEXT: 56 Distressed Migrants Are Being Brought To Malta After They Were Rescued By AFM