Around 109,000 people in Malta are at risk of poverty, according to PN Shadow Minister for Social Policy Ivan Bartolo, who said vulnerable people must be placed at the centre of the country’s social policies.Bartolo made the statement during a PN discussion on social policy in Sliema, where Opposition leader Alex Borg argued that Malta would be “failing as a country” if economic success did not translate into a dignified life for everyone.“There is little point in referring to the millions allocated in the budget if we fail to achieve this, because we would be failing as a State,” Borg said.The discussion brought together experts working across housing, social work and migration, who raised concerns about poverty, homelessness, addiction, housing insecurity and the amount of time working parents are able to spend with their children.Participants also highlighted difficulties faced by people leaving prison or rehabilitation programmes without somewhere to live, as well as older people struggling with housing or without a pension because of their past circumstances.The situation of around 200 children who have lived in Malta throughout their lives but face reaching adulthood without legal recognition by the State was also raised.Borg said policies need to put people at their centre and take issues including poverty, loneliness and mental health seriously, while Bartolo argued that Malta’s significant social spending has not prevented thousands of people from remaining at risk of poverty.What more should be done to support people at risk of poverty in Malta?•