The absence of a numerus clausus meant that Malta has an inordinate number of notaries: 150 serving an adult economic population of approximately 200,000, representing one notary for every 1,333 people, a delegation from the Maltese Notarial Council reported recently.

This compared unfavourably with the majority of the notariats of member countries which had introduced some form of control on access to the profession, the average at present being 3,000-5,000 inhabitants for each notary.

The council delegation, composed of notaries Victor Bisazza, Roberta Bisazza and Michel Dingli, made their report while they were attending the congress of International Union of Latin Notariats in Valencia, Spain.

The aims of the union are the standardisation and harmonisation of laws and formalities applied by the member notariats in civil and commercial laws and in company incorporation and registration.