Ombudsman funding issue resolved

The House Business Committee yesterday approved the Ombudsman's business plan and agreed on a motion for its approval by the whole House.

Leader of the House Lawrence Gonzi referred to an issue raised at the last meeting of the committee and said it had confirmed that the amount of funding for the Ombudsman in the budget estimates was only indicative and could be changed.

During the last meeting, the Ombudsman, Mr Joe Sammut, requested a financial allocation of Lm175,000 but the financial estimates for this year, approved by parliament at the end of last year, had provided an allocation of Lm170,000. The committee had agreed to seek legal advice about the matter.