MPs protest over ministers' replies

Opposition MPs Carmelo Abela and Joe Mizzi complained yesterday after ministers refused to answer a question by the former on the persons serving in ministerial secretariats and their role.

Mr Mizzi called a quorum after protesting at the tone of a reply by Health Minister Louis Deguara, who insisted that ministers were not obliged to reply to this sort of question.

After the sitting was suspended for five minutes, Social Policy Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that the names of the people in ministerial secretariats were not a state secret, but in terms of House standing orders, confirmed by Erskine May, individuals should not be named but reference should be made to their posts. When names had to be mentioned that had to be done prudently.

Furthermore, ministers had a right to reply by saying they did not wish to reply. Mr Mizzi said standing orders also gave him the right to call for a quorum when there were not enough MPs in the House, as was the case.

His protest was not about the question; he agreed with Dr Gonzi on that point, but he was protesting against Dr Deguara's attitude when he replied. This was, after all, a question about staff paid by taxpayers.

Dr Gonzi said Dr Deguara's reply was not in the way Mr Mizzi was interpreting it. The government, after all, had already replied to some 1,300 questions in this legislature alone and most of the replies were exhaustive. In terms of standing orders, a minister may choose not to reply, but this was not a matter of pique.

Mr Mizzi did not insist on his quorum call and the sitting continued normally.