Dr Gonzi said having a Freedom of Information Act was “a breakthrough” for good governance in Malta as it would give the people increased rights to be given information held by the government. The drafting of the Bill following the publication of a White Paper as part of a process of public consultation.
Dr Gonzi said the House would also consider the Central Registry Bill and the Public Administration Bill, which were debated in the last legislature but where the procedure will have to start afresh because the House was dissolved before their approval. Proposals made when the debates were held would be included in the new Bills, particularly with regard to public administration.
The Prime Minister said that now that the casual elections had been held, the government intended to have talks with the opposition on matters involving parliamentary business. He said no one had been chosen yet to become Speaker of the House. Such matters, he said, had to be discussed before the new Parliament convened and could not await the appointment of a new Leader of the Opposition, which is scheduled for June. The convening of Parliament had been held off for the last possible date but Malta could not wait any longer before Parliament started to function, Dr Gonzi said.
Turning to other issues, Dr Gonzi said in reply to questions that the government's proposals to rent office space at Dar Malta in Brussels had drawn substantial interest.
Dr Gonzi also said that the government was concerned over the worsening international situation with regard to the price of oil and cereals as well as the instability of financial markets, all of which were impacting on Malta’s main trading partners. The government , he said, intended to keep the social partners up to date with the realities as they affected Malta and what could be done to ensure that Malta remained competitive.