The Cabinet yesterday approved the long-awaited Freedom of Information Bill that will be given priority once Parliament convenes for the first sitting during this legislature on May 10, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said.
The Act will be a "big breakthrough" in good governance as it will give citizens the right to ask for information from the government under certain controls and regulations, he told the media shortly after attending a Cabinet meeting at Auberge de Castille in Valletta.
The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM) and the Journalists Committee (JC), both of which have been lobbying for a Freedom of Information Act, welcomed the Prime Minister's commitment. They said they now hoped the law would be enacted as soon as possible and would ensure access to the "information that matters".
IGM chairman Malcolm Naudi said the Act would allow the journalism community to access information on behalf of the public. "This information of public interest, that is withheld at the moment, should be in the public domain," he said.
JC chairman Karl Schembri said it remained to be seen how many of the proposals made by journalists' representatives would be adopted in the law.
"Let's hope that the Data Protection Act will not be used and abused to withhold information," he said.
Dr Gonzi yesterday said the approved Bill was similar in substance to the White Paper published (last July) during the previous legislature, however, it included additions such as the Broadcasting Authority's observation that certain information was protected by the Constitution.
Apart from the Freedom of Information Bill, the Cabinet yesterday also approved two other Bills that had been discussed in the previous legislature.
These were the Central Registry Bill which dealt with the public registry and the Public Administration Bill that proposed radical changes in the manner in which the public sector and the government operate. The latter Act introduced new concepts that would help the public sector become more efficient and modern, he said.
Both Bills had been discussed during the past legislature but had not been concluded and, therefore, the process had to be started anew. Comments and suggestions made in the previous legislature, including those made by the opposition, were taken on board.
Dr Gonzi added that, now that the casual elections had been concluded and the two parliamentary groups chosen, the consultation process between the government and the opposition could begin.
Speaking about the selection of the Speaker of the House, he said this would have to be discussed with the opposition and any further details will be given in due course. The selection of the Speaker and the issue of pairing will have to be settled before Parliament convenes.
However, Dr Gonzi added, the country could not afford to wait for the selection of the new leader of the Labour Party (scheduled for June 5) as Parliament had already been delayed long enough.
"Parliament needs to start functioning in the interest of the country as there are a number of laws ready to go through... on May 10 Parliament will convene and start its work," he said.