Speaker rules on admissibility of supplementary questions

The Speaker of the House of Representatives in his first ruling of the legislature, said this evening that supplementary questions to parliamentary questions must be strictly related to the original question.

He said it was up to the Speaker to decide whether a supplementary question was related to the original question and, therefore, whether it could be allowed.

Referring to a point made last Wednesday by Opposition whip Joe Mizzi that to date, supplementary questions which were not directly related were still allowed if the minister agreed, Dr Galea quoted Standing Orders and Erskine May and said the observance of standing orders was in the hands of the Speaker, not ministers or MPs.

Dr Galea urged all MPs to regulate themselves in the best interests of the House.