PM proposes Parliamentary Committee

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday proposed the setting up of a Parliamentary Select Committee to seek common ground between the government and the opposition on legislative amendments to strengthen democracy.

Labour leader Joseph Muscat said the Labour Party's commitment was to strengthen democracy. He said that although reforms should be debated in Parliament, he preferred such a discussion not to be limited to the House but include also civil society.

Introducing the Freedom of Information Bill in second reading, Dr Gonzi said the committee - to be made up of three MPs from each side of the House - would discuss the points raised in the recent exchange of correspondence between MLP leader Joseph Muscat and himself.

Matters he had originally proposed to the opposition, and which were not yet resolved, included those relating to the Speaker, pairing, quorum and on the better administration of Parliament.

Other proposals were also made by Dr Muscat. However, the committee would not be discussing Dr Muscat's call for a capping of government revenue from excise duty on fuel, since such a mechanism did not exist.

The Prime Minister said that his proposal for the appointment of the Auditor General and his deputy were now accepted by the opposition and two resolutions for their appointment had already been presented. These appointments require acceptance by two-thirds of the members of the House.

It was clear, the Prime Minister said, that there was agreement between him and Dr Muscat on a number of issues which were integral and important to the government's agenda.

He noted that many of the points raised by Dr Muscat actually formed part of the government's legislative programme as explained at the State Opening of Parliament.

In the Address by the President, the government listed among its priorities an improvement of parliamentary procedures and the allocation of more resources to MPs, improving public administration, the appointment of a Special Investigator to work with the Commission Against Corruption, the enactment of a Freedom of Information Act and a Whistleblower Act, strengthening the role of the Ombudsman to coordinate complaints on the administration of the whole public sector, legislation on party funding, an updating of the Electoral Law and measures to restrict the possibility of ministerial conflicts of interest.

Dr Gonzi said progress on some of these points was already being made. The Freedom of Information Bill was now before Parliament and the government's proposals on the Whistleblower's Act would be announced in the coming weeks.

In the near future the government would also be contacting the opposition over its proposal on strengthening the Ombudsman and giving the Office a coordinating role for complaints covering the whole public sector.

Dr Gonzi said the government would also be implementing other promises relating to public administration, including issuing a public call for appointments to state bodies. This measure could not be implemented immediately for various administrative reasons.

A discussion would also be held shortly on ways to improve the Public Accounts Committee and other structures so that the chairmen of state authorities would be required to appear before parliamentary committees, thus improving accountability. The government had also promised legislation to continue improving the electoral system and another regulating MPs' conflict of interest.

Dr Gonzi augured that the proposed Select Committee would, step by step, bring about much needed changes in agreement between the two parties.

In a statement issued soon after Dr Gonzi's comments, Dr Muscat said he noted the stand adopted by the Prime Minister accepting the decisions made by the opposition. Dr Muscat now expected the terms of reference of the proposed committee to be discussed.