Speaker notes less than satisfactory attendance

Attendance at the first meeting called by the House Select Committee to consult with the public on points it could take on board in its deliberations was less than satisfactory, the Speaker, Louis Galea, who chairs the committee, noted yesterday.

The meeting was attended by Nationalist MPs Ciarlò Bonnici, Francis Zammit Dimech, Austin Gatt, Tonio Borg and Beppe Fenech Adami and by Labour MPs Michael Falzon, Carmelo Abela, Anġlu Farrugia, Karmenu Vella, George Vella and Charles Mangion.

At the start of the meeting, Dr Galea explained what the committee was doing after it was set up by a 10-point parliamentary resolution on July 16. The resolution had been tabled by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, seconded by Opposition Deputy Leader Anġlu Farrugia and approved unanimously.

The committee's terms of reference include a number of national issues.

The committee had since met three times, but following a division of labour for the sake of efficiency, work was ongoing. The three main sectors of the committee's work were the strengthening of Parliament, the enhancement of transparency and accountability and the strengthening of the Constitution. These had been further broken down into a number of topics, including the Ombudsman's Office, corruption, conflicts of interest and party financing.

The meeting yesterday focused on ways of strengthening the parliamentary system. Dr Galea said there was already an electronic site with all the relevant documents and an e-mail address to enable anyone interested to put their comments forward. The site also included the reports drawn up by President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici on the Standing Orders of the House and by the Management Efficiency Unit, among others.

As a first step towards tackling the parliamentary aspect, Dr Galea said he and Deputy Speaker Carmelo Abela had prepared a document to guide the select committee, banking on research, their own personal experiences, meetings with former Speakers and written comments.

Laurence Grech, former editor of The Sunday Times and non-resident ambassador to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, said it was time for Malta to have full-time MPs earning adequate salaries. This would give them more to do but also more time in which to do it.

When Dr Galea asked Mr Grech what would happen if a full-time MP was not re-elected, Mr Grech said it was a risk one should be prepared to take, but the people deserved the better service. With adequate salaries and resources there would be politicians prepared to take the challenge.

David Camilleri said it was time for Parliament to be free to employ its own human resources. The institution did not have enough resources to adequately scrutinise what the government was doing and when it sought to do this it depended on the government whether to accept or refuse the request for more human resources.

Mr Camilleri said more resources would also make for better continuity. There should be a distinction between the public service and a parliamentary service. The country's small size would probably impose limits on individual expertise and certain resources might need to be shared.

Dr Vella remarked that, to date, Parliament had to rely on government experts, meaning that both sides would be hearing the same advice. The two must be detached.

Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said there had never been a real impetus to put into practice the comments on parliamentary practice made almost every year at the Sette Giugno ceremony. In this regard, the select committee seemed to be more promising in terms of being more effective.

The image of Parliament needed to consist of less government agenda. The people needed more opportunities to make their voices heard, such as through Private Members' Bills. This shortcoming was one of the stumbling blocks in people having greater faith in Parliament. While ministers could avail themselves of the ministries' human resources, MPs needed help more than ever, especially in opposition. A stronger democracy demanded this.

Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said parliamentary business needed less plenary sessions and more specialised commissions to be more effective. He queried the allowance of 45 minutes for each member to speak, saying that in some cases even half the time would be enough. On the other hand, working on a commission or committee would allow MPs to show their mettle better. All this would make for a higher-quality Parliament because plenary sessions skimmed the surface of a topic while a committee examined it in detail.

MPs needed more researchers and opposition MPs required more meaningful backing if they were to scrutinise the government's operation. Rather than the methods, the PAC should concentrate more on the efficiency and efficacy of the civil service. In a nutshell, MPs must do more to put themselves in the people's shoes.

Owen Bonnici (MLP) drew on his own experience at the European Parliament to make comparisons between the human resources available to MEPs and the lack of them for local MPs. MEPs had every opportunity to meet and discuss issues even outside the hall of the European Parliament.

It was good that the people had had an opportunity to visit the seat of Parliament during the recent Notte Bianca, but the European Parliament was accessible to people all the year round. Malta's Parliament should do more to emulate the good of the European Parliament.

On a technical point, Mr Bonnici urged the reconsideration of the question of whether the Speaker should be considered a member of the House or not, especially in a motion of no confidence.

Dr Galea said one should consider the difficulty posed by the fact that the Palace was not just the seat of Parliament but also housed the office of the President, of the Public Service Commission and of other entities.

Mr Bonnici said there was no problem with sittings being held inside the Palace but the backstage work could be done somewhere else, a place that could also be named Dar id-Demokrazija.

David Agius (PN) agreed that Parliament should come closer to the people, not just through the filming of specific occasions but also by the setting up of a dedicated television channel. Shorter - and more informed - speeches by MPs, which would also give time for more members to speak, would help to enhance interest in parliamentary sittings. The decision on whether or not to have full-time MPs was long overdue.

With most parliamentary questions being suggested by the people themselves, more attention should be given to them, such as by having sittings specifically for questions to one minister, to be answered and discussed even during morning sessions.

Frederick Azzopardi (PN) said the fact that there was no secretary to help MPs in their clerical work was a drain on their time, which could be better spent.

Concluding the meeting, Dr Galea expressed appreciation of the comments made and promised they would be taken into consideration. But, he added, he would have liked to see such a significant event of public consultation better attended.