Speaker denies opposition request for House to adjourn to Thursday

The Speaker of the House of Representatives yesterday ruled against a request by opposition whip Joe Mizzi that the House adjourn to Thursday, to debate a motion presented by the Leader of the Opposition on Saturday on EU funding for the extension of St John's Co-Cathedral Museum.

Mr Mizzi had said that this emanated from House standing order 8. He said he had contacted the Leader of the House to discuss this motion on Thursday, but no reply had been given.

Dr Galea ruled that Standing Order 8 was safeguarded through the work and the procedures followed by the House Business Committee which had met on January 13 and had agreed on the agenda for the parliamentary sittings to be held also this Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Speaker therefore ruled that the House be adjourned to Tuesday (today).

Earlier, Mr Mizzi had pointed out that the Government had not always follow the planned agenda. If the opposition were assured that its motion would be discussed this week, it had no problem for the House to meet also on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Social Policy Minister John Dalli said that it was accepted practice that on Mondays, the House adjourned to Tuesdays. Mr Mizzi insisted on the ruling in the absence of an agreement to discuss the opposition's motion.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that the House's agenda for this week and the next had been discussed and agreed in the House Business Committee. Scrapping the decision now would render the committee futile. It was standard practice for the House to meet on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and alternative Thursdays would be left to the opposition. Mr Speaker should rule accordingly.

Mr Mizzi reiterated that standing order 8 was there to be respected. If the government wanted the House to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday, it must accept to also meet on Thursday. This was the opposition's right by standing order.

Dr Gonzi said opposition motions had always been debated, and the opposition's rights in this respect had never been denied. Was this some sort of new game?

Mr Speaker asked if the problem arose from the motion presented by the Leader of the Opposition last Saturday, and if it was therefore a question of dates. The Prime Minister asked if the opposition now intended to also do away with the customary seven-day wait between the presentation of a motion and the relative debate.

Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat said there had indeed been cases when opposition motions had never come up for debate. The opposition would not stoop to asking for its rights as if they were favours. Opposition days must appear on the House agenda fortnightly, as agreed.