Labour MP urges judges' involvement

Labour MP Owen Bonnici yesterday urged the government to ask retired judges to give their advice to the proposed two House select committees discussing the drafting of a law on assisted procreation and recommendations on the codification of the Laws of Malta.

Speaking during the debate in Parliament on the motions to set up the two committees, Dr Bonnici said judges had a wealth of knowledge, loved the law and had the people's welfare at heart.

"These legalistic committees would also serve as a forum of wise men," he said, and it would be an honour for the House to have them.

He also suggested setting up Parliamentary investigative committees and upgrading the Privileges Committee to a Committee of Standards and Privileges which would issue regulations that MPs would have to follow while enforcing the code of ethics.

He called on parity of representation on these committees.

Other committees that had to be appointed by Parliament included opposition-led committees which scrutinised operations by government departments. A monitoring committee scrutinising legal notices issued under enabling laws should also be set up.

Dr Bonnici said the government could have given a sign of maturity if it had consulted the opposition on these two motions, giving parity of representation and offering the opposition the chairmanship of one of the committees.

Earlier, Charlo' Bonnici (PN) said there was the need to set up the select committees because members could focus on issues and could get expert advice. Members from both sides of the House could collaborate and so arrive at agreed solutions.

The select committee chaired by the Speaker had also distributed work to sub-committees.

Mr Bonnici suggested setting up a select committee to draft changes to Maltese family law, explore what legal rights should be given to cohabiting couples and discuss the introduction of divorce.

Gino Cauchi (PL) said that the government had relegated Parliament to an institution of less importance than in the past. Decisions were taken and announced outside Parliament and the government did not consider suggestions made by the opposition.

The government showed its disrespect to the opposition during question time by avoiding to give answers, with the excuse that information would be given in subsequent sittings.

The real Budget debate had been restricted to the first three sittings only.

Mr Cauchi insisted that the government was trying to stifle debate in Parliament and reduce it to a rubber stamp. These two select committees were being set up at the Prime Minister's convenience to ride over the internal storm in the Nationalist Party. The wording of the motion on the re-codification of laws showed that Nationalist governments had failed in legislation presented to Parliament. He showed doubts on the effectiveness that this committee could have.

He augured that the IVF committee would conclude its work in a short time to present rules to the House so that the country could move forward on medically-assisted procreation, because Malta was lagging behind other countries.

Frederick Azzopardi (PN) referred to two reports by the House Social Affairs Committee on assisted procreation. He said that since the last legislature, the fact that Malta did not have any regulatory legislation on IVF had been highlighted. The committee had met 21 times and heard experts in different sectors. But it felt that further consultations were needed.

On genetic technology, the committee had more questions than answers, especially where embryos for research were concerned.

Quoting extensively from the two reports drawn up so far, Mr Azzopardi said the committee sought to base its deliberations on Dignitatis Personae, issued by the Vatican's Congregation of Doctrine of the Faith, but to date every country was free to legislate according to national philosophy.

Concluding, he said the two reports were intended to give politicians a guideline to possible future legislation. They were certainly not to be taken as reports drawn up by experts. This showed how right the government was to be setting up a select committee to discuss the issue further, with the agreement of the opposition.

Labour MP Evarist Bartolo, who also contributed to the debate, will be reported tomorrow.

Earlier, the House unanimously approved the first reading of the Environment and Planning Development Bill, moved by Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco on behalf of the Prime Minister.