The Nationalist Party has refused to answer questions about the government’s controversial decision to keep Parliament closed except when all its MPs are in the country.

On Monday, the Nationalist Party blamed the decision on the opposition’s “parliamentary manoeuvres”.

The Labour Party, on the other hand, says the PN has a tight control over Parliament and should not fear opening it when government MPs are abroad, especially given a “watertight” motion of procedure that protects the government from spontaneous votes.

The motion, approved in May 2010, stipulates that unplanned votes demanded during a parliamentary session have to take place the following Wednesday.

Nationalist whip David Agius was asked for his party’s position on this point but he said the PN had “nothing to add”.

The PN was also asked to explain why the government was reluctant to hold parliamentary sittings when not all government MPs were in Malta and whether the government’s decision was an admission that the government had lost control over its one-seat majority due to MP Franco Debono’s abstention in a no-confidence motion last week.

The PN also refused to say what Labour should do to persuade the government to have more regular parliamentary sittings so that House business does not grind to a halt.

The government’s decision was criticised by Alternattiva Demokratika, by constitutional lawyer and former Justice Minister Joe Brincat and also by former PN president Frank Portelli.