Report on impact of divorce law by end of month

Kurt Sansone

A government committee, tasked with analysing the impact of divorce legislation on other laws and proposing changes, is expected to deliver its recommendations by the end of the month.

The Justice Ministry confirmed that the committee was set up in September last year after Parliament approved divorce legislation.

Both sides of the House had agreed a committee of experts be set up to propose changes to various laws, such as those governing pension rights, as a result of the introduction of divorce.

The committee has to submit its recommendations by February 29 and the Prime Minister is bound to make the relevant changes through legal notice by the end of June.

The changes will be retroactive to October 1, 2011 when divorce became legal.

The committee is composed of Attorney General Peter Grech as chairman, Angele Attard, representing the Family Ministry, and Claude Cuschieri, the director general of strategy and operations support.

“The committee is working on the report to be presented to the Prime Minister by February 29,” a Justice Ministry spokesman said, adding that the deadline would be met.

The impact of divorce legislation on other laws was one of the issues raised during the parliamentary debate last year and cross-party discussions, led by Nationalist backbencher Francis Zammit Dimech and Labour MP Owen Bonnici, had reached consensus on the expert committee.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com