I have no intention of taking part in the debate about the latest court incidents.

However, for the sake of information, a legal notice published in The Government Gazette of 1913 prohibits smoking in the Magistrates’ Court.

Tonio Azzopardi, way back in 2002, submitted a constitutional application demanding the enforcement of this legal notice.

At that time, there arose the ambiguity that the legal notice in question referred only to the Magistrates’ Court while other areas were not covered.

Nevertheless, action was taken by the then permanent secretary responsible for the law courts to enforce the legal notice within the whole edifice.

Some years ago, a close friend of mine, the late advocate John Laferla, took the initiative and persistently appealed for an updated legal notice banning smoking in court.

He succeeded in his efforts for a total ban and for a fine to be imposed on those caught contravening the law.