Opposition leader Simon Busuttil toured the new parliament building this afternoon and said he was looking forward to the move from the present Chamber at the Palace.

However he insisted that the monti market stalls should not be set up right outside Parliament, saying this was not in keeping with this project.

The chairman of the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation, Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said the first parliamentary staff will move to the new building next week.

The work on the building, including the Chamber and the offices is now complete. Dr Busuttil said the facilities for MPs, including the offices for the Opposition, were a big improvement on the current ones. 

The whole city gate project, he said, was a gift, a monument to culture.

It is hoped that the first sitting will be held in the parliament on May 4.

Dr Busuttil also spoke about allegations made against Giovanna Debono. He reiterated the former minister's denial of the claims made against her and her husband and said he will await police investigations before taking any action which may be warranted.

Dr Busuttil regretted, however, that allegations such as this were being revealed during electoral campaigns and used for political purposes. This showed, he said, that the prime minister was not fighting wrongdoing, but using wrongoing for his political purposes. (See video below)