A new App will monitor MPs’ performance and track parliamentary questions asked in the House, Speaker Anġlu Farrugia said today.

Addressing a press conference, Dr Farrugia said the free App, PQ Vis, would be released in the coming weeks and would help the public keep tabs on their representatives.

Users will also be able to look at which MPs ask the most questions, who was most likely to answer, and what they were asking about

The App is being developed in collaboration with the Malta Information Technology Agency and the University of Malta’s Faculty of ICT.

Dr Farrugia said more than 33,000 PQs had been put by MPs this legislature.

“This is a lot of information for people to sift through. This new technology will facilitate this from the comfort of citizens’ mobile device,” he said.

Dr Farrugia said the App would group PQs in categories to facilitate searching for information. Users will also be able to look at which MPs ask the most questions, who was most likely to answer, and what they were asking about. The App would also allow users to keep tabs on who was asking who.

Clerk of the House Ray Scicluna said a preliminary analysis of the data had already revealed interesting ‘PQ patterns’.

Information, he said, would not be limited to this legislature, but would go back to the ninth legislature back in 1998.

“Our Parliament is a model for others across Europe when it comes to immediacy of information and transparency. This is the next logical step in further improving access,” Dr Farrugia said.

He added that in the near future the House would be looking into the possibility of providing access to an immediate transcript of proceedings.