A €10,000 reduction in the maximum donation that can be made to political parties is not being ruled out, Justice Parliamentary Secretary Owen Bonnici said yesterday.

Speaking during a consultation meeting with the law students association, Dr Bonnici did not rule out the amount being reduced from €50,000 to €40,000.

The financial cap is in a White Paper aimed at controlling party financing.

“This wouldn’t be such a large reduction and I don’t think it makes much of a difference in the long run,” he said. The legislation will be tabled before the summer recess, he added.

Originally proposed by Alternattiva Demokratika, the reduction is among a list of proposals set out in a report drafted by the student body.

Dr Bonnici said the government would study the plans, many of which could be included in the law.

The students’ body had previously made a series of recommendations for an overhaul of the justice system, many of which were included in a final report drafted by Reform Commissioner Franco Debono.

We want to have a humble justice system which reflects the truths of contemporary society and serves its needs

The latest set of student proposals include a number of accounting requirements for political parties as well as a review of the auditor general’s role in the electoral process.

Asked about possible loopholes in the system, such as multiple donations through the setting up of subsidiaries, Dr Bonnici said this was a matter of proving wrongdoing. Whenever more than one maximum donation came from the same source, legal action would be taken.

On the contentious court waiting times, Dr Bonnici said a Bill aimed at tackling delays was to be presented before the summer recess.

On Monday the EU’s justice scoreboard had ranked Malta last in terms of how long it takes for the courts to reach a decision.

The island was also at the bottom of the pack when it came to the number of judges who take part in regular training.

The scoreboard, based on figures from 2012, had prompted Dr Bonnici to reiterate his commitment to pushing forward the “much needed” justice reform.

“We want to have a humble justice system which reflects the truths of contemporary society and serves its needs,” he said.