The Labour opposition’s main spokesman on justice, José Herrera, is spearheading a motion highlighting the “precarious and unsustainable” situation in the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs and its “endemic problems”.

He said these problems had long been emphasised by the opposition, other interested parties and even government quarters.

Foremost among these problems is the conflict of priorities between the two sectors, incompetence and inaction, Dr Herrera said.

The motion lists issues of legal assistance, constitutional and human rights issues, conflicts between the executive and the judiciary, the Criminal Code, delays in procedures and on the long-stalled Whistleblower Act.

Other issues involve missing court documents, legal aid, the Family Court, reparative justice, the Corradino Correctional Facility, detention centres, security at places of entertainment and the right to membership of trade unions.

The motion calls for censure of the government and for political responsibility to be borne for what the opposition describes as “serious shortcomings”.

Government backbencher Franco Debono, who has been very vociferous about the shortcomings in the ministry and the need to split it up, told timesofmalta.com last night he will back the government when the opposition’s motion comes to the vote in Parliament.

Dr Debono had abstained at the end of the debate on Labour’s motion of no-confidence in Transport Minister Austin Gatt last month.