Parliamentarians are still being paid their honoraria even if they do not attend sittings despite a government pledge to instil more accountability.

The system to peg MPs’ honoraria payments to attendance was promised in Budget 2014 and had to be introduced this year.

But Clerk of the House Ray Scicluna has confirmed the system has not changed.

“To date, no change to the remuneration system of MPs has been put in place,” Mr Scicluna told this newspaper when it enquired about the Budget proposal.

Linking honoraria payments to attendance was a Labour Party electoral pledge and was mentioned by Finance Minister Edward Scicluna when delivering Budget 2014 last November.

“Employees are expected to go to work to get paid. It is government’s intention, from next year [2014], to start paying MPs their honoraria pro-rata according to attendance,” Prof. Scicluna had said, adding that in this way the country’s highest institution would lead by example.

Changing the attendance system was an electoral pledge

But one year on, the system has not changed and the attendance records of MPs are still not easily accessible online as promised before the election. Attendance records can only be verified online by checking the minutes of individual sittings, a very laborious exercise.

The Clerk of the House said parliamentary minutes also listed MPs who were excused because they were abroad on parliamentary business.

Mr Scicluna said ministers and MPs who did not attend Parliament because of government business were listed as absent and this also applied to parliamentarians who were sick and hospitalised.

“A member is recorded as excused if... absence is approved by the Speaker. This provision has been used only when the member assents himself for more than two months due to health reasons,” Mr Scicluna said.

He noted that despite repeated discussions in the House Business Committee in different legislatures on MPs who were absent because of government business, no decision was taken yet to change the current attendance system.

Changing the attendance system was also an electoral pledge.