With reference to Charles Micallef's letter Committee For Qawra And Buġibba (April 1), the parliamentary secretariat responsible for local councils has already explained that Qawra and Buġibba could not be considered as hamlets of St Paul's Bay because they form the biggest part of the town. Without Qawra and Buġibba, St Paul's Bay would be considered a relatively small town, almost a hamlet of Qawra and Buġibba. The localities allocated an administrative committee were chosen following an intensive consultation process carried out with regard to the local councils' reform. Article 47A of the law regulating local councils specifies how, in the future, other localities could be given an administrative committee.

We would be willing to meet Mr Micallef to explain in detail how the localities were chosen and why Qawra and Buġibba cannot be considered as small localities.