The Armed Forces will not be providing security at the new Parliament building set to be inaugurated in May because of a lack of human resources, according to Speaker Anġlu Farrugia.

The Office of the Speaker is now exploring the possibility of adopting the House of Commons model in the UK, where security is provided by the police force.

Dr Farrugia’s statement came in reply to questions from this newspaper in the wake of an announcement he made during the last House Business Committee meeting on March 11.

The present security arrangement at the Palace in Valletta covers both Parliament and the Office of the President. However the new Parliament building, because of its 'open' structure, needs more personnel to provide security.

A Home Affairs Ministry spokeswoman told The Sunday Times of Malta that the Parliament’s security was not actually in the army’s remit. Yet the same ministry has a number of AFM soldiers deployed at its entrance. 

More in The Sunday Times of Malta and the e-paper on timesofmalta.com Premium.

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