MPs from both sides of the House last night called for an open debate about the possibility of having full-time members of Parliament.
It was agreed that although this would have its benefits, the current scenario allowed MPs to remain in closer touch with society.
There was general consensus that, at least for now, such a decision should rest with the individual member.
The House was debating the Parliamentary Services Bill in second reading.
The Bill, which establishes Parliament’s autonomy from the Executive, includes an amendment to the Constitution which says that when no acting president is appointed, the Speaker rather than the Chief Justice shall ex lege assume the office. This amendment had already been proposed in the White Paper called The Maltese Parliament: More Autonomy, More Accountability launched in September 2012 by leader of the House Tonio Borg.
Josè Herrera (PL) said this change would mirror the UK’s Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 and the current practice in European countries. It would also sever all links between the legislative and the judicial State arms.
EU membership ushered in new responsibilities
Dr Herrera proposed an amendment to the constitutional provision whereby judges would be ineligible to be appointed President of the Republic. Carmelo Abela (PL), Deborah Schembri (PL), Chris Said (PN) and Charlò Bonnici (PN) participated in the debate. All agreed that besides autonomy, more resources were required to enable MPs to carry out their increasingly complex technical duties.
EU membership had ushered in several new responsibilities and exacerbated the need for further resources.
There was agreement on the need for a review of Standing Orders, with Mr Abela noting that as a rule Parliament’s approval of legislation took longer than in the much larger Indian Parliament. Dr Schembri highlighted how parliamentary structures, including the debating hours, made female members’ participation challenging.
Dr Bonnici (PN) and Dr Schembri shared the problems they encountered as fresh members without any induction services.
Dr Said said this Parliament was the Parliament of both Malta and Gozo, and he asked for measures to be considered that would reflect this reality.