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A series of e-mails mistakenly sent to the Opposition reveals Labour Party whip Godfrey Farrugia admonishing Cabinet members because only nine turned up for a ruling in Parliament.

The e-mail string was read out by PN whip David Agius in Parliament on Friday since he was the one who was inadvertently copied in. The subject read “name and shame” in which Dr Farrugia was critical of Cabinet members because the government had to ask for the Speaker’s ruling in a vote when ministers failed to show.

“Shame to (sic) all those who were supposed to be there and failed to do so. This is intolerable,” Dr Farrugia wrote.

The PL’s electoral manifesto had promised accountability by committing to pay MPs only for parliamentary sittings they had actually attended. This was never implemented.

The e-mails’ subject matter was quickly turned into a request by Family and Social Solidarity Minister Michael Farrugia to have Parliament offices “less transparent”.

This is intolerable

Saying he was following the parliamentary sitting from his office, Dr Farrugia used the opportunity to demand action be taken “immediately to make our Parliamentary offices less transparent visually and auditory (sic)”.

This spurred Foreign Minister George Vella to stress the issue of security, saying he felt he was a “sitting duck or a target in a lit up aquarium for any hothead or jihadist wanting to make a case for whatever extremist group”.

He complained his office was only about five metres away from the steps leading from Republic Street to the Central Bank area. “We are inviting such an accident to happen,” he said, pointing out the windows were not tinted or bullet proof.