House Speaker Michael Frendo said today that he would propose to Parliament in due time that investment should be made on a system of electronic voting.

"Electronic voting is the norm in Parliaments abroad. It is fast and it gives you certainty," Dr Frendo told timesofmalta.com.

Until then, he said, he would insist that whenever MPs were asked to declare their vote, they would do so by speaking directly into a microphone.

"That might take some time, but everything will be recorded, it is the best we can do until we have electronic voting," Dr Frendo said.

He pointed out that in the current controversy the decisions of the Chair were not about how Parliamentary Secretary Mario Galea had voted, but the uncertainty with regard to the vote by Labour MP Justyne Caruana.

"Once doubts had been raised, I had to check, only to find that the recording system was not adequate. Only four microphones were on, and the recording was not clear," he said.

He said the electronic system should have the facility to trace back how each MP had voted. Furthermore, there were systems which asked the MPs to confirm their decision as they voted,thus eliminating the possibility of mistakes.

The installation of the system would need the consent of the House and a change in standing orders.