The Prime Minister would not reveal who the next Speaker will be, saying he will announce the decision after meeting the Nationalist Party Parliamentary Group.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Louis Galea, steps down next month when he assumes his new post of member of the European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg.

Asked whether a person had been identified, Lawrence Gonzi said on Wednesday he would only have a decision after he met his party MPs.

Dr Gonzi, who returned to Malta on Wednesday night after a tour of four Gulf states at the head of a trade mission, said: "You know where I was in the past few days. I hope to set a meeting shortly after we return to Malta and then we will announce a decision shortly."

The matter was on the agenda of the last PN Parliamentary Group last Friday but the meeting was dominated by the announcement of the spring hunting season and talks on the appointment of the Speaker were postponed.

Dr Gonzi told MPs he would deal with the Speaker issue over the next fortnight.

The Sunday Times has reported that former ministers Michael Frendo and Francis Zammit Dimech were the favoured candidates, in that order.