MPs have not been on their best behaviour in recent weeks, with rowdy sessions and “unparliamentary” language, which experts believe could be the result of live broadcasts.

Psychologist Paul Attard-Baldacchino said what has been happening in the House, including the trading of insults and questionable language, could be down to the introduction of TV cameras since Parliament moved to its new building in City Gate, Valletta, in the beginning of May.

Dr Attard Baldacchino, president of the Malta Union of Professional Psychologists, said MPs could be going through an experience similar to that often observed among those participating in reality TV shows, such as Big Brother.

Even Speaker Anġlu Farrugia sees a possible link between the bad behaviour and the transmission on the Parliament Channel. In a ruling on Monday he warned he would consider suspending MPs if things did not improve.

The Clerk of the House, Raymond Scicluna, said such measures had not been in use for at least three legislatures and had all but been phased out. Mr Scicluna said the last “naming” of a parliamentarian occurred in 1990 when Labour MP Lino Debono had called then Nationalist minister Michael Falzon a “thief”.

Former speaker Lawrence Gonzi told Times of Malta he had invoked the standing orders a few times during his time in the parliamentary hot seat. However, he used to prefer imposing what he termed “waterpolo” penalties, that is, ordering an MP to leave the House for a few minutes, similar to the man-out penalty in waterpolo games where players are suspended for 30 seconds.

Read more in Times of Malta.