Parliamentarians have already missed 577 sittings in the first seven months of this legislature, but that is actually an improvement over previous years, according to Speaker Anġlu Farrugia.
Figures tabled in Parliament earlier this month show MPs have been registered as absent 577 times, excused 123 times, abroad on government business 248 times and on parliamentary group business eight times.
That adds up to 956 instances that a seat was left empty since the legislature started in June.
There were also 92 instances when MPs could not attend because they were abroad on special parliamentary business.
The figures were supplied in reply to a parliamentary question by PN MP Karol Aquilina.
Asked about the number of sittings missed by MPs, Dr Farrugia said that while he was still not satisfied with the level of absenteeism, the figures did point to an overall improvement.
The Clerk of the House, Ray Scicluna, said the rules governing MPs’ attendance, known as Standing Orders, had been amended in 2016 to broaden the reasons parliamentarians were allowed to miss a sitting. Prior to the review, all non-attendance was considered absenteeism, irrespective of whether the MPs were on government business, parliamentary group business or even hospitalised.
The only exception prior to the reform was when an MP was abroad on parliamentary business, in which case an annotation was included in the minutes of the House to record it.
“For fairness sake, one needs to compare this latest data with figures spanning over a number of years and also on a like-for-like basis,” Mr Scicluna told the Times of Malta.
On average, MPs miss about 1,700 sessions collectively every year. Mr Scicluna said this indicated there had been an improvement overall.
Times of Malta reported last month that Opposition MPs had been fined €1,550 for unjustified absences from Parliament so far this year.
Former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and former Democratic Party head Marlene Farrugia topped the list, with fines of €200 each for missing four parliamentary sittings apiece.
According to the new rules, MPs are fined €50 for each unjustified absence.
Meanwhile, amendments to the Pensions Ordinance, currently before the House, provide for MPs to be eligible for a pension on turning 65, after serving just one legislature, instead of two as at present. MPs can keep their full parliamentary pension along with their social security pension.