The Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation has been given a new completion date for the new Parliament project.

Corporation chairman Stephan Zrinzo Azzopardi said on Dissett this evening that a letter highlighting a new works programme was received by the corporation this evening and the corporation was currently evaluating if the time frame being proposed was realistic.

He refused to say what was the date the corporation was given.

Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi also said that no payments were at the moment being issued to the contractors as the corporation was continuing to insist that fines should be paid.

In a telephone interview, Construction Minister Joe Mizzi insisted that fines had to be paid as stipulated in the contract.

The building was supposed to have been ready in time for the opening of the new session of Parliament on October 13, following the summer recess, but the House of Representatives will have to stay at the Palace for now.

Later on in the programme, architect Antonio Belvedere, from Renzo Piano's office, and Richard England made a case for transforming the ditch into a garden as originally planned rather than a parking area. They also insisted that the bus terminus should be moved.