The Opposition has presented a motion in Parliament for the appointment of a Commissioner of Standards in Public Service and a Standing Committee of the House to assist him in his work.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in comments in parliament shortly after, said the government would consider the motion favourably since the proposals were also in the Labour electoral programme.

In a press conference before presenting the motion to the Speaker of the House, Opposition leader Simon Busuttul said that every MP and every public officer had a duty to observe the highest standards of behaviour.

MPs could only be considered honourable for as long as their behaviour was honourable.

He noted that the Prime Minister had said that it was time for the Code of Ethics of ministers and parliamentary secretaries to be revised, but he had not indicated how and why.

Since the elections, he recalled, members of the Cabinet had been exempted by the prime minister from fully observing the code. Serious doubts had been raised about the veracity of the ministerial declaration of assets.

More questions were raised over the direct employment of a minister’s wife by Malta Enterprise, among other issues.

He said the new Commissioner should be an officer of parliament, like the Ombudsman and the Auditor-General. His appointment should be by resolution backed by two-thirds of the members of the House and he should be able to function in an independent manner.

His role would be to promote the highest standards of behaviour including integrity, accountability, objectivity, transparency and responsibility. The Commissioner would be responsible for the updating of Codes of Ethics, where necessary, including those of ministers, MPs, members of local councils, the public sectors and directors of public entities.

He would also be able to take whatever action if necessary for the highest standards of public life and make recommendations to the House on the behaviour of people in public life

Dr Busuttil said the Opposition is also proposing the appointment of a House Committee of Standards, presided by the Speaker and with equal representation by both sides of the House. The committee would assist the commissioner without impinging on his independence.

The committee would be required to submit a report by December 15 on the setting up of the Office of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life.