Opposition criticises Prime Minister for last-minute ministerial statement announcement

Nationalist MPs hit out at the Prime Minister for announcing that he will give a ministerial statement only 10 minutes before the plenary session on Monday.

Paula Mifsud Bonnici was first to flag with the Speaker of the House that the party was only notified of the statement a few minutes before the plenary session began.

She added that Opposition leader Bernard Grech was on his way. The Opposition leader is expected to give a response to the Prime Minister’s statement in parliament when a ministerial statement is given. However, he was not given notice and arrived after the session started.

When Grech gave his speech, he criticised Robert Abela for failing to give due notice of the ministerial statement and for failing to give such a statement over the past few months.

It is parliamentary practice for the prime minister, or another minister, to give such statements on important issues or on their participation in an EU summit meeting.

Despite several EU summit meetings having taken place in 2023, this was the first statement to be given by Prime Minister Robert Abela this year.

Grech said this was poor accountability on Abela’s side. “This parliament deserves better.”

“It’s unacceptable for the ministerial statement, which is a year overdue, to be announced 10 minutes before the session – and particularly so when the two parliamentary whips were in constant contact with each other.”

MP David Agius also said that there was “no point trying to win political points by doing this ministerial statement”.

“I was a whip for five years, I was deputy leader of the parliamentary group for five years […] Notice of the ministerial statement was always given an hour before the session.”