Updated | National identity agency gives too much access to home affairs minister – PN

Adds statement by the government

The Nationalist Party has called into question the creation of a National Identity Agency that will be centralizing all information from passports, national identity cards, public and land registries, and other civil registries.

Identity Malta was established by legal notice earlier this month to group the functions and duties on expatriate matters, passports, identity cards and other identity documents.

The agency will be headed by an executive chairperson, who will act as chief executive of Identity Malta.

"The legal notice was introduced without any announcement, to give the home affairs minister access to an exaggerated amount of information and personal data," shadow home affairs minister Jason Azzopardi said.

"The Nationalist Party notes that the establishment of this agency, which will be under the responsible for the home affairs ministry, was not officially announced and government employees were only informed recently via email as to whether they wanted to proceed in government employment or not.

"We can't not take note of this dangerous development in governance, and that this agency gives too much accessibility to personal data to one minister, Manuel Mallia. It gives rise to great abuse without clear safeguards for citizens," Azzopardi said.

In a series of questions, Azzopardi asked why Identity Malta had not been officially announced, what consultation took place before the legal notice was published, why government notaries and employees were not forewarned with the development, and what safeguards for data protection will be put in place against any abuse.

"Is it also true that the agency's executive chairman is a Labour candidate who has already taken office?"

In a reaction, the home affairs ministry said the government had for months been talking about the setting up of the agency.

"Both the Prime Minister and Minister Manuel Mallia have long been declaring the setting up of the agency which would, among others, take care of citizenship and visas," the national security ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said that "contrary to what Dr Azzopardi may think, this is a government that implements what it promises".

"The Prime Minister has repeatedly flagged the unacceptable inefficiency of the current setup. The set up this agency will help to achieve results," the ministry concluded.