Cabinet minutes’ archives to be accessible to the public

A historic decision to grant public access to Cabinet minutes will see all minutes and memoranda penned during Cabinet meetings between 1962 and 1981 open to research in the National Archives.

The documents have been passed on from the prime minister's office by civil service head Mario Cutajar, to the National Archives in Rabat.

But Cabinet minutes from the 1970s, which cover two Mintoff administrations, have not been found, save for notes. These have also been passed on to the National Archives.

"The publication of these documents for research is a historic step for the government, the national archives, as well as for research and documentation on the Maltese state. I hope this development will lead to a better understanding of our country's history and development," Cutajar said.

The history of the Maltese executive starts with self-government between 1921 and 1933, and again between 1947 and 1958 - the latter period marked by the resignation of the first Mintoff administration after failing to secure integration with Great Britain.

Under colonial rule, the Maltese government was a "ministry" with its own head in place of a prime minister. The term "cabinet" was not used by the colonial administration in a bid to make a difference between colonies like Malta and dominions like Canada, which had its own prime minister and cabinet.

Malta's first constitution, the Blood Constitution, was compiled in 1962, two years before Independence, with the first ever cabinet meeting starting on 27 August, 1962.

The Cabinet minutes will be open to researchers from 3 February 2014.