Council for the south no longer under Brincat’s remit

The Consultative Council for the South chaired by Labour MP Silvio Parnis has been transferred from under the tutelage of environment minister Leo Brincat to Helena Dalli’s ministry for civil liberties and social dialogue.

While the Office of the Prime Minister made all appointments to the committee, Brincat had appointed a board secretary and an observer from his secretariat to ensure strict adherence from the council to its terms of reference.

When contacted, Brincat confirmed that the committee no longer forms part of his ministry, saying that although his ministry was meant to have a coordinating role, the OPM appointed board members and set terms of reference from early on.

The members of the committee are Angela Abela, Kenneth Abela, Jason Bonnici, Lino Bugeja, Graziella Cavlan, Sandro Chetcuti, Peter Cordina and Josie Muscat. The Opposition nominated Charlot Cassar as its representative while Nora Macelli represents the Catholic archdiocese of Malta.

The consultative council’s role was to analyse the southern region’s problems and propose suggestions to tackle them. Its mission is broadly to work for the “south’s general improvement in the framework of sustainable development leading to better quality of living”.

The council can also suggest plans of action and schemes to be considered by the government.