Opposition insists on right to choose which motions to debate

Parliament will be debating a private member’s bill presented by opposition justice spokesman Jason Azzopardi – the Judicial Services Appointment Authority Bill – on 21 November, unless government accepts a request by the opposition that it be allowed to choose which of its motions to debate during sittings allocated to the opposition.

In a meeting of the House Business Committee on Monday, goevrnment whip Godfrey Farrugia said that the sitting of Monday, 21 November, had been allocated for the discussion of Azzopardi’s private members’ motion.

But opposition whip David Agius said that, seeing that the government had allocated that sitting to the opposition, the opposition would in fact prefer to debate another private member’s motion for the publication of documents related to the bank guarantee issued by the Government for the construction of the new gas power station to Electrogas Ltd.

That motion had been presented Mario de Marco, Marthese Portelli and Claudio Grech on 15 June 2015, Agius said.

He argued that the opposition should have the right to choose which of its private member’s motions to discuss.

Minister Chris Cardona said that might not be possible since that motion would require extensive debate, possibly far more than the one sitting allocated, and because some members of the government will be abroad at the time.

The committee agreed that the votes on the 2017 budget ministerial estimates will be taken during one sitting on 7 December.

Parliament will be debating cohabitation during the sitting of Monday 14 November, and amendments to the Companies Act and directives on the Market Abuse Act on 22 November.

The house is then scheduled to discuss an act setting up the Authority for Old People’s Homes, the report submitted by the Embryo Protection Authority, amendments to the Civil Protection Act and to the Traffic Ordinance Act (with regards to alchol level limits) and the act on the proper behaviour of holders of public officers.

The committee agreed that parliament will recess on 21 December until not earlier than 4 January 2017.