The Maltese bipartisan side, playing for the first time in an “international” game, lost but it was only later that they learned that the Austrians had included some First Division players among their “MPs”.

Their better fitness took its toll of the Maltese part-time MPs, many of whom do not make fitness a priority in their lives. The Austrians were not only fit, but also rough – as was felt by Chris Agius who was slightly hurt, and Mario Galea who suffered two torn ligaments and a kneecap injury which required hospitalisation.

The parliament that resumed its sittings last week is a changed parliament. One has still not become accustomed to the absence of Eddie Fenech Adami from the government front benches, and the new parliamentary secretaries were still trying to find their offices and roles.

Except for some bitter and acrimonious exchanges on Thursday, during the debate on the Opposition motion, submitted on 15 October, regarding the 15 September storm and Qormi, the sittings were pleasant and saw both sides doing their best to be chivalrous to each other.

At the beginning of Monday’s sitting, newly-elected MP Michael Axiaq took the oath of office with his family present in the Strangers’ Gallery. A few minutes later, parliament honoured Chris Agius’s mother who had passed away during the Easter recess. Expressions of condolences are usually heard in silence and respect by the whole House and this time, in a nice touch, Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg even found time in his short speech to quote from a Dun Karm poem on the passing away of a mother.

• Gender equality still has miles to go: only 10.51 per cent of government board members are women, while only 1.26 per cent of chairmen of boards appointed by the Ministry for IT and Investments are women.

• A short sharp controversy occurred during question time on Monday. Education Minister Louis Galea told Carmelo Abela that the ministerial committee for inclusive education had not been renewed after the last election. The ministry is carrying out a policy review.

The minister is having regular meetings with the chairman and the chief executive of the National Commission for Persons with Disability on matters relating to education. Opposition leader Alfred Sant immediately questioned the wisdom of this.

How can the ministry work on a policy review and draw up a strategy for inclusive education without the ministerial committee, he asked? But Dr Galea replied that the policy review being undertaken by the ministry was drawing on the contributions of all stakeholders.

• There was a last minute disagreement on the set design for the Song for Europe festival. Four companies tendered for the set design: Steel Shape, Yada, Pres and Pierre Portelli. Yada were interested in the artistic direction of the festival, so could not negotiate on the set design on its own. Pierre Portelli asked for Lm750 for the design and Lm3,750 for the construction of the set, Steel Shape provided no figure and Pres withdrew.

Mr Portelli’s offer was accepted but, a week before the festival, the Maltasong board was informed that the cloth material provided by Mr Portelli was flammable. Mr Portelli, however, insisted that the cloth should not be changed so the Maltasong board decided to call in Steel Shape, which built the set at a cost of Lm2,600. (Francis Zammit Dimech to Carmelo Abela).

• There are no tentative dates for the visit to Malta by Colonel Gaddafi, John Dalli told Leo Brincat.

• The new premises for the Maltese embassy in Tunis cost Lm12,600 a year in rent.

• A colonel from the Dutch army was in Malta recently regarding the possibility of purchasing surplus military material from Holland.

• A number of households have purchased leases on properties formerly held by the church which were passed to government in 1992: 111 in 1999, 146 in 2000, 252 in 2001, 105 in 2002, 126 in 2003 and 53 this year. Other properties have been purchased: 55 in 1999, 69 in 2000, 23 in 2001, 16 in 2002, 18 in 2003 and 2 this year. (Tonio Borg to Stefan Buontempo) The Joint Office administers 1,789 properties leased as residences.

• Forty-three people from Gozo who are employed with Maltapost are now working in Malta due to “service needs”, Austin Gatt told Justyne Caruana.

•Ministers were asked a series of questions regarding people who have been sent to prison because of non-payment of VAT. Justice Minister Tonio Borg said no-one has been sent to prison because of crimes connected with VAT but there were cases where long-standing and unpaid fines led to prison sentences.

• Tonio Borg told Justyne Caruana that mediators in the Family Court must be ordered by the Gozo Court to hold their sittings in Gozo but Dr Caruana stated that the mediators are still holding their sittings in Malta, thus aggravating the situation for people Gozitan residents.

• Civil Protection Department employees have still not been paid for their overtime, due for a year and a half, claimed Joseph Sammut. Minister Tonio Borg said these overtime payments are being processed.

• The government agrees that a Masters Course in Psychology should be held at the university on a regular basis, Education Minister Louis Galea told Mario Galea, but some hold that such a specialised course should be financed by those prospective employers who require such specialisation.

• There are no less than 114 licensed cabs (karozzini) and, as far as government knows, all are licensed and have paid their permits.

• Policemen have received the following sums in overtime payments: 1997: Lm678,000 (including the 1996 election), 1998: Lm276,000, 1999: Lm246,000, 2000: Lm259,00, 2001: Lm441,000, 2002: Lm323,000 and 2003: Lm585,000.(Tonio Borg to Gavin Gulia)

• Evarist Bartolo asked if beach concessionaires who have renewed their permits in recent years are allowed to build up to two storeys, and if those who still have to renew their permit will get the same treatment, but minister Tonio Borg replied that the land occupied by beach concessions had been given on a 25 year temporary lease and subsequently developed by the concessionaires. Now that the leases have run out, government property is being offered by tender.

• The prime minister, who is also finance minister, praised and defended the way MFSA and the Central Bank had handled the Parmalat and Daewoo cases.

• Two parliamentary questions focused on one unfortunate episode. A person was struck off the unemployed list because – so Evarist Bartolo told Austin Gatt, Censu Galea and Louis Galea – Maltapost had been late in delivering a letter to him. Not so, Dr Galea finally told him: Maltapost tried to deliver the registered letter on four successive days but the person was never at home. He was left a note telling him to collect the letter from the post office but he never did so. As a result, the letter was sent back to ETC. The man can, however, appeal.

• The Government of Malta has not made any official request to the Israeli government for a visit from MASHAV to explore possibilities of technical assistance to Malta (John Dalli to Leo Brincat)

• The Government of Malta does not agree with words expressed lately (Ariel Sharon) that Yasser Arafat can be a target for assassination. (John Dalli to Leo Brincat).

• Two schoolboys, one from a Church school, were reported for alcohol abuse in the past scholastic year. Both were referred for counselling. There have been no reports so far this year.

• Goalposts in State schools have been checked by Health & Safety teachers to ensure they are fixed to the ground in view of the unfortunate accident last year when a student was killed by an unsecured goalpost that fell on him.

• No record is kept of the religion of students attending State schools, Louis Galea told Noel Farrugia.

• The Malta Volleyball Association is paying Lm300 for the use of the Cottonera Sports Complex, while the Traditional Karate Federation of Malta is paying Lm800.

• The government has agreed to introduce the European Health Insurance Card but asked for a transitory period, along with five member states and three EFTA members, to introduce it not later than the end of next year. Acceding countries such as Estonia and |Slovenia are introducing it as from 1 June.

• Preparations are being made to assign a liaison officer with Europol at The Hague. Leo Brincat claimed that the Maltese embassy at The Hague was told by the Europol Enlargement Project Team that Malta was dragging its feet and was the only acceding country without a liaison officer. Minister Tonio Borg said no formal request for a liaison officer has been made yet.

• Money due to local councils for fines issued by wardens and police in 2003 amounted to Lm612,000 while only Lm18,000 of the Lm42,000 fines levied by the court for traffic infringements have been paid in.

• Forty-six people have so far been arraigned on charges of cruelty to animals since the 2001 Act came into effect.

• MIA consulted nobody before introducing new charges for coaches picking up tourists at the airport (Francis Zammit Dimech to Mario Galea).

• The Prime Minister’s trip by private jet to his very first EU summit cost Lm13,000 (prime minister to Joseph Cuschieri)