So it was quite a novel sight to see Mr Dalli sitting on the back bench at the start of Monday’s sitting and to see him there again on Tuesday.

What could have become a rather uncomfortable situation was made far more acceptable as Mr Dalli was not left on his own or shunned by his fellow MPs. Former Cabinet colleagues of his chatted with him or greeted him cordially.

As Mr Dalli was leaving the Hall on Monday, he bumped into his successor, Michael Frendo, who happened to be entering the Hall at that precise moment. The two shook hands and spent some time chatting.

Despite the bonhomie, however, the feeling of strangeness seeing Mr Dalli sit among the backbenchers persisted. Even more was the consideration which many could have made: with government being so short of manpower in its various parliamentary committees and overseas representations, such as the Council of Europe, or the various inter-parliamentary representations, apart from the many House committees, could it afford to leave Mr Dalli out in the cold?