Dr Gatt first had to field questions from Helena Dalli, who complained that Dr Gatt was not replying to her questions and was making fun of the Opposition.

Dr Gatt repeated that anyone who had a complaint to raise could go to the Ombudsman. He himself was not infallible and did not claim to be so, whereas the Opposition was claiming infallibility because it was saying that the choices were wrong and for political reasons.

Angelo Farrugia began by claiming that the union was against the appointments, whereupon Dr Gatt said he had just been meeting the GWU section secretary and deputy secretary general and no one had complained.

In the end, the two sides just started shouting at each other. Ms Dalli walked out muttering one could not reason with such a man, while Dr Farrugia stood up and shouted “Shame” until he was hoarse.

At this moment the psychiatrist (Dr Joe Cassar) walked in, and quiet reigned supreme once again. Or it may also be because the House resumed its normal business.

The same issue cropped up the next day when it was Dr Alfred Sant doing the questioning, although this time there was no uproar or head-on confrontations.

Dr Sant said the decisions had brought about much unhappiness all around. This was a very unfair and unprofessional way of doing things – partisan, too.

Dr Gatt replied that any choice of people brings about this kind of reaction from those who are not chosen and who allege all kinds of corruption. He does not blame anyone for feeling so: everyone has the option to go to the Ombudsman.

Further pressed by Dr Sant, Dr Gatt defended the method used but not the people chosen. The method used was agreed to by the union as well. Dr Gatt admitted responsibility for the choice of the board of directors and for the drawing up of the process of choice of the selection bodies, but not for the people chosen. A minister should not get involved at this level, he said, just as Dr Sant did in his time.Resources Minister Ninu Zammit was replying instead of the absent Jesmond Mugliett when opposition whip Joe Mizzi protested that the minister (Mugliett) should have been present to answer questions directed at him.

This reflected, in a way, what happened on Tuesday. On that day Minister Austin Gatt was speaking at the signing of the Freeport privatisation and he was thus not in the House. While the opposition was clamouring he should be present, in walked Transport Minister Jesmond Mugliett and the opposition turned its guns on him.

A sharp exchange then took place between Mr Mugliett and Mr Mizzi.

When, yesterday, Mr Mizzi argued that Mr Mugliett should have been present to answer his questions, Minister Ninu Zammit replied that Mr Mugliett is usually there.

Mr Mizzi then asked what use it was for the Opposition members to turn up and ask questions when the ministers are not there to reply to them. But Mr Zammit and other government members present pointed out to Mr Mizzi that since he was the only Labour MP present, his question was somehow not right.

In reply, Mr Mizzi asked for a quorum check, at the end of which there were not enough government members to sustain it. Mr Mizzi, however, then chose not to sustain his quorum check and the sitting proceeded.