Reuben Fenech

The opposition on Tuesday voted against the Public Administration Bill after calling a division.

The debate was opened by Parliamentary Secretary Tony Abela, who said that this Bill shows the hard work being carried out by the government. The legislation aims to regulate the public administration and the civil service in order to make them more efficient.

The Nationalist Party commits mistakes but mistakes show that work is being carried out and it is only those who do not work who do not make mistakes. There are people who are loyal to their jobs irrespective of their political party beliefs and such loyalty must be pointed out.

Dr Abela focused his speech on the issue of good governance and highlighted various examples of good governance implemented by the Nationalist government. One instance of good governance is that Malta reached the target it had established to join the eurozone as from next year. In the education sector, 20,000 students are benefiting from the financial funds to carry out their studies.

The parliamentary secretary explained how university offers over 150 courses while MCAST provides for a “dictionary of subjects” from which students can choose. The government will be investing Lm50 million to upgrade MCAST so that Malta will be able to “produce” skilled people.

Dr Abela said that things today are more transparent because “we want them to be more transparent.” Dr Abela concluded saying that as a party, the Nationalist Party carries out what it lays down in writing.

In his winding-up speech, Education and Employment Minister Louis Galea said that the government is proposing an innovative law. This enactment has been the result of a long process of dialogue and consultation. There have been comments by various unions in order to improve the public administration. Dr Galea mentioned the hard work carried out by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

Dr Galea said that the opposition will vote against the Bill that is intended to make the public administration more transparent and accountable. The Labour Party has a record of institutional corruption, Dr Galea said. This contrasts with the Nationalist Party’s style of government.

Dr Galea criticised the fact that the opposition seems to be against the enactment of this Bill but it had then stated that when it will be in government, it will draw up a White Paper on the matter.

The motion was then passed with the opposition voting against after calling a division.

The next item on the agenda of Tuesday’s parliamentary sitting was a debate on amendments to the Malta Standards Authority act and other various laws. Competitiveness and Communications Minister Censu Galea started the debate by analysing the various existing functions of the Malta Standards Authority.

It is not enough having an authority that establishes standards and that such standards are changed from time to time, but it is also necessary that the standards be communicated to the persons providing such services. The Malta Standards Authority has four different directorates, each with its own specific function. Like every organisation that is alive, it is necessary to amend the legislation regulating the Malta Standards Authority.

Mr Galea mentioned the Reach Directive, which concerns chemicals and said that Malta was the first country together with Slovenia to take a stand on such a matter. Mr Galea praised the employees within the Malta Standards Authority who give more than 100 per cent effort in order to see the authority moving forward. The amendments are intended to better regulate the Malta Standards Authority and decrease the bureaucracy involved. Mr Galea remains in possession.