Parliament on Tuesday paid tribute to former PN Minister and architect Michael Falzon, who died aged 79 last week.

Falzon served as a Minister in various Nationalist Governments, including as Minister for the Development of Infrastructure in the 1987 Cabinet, Minister for the Environment from 1992, and Minister for Education and Human Resources from 1994.

Culture Minister Owen Bonnici paid tribute to Falzon, describing him as an individual who always put the country first, weighing all the words he said.

Bonnici said he admired the way Falzon spoke, always speaking about the future, and the better Malta he would like to see.

He continued that Falzon established himself as an authority, not just in his sector as an architect, but also in the media, where he participated in many programmes. Bonnici described Falzon as an important mentor to many.

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said that Falzon's death was a national loss. He described him as a person of great intelligence with an analytic sense, who always seeks the truth.

Grech reflected on the many roles Falzon served in previous PN administrations, saying that Falzon was the one who brought "extraordinary change" to transform the public works sector.

Grech also said Falzon did all he could in the planning sector, after he established the Planning Authority. He said Falzon was a respected opinionist, who expressed his thoughts while maintaining respect for others.

Speaker Anglu Farrugia also paid tribute to Falzon, saying that he was defiant, and despite not always agreeing with him, he was always respectful.

Farrugia said that Falzon always explained his arguments carefully, and he paid his condolences to his family.