Parliament officials have acknowledged following Momentum's report to the Ombudsman that there are technical flaws in the online petitions system "which can put off citizens from signing parliamentary petitions", Momentum stated, as it added that the parliament officials have stated that measures are being taken to remedy the technical issues.

Head of Investigations at the Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Dr Monica Borg Galea, said that individuals were facing persistent problems when trying to sign a petition on the parliament website, and that such problems were creating an obstacle to submit petitions freely and efficiently.

Momentum launched a petition in January on the parliament website to call for no amendments to the magisterial inquiry law to be accepted, with the petition currently having around 4,600 signatures. Momentum General Secretary Mark Camilleri Gambin said that Momentum "appreciates that rapid action is taken and urges Maltese citizens to sign the petition".

In her reply, Borg Galea detailed how Momentum's complaint described how people were unable to sign a petition due to technical problems in the system, such as receiving a notification that the details provided were incorrect, but not giving any clear indication of what the problem was.

The complaint had further detailed that people would receive a notification that their name was not in the electoral register, despite being Maltese citizens with the right to vote. It continued that there were also people who would receive a message that the details provided could not be accepted and then were directed to contact parliament by phone or by email, but when people attempted to call the provided number they would be kept on hold for a long time with no answer.

Borg Galea said that the help of the Ombudsman's office was requested in order to establish the cause of these problems and subsequently take the necessary steps to remedy them so that there would be no obstacle to the exercise of the fundamental right of civic and democratic participation. She added that the complaint also stated that the problem had existed for a long time, and that Arnold Cassola had already submitted a complaint to the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. Borg Galea also said that the complaint made mention of doubts regarding the privacy of the system and whether there could be access to the user database and the personal details of individuals who signed petitions by third parties or other unauthorised persons.

She said that the Ombudsman's office investigated the situation and met with officials concerned, who explained that on some occasions they are contacted by people who were finding a problem to sign petitions on the parliament website and that such complaints are investigated, with the individuals being informed about the nature of their problem and how it may be resolved. "Regarding the allegation that Dr. Cassola had already complained about difficulties in the Petitions Website, it was said that such communication had not been found," Borg Galea stated.

She said that it was stated that Momentum's petition regarding the magisterial inquiry amendment led to a relatively large number of people attempting to sign the petition online, which consequently led to a larger number of unsuccessful attempts. With that said, she added that the fact that more than 4,000 people had successfully signed the petition confirmed that the website was functioning.

Borg Galea said that the Ombudsman's office was informed that action has already begun to be taken in order to identify the difficulties which are the result of technical problems, so that a technical solution can be found, and so the system itself will be able to provide information as to why someone may be having difficulties signing a petition. She added that the office was also informed that action has been taken so that those who call the indicated number receive an answer in a short time, and that there are also considerations for what improvements can be made so that the petitions website becomes more user-friendly.

Regarding reports that some people were notified that their names were not in the electoral register despite being Maltese citizens with the right to vote, Borg Galea said that "it would be useful for these individuals to contact the Electoral Office" about the matter.

She continued that on the matter of the system's privacy and access to the user database, the Ombudsman's office was told that it is not possible for the employees of the parliament, or for third parties to identify the signatories of petitions as the system requires authentication. She added that issues regarding data protection should be referred to the Commissioner for Information and Data Protection.

Borg Galea concluded that it is of the opinion of the Ombudsman's office that the necessary steps are being taken in order to remedy the problems mentioned, and that therefore it does not appear that there are reasons which require further investigation by the Ombudsman at this stage.