Speaker of the House Anġlu Farrugia has recommended that the Standing Committee on Petitions review and amend its guidelines to ensure that ministries, departments and authorities are obliged to respond to information requests linked to petitions.

The ruling, delivered during Sitting 380 on 29 September, came after Committee chair Chris Agius raised concerns that several government entities had failed to reply despite repeated reminders, leaving petitions unresolved for long periods. In his correspondence to the Speaker, sent on 25 September, Agius said the Committee was seeking a solution to prevent petitions from remaining pending indefinitely.

Farrugia referred to Standing Order 120K, which establishes the Committee’s role and powers. Unlike other parliamentary committees, he noted, the Petitions Committee is empowered to set its own working practices through guidelines, subject to approval by the House Business Committee. The current guidelines, drawn up in 2019, allow the Committee to refer petitions to ministries or authorities but do not provide for situations in which no response is forthcoming.

Drawing on UK parliamentary practice, the Speaker pointed out that in Britain the government must respond to petitions reaching 10,000 signatures, while those exceeding 100,000 are considered for debate in Parliament. He suggested that a proportional system could be applied in Malta, where petitions with around 75 to 80 signatures would require a mandatory government reply, and those with 800 signatures should be eligible for parliamentary debate.

“While ministries and authorities should respond promptly when approached by the Committee, the guidelines should also be updated to include a mechanism that guarantees this process is respected,” Farrugia ruled.

The Speaker emphasised that introducing such measures would strengthen the Committee’s ability to deal with petitions effectively and prevent delays caused by non-cooperation. He encouraged the Committee to consider his recommendations when reviewing its guidelines, noting that this would ensure petitioners’ concerns are handled appropriately and transparently.