The Opposition on Tuesday noted with satisfaction the decision handed down in Parliament by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Anġlu Farrugia, regarding the way in which ministries, departments, and other government authorities are responding - or rather failing to respond - to requests made by the Petitions Committee.

There remain several cases where the Petitions Committee, composed of five Members of Parliament: three Government MPs - including the Chair of the Committee - and the two Opposition MPs Ivan Castillo and Charles Azzopardi, is still awaiting replies to petitions that were submitted more than a year ago, despite repeated reminders being sent to the relevant ministries.

This failure demonstrates nothing less than a clear lack of respect for the Petitions Committee itself, for Parliament as the country's highest institution, and above all for the public, who have the right to make use of the parliamentary process and rightly expect their petitions to be treated seriously and answered clearly, the PN said.

The Government's continued disregard for these petitions leaves the public in the dark and without answers, mirroring the situation with Parliamentary Questions (PQs), which are often ignored or excessively delayed.

With the full support of its members, the Petitions Committee has agreed that, in light of this Ruling by the Speaker, the 2019 Guidelines should be amended to guarantee timely replies. This would prevent the Government from trampling over everyone by ignoring petitions that reflect the voice of the people.

In his Ruling delivered yesterday, the Speaker concluded that when a petition carries between 75 and 80 signatures, the Government is obliged to provide a reply to the Standing Committee on Petitions. Furthermore, when a petition reaches 800 signatures, the Committee must consider it for debate in Parliament.

The Opposition reiterated its commitment to continue defending the right of every citizen to submit a petition and receive a serious and timely response. This is a matter of respect for democracy, for Parliament, and, above all, for the Maltese and Gozitan people.