Speaker Anglu Farrugia delivered two rulings in Parliament on Tuesday following separate issues raised during the 24 November sittings, addressing both the handling of parliamentary questions and claims that the House had been misled.
The first ruling concerned a complaint by Hon. David Agius, who noted that his parliamentary question No. 32436 was answered by directing him to the Government Gazette. Agius argued that, based on previous rulings, information located elsewhere must still tabled in Parliament.
Referring to earlier rulings delivered in 2010, 2015 and 2018, the Speaker confirmed that whenever information is available on a website or in an official publication, a printed copy must be tabled in Parliament to ensure the House maintains a clear record. The Speaker therefore ordered the minister concerned to table the document in Parliament.
The second ruling followed a dispute between Minister Julia Farrugia and Opposition MP Graziella Galea regarding submissions to the public consultation for the National Volunteering Strategy 2025-2030. Minister Farrugia claimed the Opposition made no submissions during the consultation period, which was open until 25 April 2025, asserting that the House had been misled.
Galea countered that the Opposition had submitted comments, prompting the Speaker to verify the information. After reviewing the documents, the Speaker confirmed that Graziella Galea sent a detailed six-page report to Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector Chairperson Gertrude Buttigieg on 15 May 2025, which was acknowledged in writing and forwarded to the Council for consideration. The Speaker also noted that the National Volunteering Strategy was last updated on 26 June 2025-after Galea's submission had been received.
The Speaker concluded that Galea's statement contained no deviation from the facts and therefore she did not mislead the House. The Chair emphasised that this case amounted to political disagreement rather than a breach of parliamentary conduct, quoting UK Speaker Lindsay Hoyle's view that Speakers cannot be drawn into disputes over the accuracy of political statements, which fall under political debate.