NEWS | Wednesday, 28 January 2009

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PM to change House timetable in bid to buy time ahead of debate on Cathedral extension

Matthew Vella
Lawrence Gonzi yesterday tabled a procedural motion to change parliament’s timetable for the first time in 30 years, in a bid to buy time ahead of a private motion by Joseph Muscat to stop EU funds for the extension of St John’s Co-Cathedral.
The procedural motion comes after a ruling by the Speaker of the House on Monday, against the Opposition’s request to adjourn the House on Thursday, and debate Muscat’s motion.
Muscat’s motion calls on government to revoke its backing for the Cathedral project, which has €14 million in EU funds approved by the Planning and Priorities Coordination Division (PPCD) of the Office of the Prime Minister. The motion notes the presence of Malta’s Permanent Representative to the EU, Richard Cachia Caruana, as one of the members of the Co-Cathedral Foundation, “which presence – in the absence of a clear indication of the government priorities for the use of EU funds – creates a conflict of interest”.
But Gonzi also has to contend with the fact that PN backbencher Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has spoken very strongly against the extension of the Cathedral to house its armoury in an underground vault, having even called on government to divert the funds to more deserving initiatives. Pullicino Orlando has refused to declare his voting intentions on the motion tabled by Muscat.
Muscat’s motion and Gonzi’s strategy were in fact discussed yesterday during a PN parliamentary group meeting.
Gonzi’s motion seeks to change the timetable of the House, so that when a division (a vote) is called, it will be taken on the following Wednesday. That way, government – which has a one-seat majority – can ensure it will have all its members present for the vote.
The new motion says changes to the timetable are needed because ministers and MPs occasionally need to be away on official business, and no pairing agreement yet exists between the two sides.
Government Whip David Agius said that ministers and MPs were often occupied with EU business and that they have a duty to attend EU and other international fora.
He said the changes were needed so that the House could function effectively in the absence of a pairing arrangement – eight months after parliament opened. The PN accused Labour of hindering the efficient running of the House.
But Joseph Muscat has already stated that an agreement on pairing is unlikely.
Opposition whip Joe Mizzi said Labour’s request to discuss the motion on Thursday came from House standing order 8. Mizzi said that if the government wanted the House to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday, it was the Opposition’s right to meet on Thursday, which is usually left to the Opposition.
But the Speaker turned down the request, ruling that the House Business Committee had already agreed on the agenda for the parliamentary sittings to be held also this Tuesday and Wednesday, and ruled that the House gets adjourned to Tuesday.
Joe Mizzi yesterday said the government had confirmed its arrogance in presenting the procedural motion. “Gonzi presented the resolution the same evening he strongly opposed a discussion on the Oppositon’s motion on the Cathedral project for Thursday. Gonzi expects the Opposition to ask him if it can debate important matter, as it is by rights entitled to.”
Gonzi’s motion calls for divisions called on Wednesday to be taken on that day at 1pm during the interruption of business.
If more than one division is called, they would be taken chronologically. But in moving the adjournment before the Wednesday sitting, a minister can call for a division to be taken in another sitting within a week. The procedural motion provides for sittings to be held on any morning, except on Sundays, as required.
The motion also says that when a sitting is interrupted because of a lack of quorum, it may resume before the expiry of the 20 minutes currently provided by Standing Orders, if the Chair is satisfied that enough MPs are present. At present a sitting remains interrupted for the full 20 minutes.

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