ANNUAL REPORT 2011 ii ‘There shall be a Parliament of Malta which shall consist of the President and a House of Representatives.’ [Article 51 of the Constitution of Malta] ‘Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may make laws for the peace, order and good government of Malta in conformity with full respect for human rights, generally accepted principles of international law and Malta’s international and regional obligations in particular those assumed by the treaty of accession to the European Union signed in Athens on the 16th April, 2003.’ [Article 65 (1) of the Constitution of Malta] iii iv CONTENTS 1. HOUSE BUSINESS ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 Parliament’s 90 th Anniversary, 1921-2011 ........................................................................ 2 1.1.2 New initiatives taken by Parliament in 2011 ..................................................................... 3 1.2 LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMME .............................................................................................. 4 1.2.1 New legislation and objectives behind the Bills ................................................................ 4 1.2.2 Amendment Acts and objectives behind the Bills ............................................................. 6 1.3 PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 8 1.4 MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS ............................................................................................. 8 1.5 PETITIONS ............................................................................................................................. 9 1.6 MOTIONS ............................................................................................................................. 10 1.7 PAPERS LAID ...................................................................................................................... 11 1.8 DIVISIONS ........................................................................................................................... 12 1.9 RULINGS .............................................................................................................................. 12 1.10 PARLIAMENTARY WHIPS ............................................................................................... 14 1.11 LEADER OF THE HOUSE ................................................................................................. 14 2. STANDING COMMITTEES .................................................................................... 16 2.1 STANDING COMMITTEE ON HOUSE BUSINESS .......................................................... 17 2.2 STANDING COMMITTEE ON PRIVILEGES .................................................................... 18 2.3 STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS ....................................................... 19 2.4 STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS ......................... 22 2.4.1 Subsidiarity...................................................................................................................... 25 2.4.2 Informal Meetings ........................................................................................................... 25 2.4.3 Working Groups .............................................................................................................. 26 2.4.4 Meetings of the Working Groups .................................................................................... 27 2.5 STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL AFFAIRS............................................................ 28 2.6 STANDING COMMITTEE FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF BILLS .............................. 31 2.7 STANDING COMMITTEE ON FAMILY AFFAIRS ........................................................... 35 2.8 NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE ................................................ 36 2.9 STANDING COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING . 37 3. SELECT COMMITTEES .......................................................................................... 41 3.1 SELECT COMMITTEE ON STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY ..................................... 41 3.2 SELECT COMMITTEE ON RE-CODIFICATION AND CONSOLIDATION OF LAWS . 42 3.3 SELECT COMMITTEE TASKED WITH ESTABLISHING THE FACTS ABOUT THE ISSUE OF BLACK DUST PRECIPITATION OVER THE SOUTHERN LOCALITIES OF MALTA ......................................................................................................................................... 43 4. INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES ............................................................................ 46 4.1 OUTGOING VISITS AND PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL FORA BY THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ............................................................. 46 4.1.1 Official Parliamentary Visit to Kuwait ........................................................................... 46 4.1.2 EU Speakers’ Conference ............................................................................................... 46 4.1.3 Fourth Parliamentary Forum on Shaping the Information Society ................................. 46 4.1.4 Official Parliamentary Visit to the Hellenic Republic (Greece) ..................................... 47 4.1.5 Official Parliamentary Visit to Australia ......................................................................... 47 4.1.6 VI th Meeting of the Standing Committees and VI th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) ............................................................. 48 v 4.2 OUTGOING VISITS OF MALTESE PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS .................... 48 4.2.1 Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs .................................................. 48 4.2.2 European Parliament and European Union Presidency Meetings ................................... 48 4.2.3 Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ......................................................... 51 4.2.4 Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean ............................................................... 53 4.2.5 Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean ......................................... 56 4.2.6 Commonwealth Parliamentary Association .................................................................... 58 4.2.7 Inter-Parliamentary Union ............................................................................................... 58 4.2.8 Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe .. 59 4.2.9 Others .............................................................................................................................. 60 4.3 INCOMING VISITS AND CONFERENCES ORGANISED BY THE MALTESE PARLIAMENT ............................................................................................................................. 61 4.3.1 Visit to Parliament by H.E. Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament ........... 61 4.3.2 Meeting of the Public Sector Ombudsmen of the British and Irish Ombudsman Association ................................................................................................................................ 61 4.3.3 Conference of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) ..................................... 61 4.3.4 Sixth Conference of Presidents of the Parliaments of Small European States ................ 62 5. ASSOCIATION OF FORMER MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT ........................... 64 6. OTHER ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................... 65 6.1 CULTURES FOR PEACE PROGRAMME – 1ST CONFERENCE: MANAGING INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE ................................................................................................ 65 6.2 MEDITERRANEAN DAY ................................................................................................... 65 6.3 SEMINAR ON PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY ........................................................... 65 6.4 NSTF MINI EUROPEAN ASSEMBLY ............................................................................... 65 6.5 EUROPE DAY ...................................................................................................................... 66 6.6 EKOSKOLA PARLIAMENT ............................................................................................... 66 6.7 SETTE GIUGNO .................................................................................................................. 66 6.8 NATIONAL YOUTH PARLIAMENT ................................................................................. 67 6.9 NOTTE BIANCA .................................................................................................................. 67 6.10 INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ........................................................................................................................................ 68 6.11 ENGAGING WITH CIVIL SOCIETY ................................................................................ 68 6.12 SYNERGIA: IGNITING THE MEDITERRANEAN INNOVATION SOCIETY .............. 68 6.13 COMMEMORATION OF DUN KARM PSAILA – 50TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY FROM THE NATIONAL POET'S DEATH ................................................................................