Category: Backbench MPs

02 Nov 2020

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has found that the rules whereby members of Parliament in public sector employment can be released from work to attend parliamentary activities are being abused. The Commissioner came to this conclusion after considering a complaint against opposition MPs who work in the public sector and who allegedly were…

23 Nov 2019
Detail of the Maltese Parliament building in Valletta at night

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has issued a statement reiterating that it is wrong for the government to give jobs to backbench members of Parliament, that is to say those who are not ministers or parliamentary secretaries. The statement follows a report issued by the Commissioner on 5 July 2019 in which he…

07 Nov 2019
Verdala Palace, Buskett, Malta

Dr George Hyzler, Commissioner for Standards in Public Life, is proposing changes to the Constitution to strengthen the independence of Parliament and the judiciary, and to reinforce the principle of merit in appointments within public administration. The Commissioner’s proposals are set out in a 138-page report which he has presented to the President of Malta…

06 Jul 2019
Exterior detail of the Maltese Parliament building

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has issued a report calling for an end to the practice of giving backbench members of Parliament jobs or consultancies with the government. The report describes the practice as “fundamentally wrong”. The Commissioner concluded that this practice dilutes Parliament’s role of scrutinising the executive; goes against the underlying…