He may have the highest rate of absenteeism from Parliament after failing to attend 90 per cent of sittings this year but Labour MP Adrian Vassallo is adamant he has nothing to apologise for.

“My conscience is clean because I dedicate a lot of time to meeting constituents. I have not let them down,” Dr Vassallo said when asked to justify his absence from Parliament.

The Labour MP, who is a very popular doctor in the ninth district, even applauded himself for holding what he believes is a world record.

“At least I came first in something. I think I have a world record and we should present it for publication in the Guinness Book of Records,” Dr Vassallo said, mocking the situation.

However, he also spoke of his discomfort with the Labour Party, insisting this has made him lose interest in politics.

“I feel out of place in my own party with the excessive emphasis on liberalism. I am a conservative and if an election were to be held today I would not contest it,” Dr Vassallo said, ruling out the possibility, however, that he would relinquish his seat.

Dr Vassallo insisted that he would rather help constituents in their daily needs rather than spend time in Parliament to follow debates he was not involved in.

The Times yesterday published the official attendance records of MPs, which showed that 12 parliamentarians missed more than half the sittings since January.

Dr Vassallo topped the list with Nationalist parliamentary assistant Stephen Spiteri following close behind having missed 81 per cent of parliamentary sittings.

According to Parliament’s Standing Orders it is “the duty of every Member of the House to attend its service and that of any Select Committee of which he may be a Member”.

Dr Spiteri also defended his poor attendance record by saying he was kept very busy in his roles as parliamentary assistant, MP and doctor. He even went on to accuse fellow MPs of simply clocking in and leaving.

The MPs with the second highest records of absence after Dr Spiteri and Dr Vassallo in the respective parties were Nationalist backbencher Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Labour MP Joseph Sammut.

Dr Pullicino Orlando missed 73 per cent of parliamentary sittings, which the Żebbuġ dentist put down to his participation in the divorce referendum campaign. However, he promised to improve his attendance record in the coming months.

“I believe the campaign was an integral part of my work as an MP but I am not saying this to justify myself. I believe it is important for MPs to be present in Parliament and will do my best to start attending regularly in the coming months.”

His reaction contrasted with that of Dr Sammut who missed 69 per cent of parliamentary sittings. Unrepentant, the Żurrieq lawyer said: “It (lack of attendance) is a good sign because it means more votes. Those are the records and you can interpret them as you like. I have nothing to add.”

At the other end of the spectrum is Nationalist MP and deputy speaker Ċensu Galea, who was present for all the sittings since January.

When contacted Mr Galea said it was the duty of MPs to attend Parliament, take part in the discussions and ask parliamentary questions.

“These are essential duties of an MP. If you do not perform them , what are you doing in Parliament?”

He acknowledged that constituency work was important but insisted that discussions on laws enacted in Parliament also had an impact on an MP’s constituency.

Mr Galea said he was concerned because people were losing trust in politicians as a result of the behaviour of MPs.

“The two parliamentary groups are sometimes their own worst enemies. These are tough times for us because it is not one party or another that is losing the people’s trust but the institution of Parliament,” he said.

The controversy over absenteeism comes on the back of the honoraria saga after Nationalist MP Jean Pierre Farrugia complained during Saturday’s parliamentary sitting that a number of parliamentary assistants were missing sittings despite being paid more.

However, for former Nationalist minister Michael Falzon, absenteeism from Parliament is not a serious issue since it does not make sense for MPs to be present for discussions in which they will not participate.

“It does not make sense to simply be there just to listen, more so when MPs also have important work to do in their constituencies,” he said.

Mr Falzon noted that a more serious concern was the EU Commission’s report earlier this week, which said that Malta’s Parliament failed to find the time to draft a single opinion on the 170 different documents sent by the Commission last year.

The report about the Commission’s political dialogue with national parliaments in 2010 exposes the Maltese MPs’ lack of participation and utter disengagement from EU affairs.

Prolonged absence may lead to loss of seat

An MP can lose his seat if he fails to attend sittings without justification for a period of two months, according to Parliament’s Standing Orders.

While Standing Order 156 states that MPs have a duty to attend Parliament or any committee to which they may be assigned, Standing Order 157 outlines the conditions when a seat shall become vacant.

“The seat of a Member of the House shall become vacant if he shall absent himself from the sittings of the House for a period of two months during any session thereof, provided that a member shall not have been deemed to have been absent from any sitting if his absence shall have been approved by the Speaker within a period of two months from such sitting.”

MPs can be excused from attending Parliament if they have leave of absence. Failure to attend Parliament without being excused incurs a penalty of €2.33, which is deducted from the honoraria.

While MPs are excused if they are on Parliamentary duty, ministers and parliamentary secretaries are not excused when they fail to attend Parliament because of government duty.