The House Business Committee will today week be given a full presentation of the intended uses for the various parts of the new parliament building. This will be followed up by an on-site visit.

The public will subsequently be informed of such intentions, leading to an extensive exercise of public consultation in full transparency.

This was the main thrust of the first meeting of the House Business Committee in the new legislature, in which PN designate leader Simon Busuttil took part.

In keeping with an agreement reached last year, this first meeting of the committee was streamed live on video. It is the second standing committee whose meetings are now being shown live – the other is the Public Accounts Committee.

Parliament will not be meeting tomorrow in deference to the daylong election process for the new PN leader.

At Dr Busuttil’s request, the motion for a reply to the President’s address will be discussed before the Code of Civil Procedures Bill to give the Opposition time to organise itself with a deputy leader and main speakers on various topics.

Mr Speaker Anġlu Farrugia, chairing the meeting, pointed out that he will not in any way be limiting the scope of criticism of the President’s speech. However, he made it clear that the House Standing Orders do not permit any show of disrespect to the person of the President.

Dr Busuttil said that although this would be borne in mind, he could give no guarantee that the President would not be mentioned.

The debate on the reply to the President’s speech is expected to take a maximum of six sittings.