Bill on legal protection for civil servants set to go before parliament
Abela announces plans for special leave to parents whose babies are in intensive care
Prime Minister Robert Abela on Sunday revealed details of planned legislation to protect civil servants who are sued in connection with their official duties.
Speaking during an interview on ONE Radio, he said the planned law would provide a form of insurance for civil servants sued for damages, with the state assuming responsibility and paying for any damages ordered by the courts in case of conviction.
He said the bill would be presented in the coming days and debated before parliament rises for the summer recess.
Plans for the new law were initially announced in January, and critics had warned this would amount to granting immunity to public officials, a threat to democracy. At the time Abela had said he would not tolerate abuse of the legal system, particularly cases where “innocent people face the calvary of court proceedings for years before being declared innocent.”
He explained that the legislation could cover cases such as when a permanent secretary took a decision “in good faith”, which was then challenged in court.
In cases where there was no bad faith or negligence, the state would stand by the civil servant, protect him from asset freezes and ensure he would continue to receive his or her pay.
"We want to provide peace of mind to our workers so they can continue working without fear that someone will attack them personally," he said.
Special leave for parents whose babies are in ITU
Abela also announced that the government was discussing ways to introduce "special leave" for parents whose newborns are admitted to intensive care.
His announcement comes weeks after Labour MP Romilda Zarb recalled her personal experience of how her son was taken to the Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (NPICU), shortly after birth, and how her partner eventually ran out of paternity leave.
Zarb said Malta should follow the example of recent legislation in the United Kingdom, where parents of newborns in neonatal care are granted up to 12 weeks of paid leave.
Abela also pointed out that the miscarriage leave consultation has reached its final phase, and the government was committed to protecting women's wellbeing. In March, Abela said the government was discussing ways to introduce paid leave for employees who suffer a miscarriage.
A special ward for women who suffer a misacarriage was also opened at Mater Dei Hospital last week. Such women were previously treated in the ordinary post-natal ward.