Opposition MPs on Monday called on the government to show greater respect for Parliament by allowing more Opposition motions to be debated and by answering parliamentary questions promptly and comprehensively.

Speaking hours before the House reconvenes after the summer recess, Opposition whip Robert Cutajar and deputy whip Paula Mifsud Bonnici said they hoped that the appointment of minister Ian Borg as Leader of the House would usher in respect for the institution. That would only happen if the government showed more transparency and a readiness to face scrutiny.

"More than 800 parliamentary questions have remained unanswered, which is unacceptable in any democracy," Cutajar said.

And it was shameful that the situation was such that Opposition private motions only came before the House twice a year, with 14 Opposition motions currently pending. The Opposition was reiterating its call for alternate Thursdays to be reserved for the purpose, he said. 

Mifsud Bonnici pointed out that although the Maltese House of Representatives was based on the Westminster model, the prime minister was refusing to introduce Prime Minister’s Questions.

Speaking outside Parliament House in Valletta, the MPs said they were also reiterating the Opposition’s calls for the setting up of a standing committee for justice, chaired by an Opposition MP but having a majority of government MPs, reflecting the composition of the House.

Mifsud Bonnici said the House also needed to allocate time to debate recommendations by the Ombudsman, especially when such recommendations were ignored by the government. Far too many recommendations were being ignored, despite the importance of the Ombudsman as an Officer of the House appointed in terms of the Constitution, she said.

The MPs also called for better facilities in the House, such as a childcare centre for use by MPs and staff of the House.