This morning’s scheduled parliamentary sitting was postponed after smoke in the building’s server room on Tuesday wreaked havoc with broadcast equipment.

On Tuesday afternoon police and civil protection officials evacuated parliament after server equipment began emitting smoke, setting off the building’s fire alarm.

The situation was soon brought under control, but the equipment used to transmit parliamentary sittings sustained damages.

In a brief statement on Wednesday morning, speaker Anglu Farrugia said “the house is still investigating what caused the incident”.

He said it “caused technical problems which mean that today’s session cannot be recorded or broadcast”.

Citing ongoing works by engineers and technicians, Farrugia said that the two sides of the house had agreed that Wednesday’s sitting “should be postponed to allow for the necessary works to take place”.

The sitting will be postponed to Thursday afternoon at 2pm.

The agreement was confirmed by government whip Naomi Cachia and opposition deputy whip Paula Mifsud Bonnici.