Anġlu Farrugia will be retaining his job as Speaker, Prime Minister Robert Abela confirmed on Thursday. 

Speaking to the media after the swearing-in of two new parliamentary secretaries, the prime minister said Farrugia had implemented important reforms over the last nine years including administrative autonomy for parliament.

"For this reason, I believe there should be no change in who occupies the role of Speaker."

This will be the third term for Farrugia, a former deputy leader of the Labour Party. No other Speaker has to date served for three terms.

IVF reforms at top of parliamentary agenda

Abela said reforms to IVF laws would be a key focus once parliament reopens on May 7. 

He said Labour had committed itself to carrying out these IVF reforms during the first 100 days of the legislature. 

Abela committed during the election campaign to provide backdated support to cover medicine costs for couples seeking IVF treatment.

He had pledged that these costs, which can amount to upwards of €3,000, will be covered by the government retroactively from January this year.

In his comments on Thursday, Abela also said the revamped American University of Malta contract will also be presented to parliament for approval. 

He said planned AUM facilities in Cospicua and Marsascala would be shifted to the Institute for Tourism Studies in Smart City.

Abela announced in February that the government was revising the land concession as part of a “new vision” for the university project. 

The new deal will see AUM keep its Cospicua campus while dropping its plans to build a campus on Outside Development Land at Żonqor, Marsascala as well as plans to build a dormitory instead of a car park in Senglea.