Labour MP Deborah Schembri has been sworn in as parliamentary secretary for Planning and Simplification, succeeding Michael Falzon who resigned yesterday.
The ceremony was held before President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca at the palace in Valletta.
A lawyer by profession, Dr Schembri, 39, rose to prominence when she became one of the leaders of the successful referendum campaign for the introduction of divorce in 2011.
She subsequently contested the March 2013 general election and was elected. She was unsuccessful in the elections to the European Parliament.
In the Maltese parliament she chaired the Social Affairs Committee.
Those present for this evening's swearing in ceremony included the Prime Minister and the Attorney General.
In comments after the ceremony the prime minister said the major challenging facing the new parliamentary secretary was the Mepa demerger and the transition of the Lands Department (the Government Property Division) into a new Authority.
He said no major transactions would be carried out by the department until the authority is set up. The new authority would be set up on the lines of Mepa, with representatives of the opposition and civil society on the board.
“In the new authority, the politician must limit himself to setting policies and not be involved in signing off any deals,” he said.
Dr Schembri thanked the prime minister for his confidence.
"We do not cast any doubts on the Auditor General's reports, and we must learn from them," she said.
She pointed out that, as shown in the report, Michael Falzon had not made any personal gains (from the Gaffarena case), and she thanked him for the strong foundations laid in the government property sector.
Explaining, Dr Muscat said Dr Falzon was responsible for the legal process for the Mepa demerger and had introduced several schemes to regulate ground rents.