Malta should consider introducing the system of parliamentary hearings before appointments are made to sensitive posts, Opposition deputy leader Mario de Marco said in Parliament today.

He said such appointments could include the members of the judiciary, the Commissioner of Police and appointments to constitutional posts.

He noted that parliamentary hearings ahead of major appointments are made in several countries, as well as the European Union itself.

Dr de Marco underlined the duty of MPs to scrutinise the government, and insisted that the government needed to be open and transparent. Unfortunately, he said, this government was being secretive, as evidenced by its refusal to publish a series of contracts it had entered into. 

Concluding, he also called for a new discussion on parliamentary procedures, including whether MPs should be full-time or part-time. He personally was against having just full time MPs as he felt that the ordinary job often put parliamentarians closer to society.

He also called for the improvement of support services to MPs, particularly the provision of more research officers to enable parliamentarians to be better prepared for informed debate.

Speaking later, Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech said the government looked forward to talks with the Opposition over the coming three years to identify ways to improve Parliament operations. 

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