Speaker Anglu Farrugia has told parliament that he cannot force ministers to provide details about the people employed by the government on a position of trust basis. 

Opposition MPs David Thake and Jason Azzopardi have been asking ministers over the past weeks to list each individual occupying a position of trust, how much they earn each year, and when their contract expires. 

Position of trust positions are often seen as a way to give unjustified promotions to friends and supporters', bypassing the usual engagement rules for public service. 

In a series of identical replies, Prime Minister Robert Abela and his ministers said positions of trust are given in accordance with a manual issued by the head of the civil service in 2015. 

None of the requested details about these positions were given by the ministers. 

Replying to a complaint by Thake about the lack of replies, the Speaker said on Monday he has no power to intervene on the matter.

Thake slammed the identical replies and lack of information being given in parliament. 

'What is the government hiding?'

“What is the government hiding? Why does the government not want to publish the list of people? If you are for transparency, publish a list so we can scrutinise it?” Thake questioned. 

The Ombudsman has long challenged whether the employment of people from outside the public service on a position of trust basis is in line with the Constitution.

In 2017, Ombudsman Anthony Mifsud said he had received “authoritative advice” that such employment by the government was “irregular”.

Quoting from the Constitution, the Ombudsman said any recruitment from outside the public service should not discriminate between people on the basis of their political beliefs and any such employment should only be done in the interest of the public service and the country in general.

Nowhere did the Constitution provide for the employment of people from outside the public service on a position of trust basis, he pointed out.

Last year, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis denied that the current government had an excessive number of persons of trust.

The number of ministries had increased and responsibilities had become more complex, he had said. 

Zammit Lewis had noted that in 2012 a PN government had some 600 persons of trust despite fewer ministries.