Prime Minister Wants Parliament Barriers Removed

Feb 28 2024

Asked about the Malta Parliament Barriers, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that he had been pressuring the Speaker to remove the parliament barriers.

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He said that the parliament should not be made into a fortress and that we should strive for the parliament to be the highest institution of the country.

People should be kept close and not be prohibited from entering. He emphasised having security on a case by case basis when required but not having the parliament barricaded at all times.

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“I Am Fed Up Of Listening, Now I Want To See”, Isabelle Bonnici

Feb 28 2024

Posting to social media page Għal Jean Paul, the construction site victim’s mother Isabelle Bonnici wrote that ‘together, we have arrived despite serious challenges.’

Saying that she is lost for words and cannot thank everyone enough for the massive support she received, she said that she is determined to move from talking to facts as she prepares to listen to the parliamentary debate.

‘I am fed up of listening, now I want to see! This report, which we worked so hard for, will not be permitted to be shelved.’

‘I do not want my son Jean Paul to have died for nothing and neither do I want to lose yet another dear individual to this bad system that is not being addressed in the construction industry.’

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Recommendations In Public Inquiry Will Be Carried Out Says PM

Feb 28 2024

Prime Minister Robert Abela announced the formation of an interministerial committee led by Glenn Micallef, Head of the Secretariat at the Office of the Prime Minister, to oversee the implementation of 39 recommendations from the Public Inquiry Board. This decision came during a press conference at Castille Palace, where Abela introduced five initiatives aimed at enhancing citizen involvement in the construction sector.

These initiatives include offering free professional assistance, such as legal and technical expertise, to citizens, and expanding the role of the Environment and Planning Commission to cover the construction sector. Abela stressed the importance of increased enforcement efforts despite prior investment, leading to the creation of a centralized enforcement division and a construction helpline for citizen complaints.

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Additional measures include the introduction of new health and safety legislation for construction sites by summer and the elimination of distinctions between standalone buildings and other structures. Abela reiterated that while the Board found no direct links between individuals, it expressed concerns regarding land allocation, prompting an audit of the allocation process. He also stated that he expected resignations from those implicated in the report by 4:30 p.m. as a demonstration of accountability.

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7,430 Dogs Microchipped In Malta Last Year

Feb 28 2024

Over the past decade, parliamentary records reveal that more than 89,000 dogs have been microchipped in compliance with the legal mandate instituted in 2012 for canines over four months old.

Microchipping, an essential measure for pet identification and retrieval, involves implanting a permanent chip beneath the skin, containing unique identification details registered in the National Microchipping Database.

The statistics indicate fluctuating trends in microchipping rates for dogs, with the highest recorded in 2021 at 11,358 and the lowest in 2014 at 5,877. However, there has been a slight decline in microchipping numbers in 2022 (8,848) and 2023 (7,430) following the peak.

While dogs are legally required to be microchipped, no such mandate exists for cats, ferrets, or other pets, despite proposals for compulsory microchipping for cats made by the Commissioner for Animal Welfare Alison Bezzina in 2021.

Bezzina argued that electronic microchipping is crucial for permanent pet identification, reducing abandonment instances, and ensuring responsible ownership.

Though the UK and various parts of Europe and Australia have introduced mandatory microchipping for cats, it remains a voluntary practice in Malta, posing challenges in tracing lost or injured felines and curbing abandonment effectively.

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