Parliament data reveals commercial sensitivity cited more under Labour

As Parliament re-opens after the Christmas recess, here are some interesting observations about the parliamentary questions asked over the past three legislatures

Commercial sensitivity was cited by the last Labour administration in its replies to parliamentary questions (PQ) more frequently than during the two legislatures preceding it, according to an analysis of PQs carried out by MaltaToday.

In fact, 184 replies referred to the commercially sensitive nature of the subject in question during the last legislature, compared with 93 during the 2008-2013 legislature and 107 between 2003 and 2008.

There were 453 sittings during which PQs were asked in the 2013-2017 legislature, 495 during the 2008-2013 legislature and 606 between 2003 and 2008.  An average of 86 questions per sitting were asked during the 2008-2013 legislature, followed by 73 in every sitting between 2013 and 2017 and 52 between 2003 and 2008.

A number of trends emerged from the analysis, including a shift in concerns among parliamentarians as the realities facing the country changed over the years. There was a notable drop in questions regarding out of stock medicines, water and electricity tariffs and immigration, as traffic, direct orders and the use of positions of trust, and other issues related to good governance took centre stage in parliamentary debates.

2003-2008: Road to Euro

The legislature started off with Eddie Fenech Adami as Prime Minister, having seen the Nationalist Party return to power with a mandate to complete the process leading to Malta becoming a member of the European Union (EU). He resigned in February 2004 and was succeeded by Lawrence Gonzi, who was head of the government when Malta joined the EU in 2004.

Following his resignation as Prime Minister, Eddie Fenech Adami was appointed President of the Republic.

How we got the data: All PQs were scraped from pq.gov.mt and the frequency with which keywords such as out of stock, immigrants or immigration, direct order and others appeared in the question title were recorded for each legislature
How we got the data: All PQs were scraped from pq.gov.mt and the frequency with which keywords such as out of stock, immigrants or immigration, direct order and others appeared in the question title were recorded for each legislature
How we got the data: All PQs were scraped from pq.gov.mt and the frequency with which keywords such as out of stock, immigrants or immigration, direct order and others appeared in the question title were recorded for each legislature
How we got the data: All PQs were scraped from pq.gov.mt and the frequency with which keywords such as out of stock, immigrants or immigration, direct order and others appeared in the question title were recorded for each legislature
How we got the data: All PQs were scraped from pq.gov.mt and the frequency with which keywords such as out of stock, immigrants or immigration, direct order and others appeared in the question title were recorded for each legislature
How we got the data: All PQs were scraped from pq.gov.mt and the frequency with which keywords such as out of stock, immigrants or immigration, direct order and others appeared in the question title were recorded for each legislature

Gonzi’s first term was characterised by structural and fiscal reform in preparation for Malta’s adoption of the Euro.

Tonio Borg, who was Deputy Prime Minister and Justice and Home Affairs minister at the time was the cabinet member asked the greatest number of questions, according to the data.

2008-2013: Walking on thin ice

The Nationalist Party retained control of the government after winning the 2008 general election by a narrow margin, having failed to obtain an absolute majority.

Lawrence Gonzi appointed what was essentially the first cabinet to truly have his stamp on it, and which was also the smallest cabinet in Malta’s political history.

The legislature was characterised by a continuous internal turmoil given the government’s slim one-seat majority and a revived Opposition led by Joseph Muscat.

Helping constituents: The number of times ministers were asked questions regarding individuals or entities, the details of whom were passed on separately
Helping constituents: The number of times ministers were asked questions regarding individuals or entities, the details of whom were passed on separately

The 2008 financial crisis, and the burden placed on the economy by Enemalta could be the reason why then Finance Minister Tonio Fenech had the largest number of PQs directed towards him. During the legislature, the country voted in favour of divorce, signalling the beginning of its shift towards accepting more liberal social policy.

The increase in water and electricity tariffs was also a hot political issue, with Labour calling a national protest against the rising cost of essential items.

The data shows that the legislature was also characterised by long parliamentary breaks partly resulting from internal strife the government was experiencing in parliament.

2013-2017: A whole new ball game

The Labour Party was returned to power in 2013 after its short-lived stint between 1996 and 1998.

The legislature was characterised by economic and social reforms, leading to a shift in the national discourse from issues such as water and electricity and immigration to traffic as the country started to experience previously unimaginable levels of congestion on its roads.

While the Labour administration had succeeded in addressing issues such as water and electricity tariffs and out of stock medicines, the legislature was dominated by accusations of corruption and impropriety on the part of government officials, which reached a climax with the Panama Papers revelations in April 2016.

The government came under harsh criticism from the Opposition over a lack of transparency related to projects undertaken in conjunction with the private sector including the concession granted to Vitals Global Healthcare and the agreement signed with the American University of Malta. The increased use of direct orders and positions of trust also took centre stage, as the Opposition accused Muscat’s government of buying the support of the electorate.

Methodology

Parliamentary questions for the three legislatures were obtained from the pq.gov.mt using web scraping software. Key words within PQ titles, questions and answered were then searched for in order to obtain the statistics cited in the report.

While the utmost care was taken to ensure that the data is representative of the real picture, it is not intended as an exhaustive analysis.