Jerome Caruana Cilia tops list for most PQs asked by Opposition

The Nationalist MP Jerome Caruana Cilia has topped the list for most parliamentary questions asked by an Opposition MP since the start of the legislature in 2022.

The former Qormi councillor asked 659 questions up until the last parliamentary sitting last Tuesday.

He was followed by Opposition MPs Graziella Galea with 654 parliamentary questions, Mosta MP Ivan Bartolo with 650, Chris Said at 591 and Claudette Buttigieg at 520.

Every member of parliament is entitled to put not more than six questions for oral answers for one sitting, provided that at least three days’ notice is given.

A member may also submit questions for written answers. The three-day time frame governing the former type of questions does not apply to questions submitted for written replies.

It is customary for the Opposition leader not to ask parliamentary questions, and it seems Bernard Grech has followed in the same vein.

On the other side of the House, former minister Carmelo Abela topped the list for most parliamentary questions asked from the government benches, with 123 questions.

Glenn Bedingfield ranked second with 94 questions, followed by Chris Agius at 86, Katya de Giovanni at 34 and Naomi Cachia at 24.

Independent MP Rosianne Cutajar, who was forced to resign from Labour’s parliamentary group earlier this year, asked 96 parliamentary questions.

The late Robert Arrigo had asked six PQs, before passing away in October 2022.

No PQs were asked by MPs Edward Zammit Lewis, Alex Muscat and Malcom Paul Agius Galea from government’s side. On the other hand, from the Opposition side, MP Stephen Spiteri did not ask a single parliamentary question.