Labour MPs shoot down discussion on Tourism Ministry consultants during Clayton Bartolo's tenure

Labour MPs have voted down a question on consultants working for the Tourism Ministry during Clayton Bartolo’s tenure. 

On Wednesday, former tourism minister Clayton Bartolo testified in front of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), of which he was once a member. 

Before the hearing began, Bartolo read out a statement, in which he highlighted Malta’s tourism bounce following the pandemic when he was appointed tourism minister.  

His statement emphasising his former ministry’s success echoed the sentiment of the forced apology he had made in parliament following his resignation. 

Bartolo resigned in disgrace in November after weeks of resisting calls to resign after he breached ethics when he gifted his girlfriend Amanda Muscat a lucrative government job. She was not qualified for, nor was very active at that job.

Amanda Muscat, now Bartolo’s wife, is also at the centre of investigations into a suspected €50,000 kickback from the Malta Tourism Authority, a government entity that fell under her husband’s remit.

On Wednesday, PAC chairman and PN MP Darren Carabott asked Bartolo whether the list of consultants who worked in his ministry was “commercially sensitive information.” Bartolo had left a parliamentary question regarding this matter unanswered.

Bartolo immediately refused to answer and accused Carabott of being out of order. Parliamentary secretary Andy Ellul agreed and kept telling the chairman that he is out of order over and over again, as the hearing collapsed into chaos.

“Government MPs want to stop us from asking who the ex-minister’s consultants were,” Carabott slammed, to which parliamentary secretary Glenn Bedingfield said, “You should have included that in your original request.”

After a vote, the questions were shot down.

In February, the same PL MPs blocked questions on football tickets for Manchester United games used by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA).

Manchester United contract

The PAC hearing also discussed the Manchester United contract. Bartolo clarified that during his tenure, he saw two live Manchester United games and on both occasions he was invited by the club.

However, Bartolo said that the amount of public funds spent on the deal between the MTA and the football club was commercially sensitive and could not be disclosed. He also could not disclose who was given control of how complementary tickets were distributed.

NAO investigation into Malta Film Commission

Discussing the National Audit Office’s (NAO) investigation into the Malta Film Commission’s public expenditure, Bartolo was asked on conversations he had with film commissioner Johann Grech.

When questioned on whether or not he ever spoke to Grech about excessive spending, Bartolo said that he used to see the spending in the context of the returns generated from it.

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Bartolo noted that he doesn’t remember ever seeing a business plan that justifies the expenditure of the film commission. 

He was also quizzed on cash rebates for foreign and local productions. Interestingly, Bartolo told the PAC that Love Island Malta and XFactor were two local productions that benefitted from the rebate, although he admits that he could be mistaken.