Statement by the Ministry of Justice and Local Councils

The Ministry of Justice and Local Councils deems it necessary to refer to the articles which appeared in "The Times" issues of 3rd and 4th September 1997, under the general title: "Upkeep of Bugibba, Qawra".

The correspondent in introducing the subject matter, erroneously premised that the Minister of Justice and Local Councils who chaired the three meetings held between the Bugibba Action Committee (BAC) and the St Paul's Bay Local Council, during the first meeting (held on 11 July 1997), asked the Council "......to consider how much of their jurisdiction they were prepared to surrender to the B.A.C.".

For justice's sake and also for the benefit of readers who may have wrongly made certain conclusions on the basis of what was stated in the article, it must be stated at the outset that the Ministry categorically denies that the Minister ever made any such proposal to the Council.

The position taken by the Minister of Justice and Local Council has all along been one of full support to the Council in its endeavours to exercise its functions effectively and efficiently within the locality for which it is statutorily responsible, including the Bugibba/Qawra area, possibly with the assistance of BAC as a co-partner.

In fact, the discussions of the three meetings centred mainly around the intention to do all that was necessary to preserve and maintain the improvements and heavy investment carried out recently in the Bugibba and Qawra area - an objective which, as expected, had the consensus of all the parties involved in the discussions, including the ministries responsible for Tourism and Public Works, who where present for the meetings.

All options proposed for consideration during the meetings, as rightly mentioned in the concluding part of the article which appeared on the 3 September 1997, represented the different statutory mechanisms which enable the Councils to resort to for the better management of the responsibilities and competencies entrusted to them by virtue of the Local Councils Act. Therefore, the question of any surrender of jurisdiction on the part of the St Paul's Bay Local Council does not, and never did arise, in the contest of the discussions.

The effectiveness and feasibility of the latest proposal presented by the St Paul's Bay Local Council to appoint a committee in terms of section 47 of the Local Councils Act, which would be entrusted with the responsibility to report to Council on the needs of the Bugibba/Qawra area, is being actively considered by the parties concerned.

In the meantime, it must be clearly understood, that the BAC has no right to define or determine the Council's functions, competencies or responsibilities, which are fully protected by the law which sets up Local Councils and also regulates their legal jurisdiction.