MP familiarisation visits to the new Parliament building can soon take place

Grand Harbour Restoration Project Chairman Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said yesterday that MP familiarisation visits to the new Parliament building can occur soon.

For the most part, he said, that most problems have been solved with final works and checks currently being made.

He was speaking during the House Business Committee which is meeting in Parliament.

The conversation turned to security, with both the GHRC Chairman as well as the Speaker of the House of Representatives Anglu Farrugia highlighting the need for more security. The Speaker spoke of the need for more executive security, given the design of the building and its openness. He stressed that discussions are under-way with the Commissioner for police, and that a system similar to the one used by the House of Commons, but not identical will be used. Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi said that on the technological side, the security measures are in place.

A new system will require some getting used to by the operators as well as the MPs themselves... and training for the operators is needed, the GHRC Chairman argued. One such change would be that MPs might be required to use cards in order to operate the microphones.

Live-streaming has been tested and they are working, he said. As for parking, the Speaker said that he is insisting on parking near the Central Bank, however the final solution has yet to be found.

Dr Zrinzo Azzopardi argued that Wi-Fi works excellently and mock exercises in Parliament can occur as early as 1 April.

An actual date for Parliament to transfer buildings was not given.