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31. With regard to his interim proposais, Dr. Borg Olivier explained that the Parliament at Westminster would retain the overriding power of to amend or
legislationpand that, although it would no longer be posamend or
revoke the fhterim Constitution by Order in Councilsthat?
retain the power to do so by statute. We also understood from the evidence that, although in other matters the Governor would be obliged to act on the advice of Maltese Ministers, he would retain the power to refuse assent to local legislation. If assent were refused because the legislation was believed to involve a matter of defence or foreign affairs, it would be referred to the Ministerial council in London, but the power of refusing assent to local legislation would have to be exercised only in extreme cases. The Governor would retain legislative and executive authority, and the power of final decision, in the fields of defence and foreign affairs; but Maltese Ministers should be given the chance of participating in the handling of these matters through the machinery of the advisory council. The Governor's authority in these fields would, however, be exercised on the instructions of Ministers of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The present form of government should be modified, the post of Lieutenant-Governor and the Privy Council being abolished.
Proposals of the Progressive Constitutional Party
32. The views of the Progressive Constitutional Party, as presented by its Leader, Miss Mabel Strickland, and her supporters, were these—
(a) The present legislative powers of the Maltese Legislative Assembly, including responsibility for fiscal legislation, should not be diminished. (b) The Maltese Legislative Assembly should be given increased powers in the reserved" field, by a revision of the present definition of defence and foreign affairs and a curtailment of the present list of reserved matters.
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(c) There should be a closer administrative association in Malta between
the Imperial Government and the Maltese Government.
The Prime
(d) The Privy Council of Malta should be abolished, and the Lieutenant-
Governor should be replaced by a Chief Secretary. Minister of Malta should have a seat on the Nominated Council, renamed the Defence Council, in Malta so as to enable him to be kept informed on defence, foreign affairs and other reserved matters. (e) There should be a separate Malta Office in London, either as an independent department or as a part of the Home Office, with a Minister of State or Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State responsible for Maltese affairs.
(f) Attached to the Malta Office, there should be a senior Maltese secretary, responsible for liaison with United Kingdom Departments concerned with Maltese affairs; he should be appointed after consulta- tion with the Prime Minister of Malta.
There should be a Malta Council in London, comprising Ministers representing a number of United Kingdom Departments, and presided over by the United Kingdom Minister responsible for Maltese affairs; the Council should be responsible for co-ordinating policy matters relating to Malta.
(h) Malta should receive financial aid for economic development and social welfare through a new and separate Malta Development and Welfare Fund, which would be administered by a financial board within the framework of the proposed Malta Council, and monies from which should be available for a period of at least ten years.
9.
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