Ceremonial Opening Of The Parliament: Melvyn Farrell BEM RD JP To Be Proposed As Speaker
The Government of Gibraltar has announced they will be convening the Ceremonial Opening of the Parliament for Thursday the 14th of November at 11am.
A statement from the Government follows below:
The first motion to be considered by the Parliament will be for the appointment of a Speaker.
Having consulted with Hon Mr Keith Azopardi QC, in keeping with Section 26(1) of the Constitution, the Chief Minister will propose the resolution to appoint Mr Melvyn Farrell BEM RD JP as the next Speaker of the Parliament.
The Chief Minister and Mr Azopardi have also agreed, as provided for under Section 26(2) of the Constitution, that the debate on the resolution for the appointment of the new Speaker will be presided over by Hon Sir Joe Bossano KCMG. Sir Joe Bossano is the longest serving member of the Parliament, often styled ‘the father of the House.’
The Chief Minister said: “I am very grateful for the great work that Hon Mr Adolfo Canepa CMG has done in seven full years as Speaker and will be saying much more in respect the excellent and valuable contribution he has made to as Speaker and to public life in Gibraltar generally during the course of my first address at the Ceremonial Opening.
“Mr Farrell has been a senior civil servant and enjoyed a distinguished period as Clerk of the Parliament 2006 to 2014. As all the political parties have committed to Parliamentary Reform for this term, his knowledge of the workings of Parliament will be massively useful not just in his role as Speaker but also in advising the Select Committee on Parliamentary Reform.”
