Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1185664
K ARL AZZOPARDI THE creation of an authority to regulate bouncers was a proposal included in an overhaul of exist- ing legislation presented to govern- ment two years ago, MaltaToday has learnt. The detailed Bill was presented to then home affairs minister Carmelo Abela on the eve of the 2017 election with no time to be actioned. But it remained shelved even afterwards, with a spokesperson for Home Af- fairs Minister Michael Farrugia say- ing the Bill is being "redrafted". The proposed legislation seen by MaltaToday was made in the af- termath of the PlusOne incident in Paceville that saw scores of young people injured. That incident hap- pened exactly four years ago. The Bill had called for different li- cencing arrangements for bouncers and security personnel, a require- ment for personnel to be covered by insurance, and separate legislation for wardens. The draft law sought to address, among others, the issue of unli- censed bouncers that was f lagged by a magisterial inquiry into the Plu- sOne incident. The ministry did not indicate whether key proposals in the origi- nal Bill will be kept but insisted that discussions with various stakehold- ers are currently underway. "The Bill is in an advanced stage and will soon be presented to the govern- ment," the spokesperson said. The need for better legislation to regulate bouncers came to the fore again last month when a bounc- er working at one of the popular Paceville nightclubs was caught on CCTV beating a Polish man outside the venue. The footage published by the na- tional broadcaster showed the as- sailant kicking the man in the head while he was on the ground and knocking him unconscious. maltatoday 2 SUNDAY • 17 NOVEMBER 2019 • ISSUE 1046 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY YOUR FIRST READ AND CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT MT2 INSIDE maltatoday 2 INSIDE • LISTINGS • TV • LAW • CLASSIFIEDS Film Bornholmer Strasse Q and A Jerome Cabaretta This Week Hard rock band Lord Adder SAVIOUR BALZAN SIMON Busuttil has called on the Nationalist Party parliamentary group to boycott Parliament in a bid to put pressure on the gov- ernment, MaltaToday has learnt. The former Nationalist Party leader made the proposal during Wednesday's meeting of the par- liamentary group, which was con- vened to discuss a motion calling on the Prime Minister to remove his chief-of-staff Keith Schembri. Sources privy to the meeting said Busuttil's position was supported by other MPs but PN leader Adri- an Delia argued the timing was "too early" and the measure "too extreme". Busuttil insisted that a PN boy- cott of Parliament would be picked up by Europe and lead to immense pressure on the Muscat adminis- tration. The last time such an episode happened was after the 1981 elec- tion when the PN had accused the government of Dom Mintoff of gerrymandering. The election re- sult gave the PN a majority of votes but a minority of seats in parlia- ment, which meant that Labour was returned to power. Immediately after the election PN MPs stayed away from Parlia- ment in a boycott that lasted more than a year. Bouncer regulations shelved for two years €1.95 PAGE 10 PAGE 5 The taboo of an ageing society PAGE 6 Anti-corruption protest in Valletta denounces PM's chief- of-staff Keith Schembri BACK PAGE Simon Busuttil wants PN to boycott Parliament 'Sue us all, gustuz' Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry Visit franksalt.com.mt/ftb to find out more. IF YOU BUY YOUR FIRST PROPERTY THROUGH FRANK SALT REAL ESTATE, NOT ONLY WILL YOU BENEFIT FROM THE GOVERNMENT REDUCTION OF UP TO €6,500 ON STAMP DUTY BUT YOU WILL ALSO RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING EXCLUSIVE OFFERS: Get up to €8000 in furniture gift vouchers. * €8000 Benefit from up to €250 towards your notary fees. * €250 Enjoy 50% off on your home insurance for the first year. * 50% Save up to 35% on light accessories and white goods. * 30-35% BUYING YOUR FIRST HOME? * T&C apply. Psychiatrist ANTON GRECH talks about stress and its impact on suicides INTERVIEW 16-17 Shhh… don't talk about elderly abuse The seven salient changes in the terms of reference explained PAGE 3