Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1472486
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 JULY 2022 NEWS Successful candidates must be in possession of the following: Qualifications: A Bachelor of Laws (Honours) LL.B (Hons) (Melit) degree together with Master in Advocacy (M.Adv Melit) degree or have the qualifications of Doctorate of Laws (LL.D) (Melit). Experience: Experience and knowledge of legislation will be considered an asset. Skills: Legal, interpersonal, communication, presentation, and general management. Interested candidates are to submit their application with a detailed curriculum vitae in pdf format, together with scanned copies of all qualifications with any local equivalence evaluation, which documentation is issued by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) in case of foreign certificates (excluding Ordinary and Advanced Levels) and certificates which are not issued by MCAST or the University of Malta. All certificates and equivalence documentation are to be presented with the application, by the closing date for submissions. The above post is for an indefinite period. Interested candidates are advised to submit their application, together with a detailed curriculum vitae in pdf format, by not later than Tuesday, 12 th July 2022 to: The Human Resources Manager Planning Authority Ref: Assistant Professional Officer (Legal) Jobsplus Permit No. 405/2021 By sending your application via email on jobapplications@pa.org.mt For further information visit our website: www.pa.org.mt/en/vacancies www.pa.org.mt PLANNING AUTHORITY Vacancy ASSISTANT PROFESSIONAL OFFICER (LEGAL) The role requires a person who will be responsible to assist and support the functioning of the Planning Authority on legal matters, through legal advice on matters, having legal implications especially related to the implementation of the Development Planning Act, and representation in court proceeding. vacancy.indd 1 27/06/2022 11:59:13 PN MPs to vote against amendments to IVF bill after repeated calls for free vote PAUL COCKS A number of Nationalist MPs are planning to vote against amendments to the IVF bill al- lowing preimplantation genet- ic testing on embryos, which enters its third reading on Wednesday, even though the PN said it will back the bill. Party leader Bernard Grech has turned down calls from his MPs for a free vote, Mal- taToday has learned. Sources said the MPs may even go as far as calling for a division in Parliament, leading to all MPs individually recording their po- sition officially, as opposed to simply voicing their opposition when voting and the amend- ments being approved "without unanimous approval". At least ten MPs have so far confirmed to having publicly or privately expressed their in- tention to break the party whip, and vote against proposed amendments to the Embryo Protection Act, aimed at per- mitting the testing of embryos for a series of monogenetic dis- eases. Former party leader Adrian Delia, who is the most vocal in opposing the party line, is insisting he will vote against the amendments, claiming that MPs should not be denied the right to vote according to their conscience on issues that he claims pose risks to an embryo. The PGT test is available in many countries, but Maltese couples who want to break a cycle of hereditary disease are forced to resort to expensive medical treatment abroad. The treatment means fertile couples at risk of a disease must resort to IVF and have the embryos tested before implantation. Delia told MaltaToday that the PN should should do everything possible to assist couples undergoing IVF treat- ment, but "not at the price of human life especially when there is no reason to endanger human life in the first place." Delia said polar body testing could be used instead of PGT, although the testing is not suit- able for all hereditary diseases. Party sources confirmed that long discussions within the PN parliamentary group had focused on the fact that – at all costs – the party remained pro-life and that medical tests on the embryo could not be ap- proved. But the group was also unanimous on having protocols allowing testing of the woman's eggs, but not of the embryo. Muzzling MPs While other MPs would not comment on their voting in- tentions when contacted, Mal- taToday learned that PN secre- tary general Michael Piccinino had instructed all MPs not to talk to this newspaper's jour- nalist, after initial contact had been made with a number of MPs. Speaking on condition of ano- nymity, sources within the par- liamentary group confirmed that numerous other MPs have expressed their intention to vote against the amendments, either in private conversa- tions or in private online chat groups. Among those identified are veteran MPs Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, Ivan Bartolo (Mosta MP), Paula Mifsud Bonnici and newly-elected Alex Borg and Jerome Caruana Cilia. Other MPs had apparently asked Grech for a free vote and, after the party leader's insist- ence that none would be grant- ed, privately complained about the dilemma they find them- selves in. Among the more vocal de- manding a free vote were vet- eran Chris Said and Ivan J. Bartolo (owner of 6PM) and newly-elected MPs Rebekah Cilia and Graziella Galea. It is as yet unclear whether these four MPs will be voting against the amendments on Wednes- day or whether they will fall in line with the whip. But internal online chatter among differ- ent groups of MPs increased exponentially in the past 24 hours, leading to speculation that more MPs could decide to break the whip come crunch time. Changes and u-turns The changes proposed, in- cluding the introduction of embryo genetic testing, cleared parliament's committee stage last week. The amendments passed with minimal changes, paving the way for pre-implantation ge- netic testing of embryos to be- come part of the IVF process. A protocol drawn up by the Embryo Protection Authority includes criteria outlining eligi- bility for PGT and which inher- itable disorders can be tested for. The protocol currently lists nine diseases and conditions, including Huntington's Dis- ease. During the vote on the second reading of the bill, Grech said his party would support PGT testing for monogenic disor- ders. The bill also makes avail- able make polar body testing (PBT) on female oocytes as an option for those with a moral objection to PGT. His statement in the House was in direct contrast to the position previously expressed by his shadow health minister Stephen Spiteri on PGT. But in a U-turn, Grech said testing on embryos at risk for the incurable Huntington's Disease was an "efficient sci- entific tool" to give couples the opportunities to have healthy children. In committee stage, an amendment proposed by the Opposition included the need for protocols to be introduced or amended by Legal Notice. And an initial proposal by the PN tightening the reference to PGT was immediately shot down by government MPs until compromise was reached that did not change the thrust of government's proposal to allow specialists to choose the best care possible for their patients.