Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/994982
5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 JUNE 2018 KURT SANSONE A final vote on changes to the law regulating in-vitro fertilisa- tion will be taken in Parliament next Tuesday, ushering in prac- tices that will benefit all women. But before that, the President of the Republic Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca has accepted to meet pro-life organisations led by campaigner Paul Vincenti today, after the latter requested a meeting ahead of the vote. MPs will vote on the Third Reading, which is the final stage in the legislative process. The Bill cleared committee stage last Thursday. The Bill is expected to receive the full backing of the govern- ment side, while all Opposition MPs are expected to confirm their vote against the changes. The changes include legalising sperm and egg donation, which will give lesbians and single women access to IVF and pro- vide new hope to sterile couples. The new law will allow doctors to fertilise up to five eggs at eve- ry cycle, increasing the chances of success. It also makes provi- sions for embryo freezing to be an integral part of the process. Adoption of unused frozen embryos will also be possible. Pro-life groups have opposed the changes, describing embryo freezing as a discriminatory process that puts human life in suspension and at risk. They lobbied hard against the proposed changes and an online parliamentary petition to scrap the law gathered 8,783 signa- tures by the time it closed. President Marie-Louise Colei- ro Preca had uncharacteristical- ly waded into the controversy last April when she called for a longer period of discussion and consultation. Her statement suggested she was uncomfort- able with the Bill. The President has to sign on an act of Parliament for it to become law and her statement gave rise to speculation that she may eventually block the pro- cess. The government later with- drew an initial proposal to in- clude altruistic surrogacy. This will now be presented as a sepa- rate Bill. An original proposal to have gamete donation a completely anonymous process was also amended, to give the child conceived in this way a right to know who the biological par- ents are upon reaching 18. Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne on Friday shut down speculation that the President may refuse to sign the law, in- sisting this was never on the agenda. "We discussed the subject with her and took certain changes on board – but there was never the issue of the Pres- ident not signing the law as it is," Fearne emphasised. Questions sent to the Office of the President asking whether Coleiro Preca was comfortable with the Bill as approved at committee stage, remained un- answered by the time of writing. Final vote on IVF law on Tuesday PLANNING AUTHORITY The Director, Corporate Services of the Planning Authority notifies that: Offers for this tender are to be submitted online ONLY at www.etenders.gov.mt by not later than of Thursday, 21 st June, 2018. Information regarding this tender can be obtained online from: www.etenders.gov.mt under 'Latest CfTs' TENDER SPATIALTRAIN SCHOLARSHIPS SCHEME (ESF.04.0071) CT3079/2018 - Service Tender for an accredited Institute to offer courses in the field of Geomatics at MQF L4 and L5 Operational Programme II European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 "Investing in human capital to create more opportunities and promote the well-being of society" Project part- financed by the European Social Fund Co-Financing rate: 80% European Union, 20% National funds JAMES DEBONO THE proposed 30-metre ex- tension of Mellieha's Ghadira beach will require extensive engineering works, including a submerged wave deflector built over 20,000sq.m of seabed, aimed at dissipating the power of incoming waves reaching the popular beach. In view of the long-term al- terations to the beach dynamics and wave and current patterns, the Environment and Resourc- es Authority has asked Projects Malta to conduct a full Environ- ment Impact Assessment. In an attempt to fast-track the project, Projects Malta initially wanted to commence the sand replenishment project before this summer even before the approval of the wave deflectors, but the two aspects of the pro- ject will now be assessed con- currently. A report by ERA also specifies that the proposed replacement of the existing road by a bridge – aimed at facilitating the recre- ation of sand dunes – will have to be addressed in a separate ap- plication. The project will also require the creation of a submerged wave deflector constructed along the entire length of the beach and two groynes – a low wall – in front of the Seabank Resort area at the southern end of the bay. The submerged wave deflec- tor, dubbed a 'toe', which will be 15 to 20 metres wide, will take up a seabed surface area up to 20,000sq.m. The submerged toe will be constructed by placing one- to two-tonne boulders on the seabed, to dissipate incom- ing waves and current energy around the entire sandy beach. In order to place such boul- ders immediately onto the un- derlying rock layer, 50,000cb.m of sediment will be dredged from this area. If approved the project will extend the sandy beach shore- line over its entire length (1,000 metres) by 30 metres, therefore increasing the landwards sandy beach area by approximately 30,000 to 38,000sq.m. 80,000 cb.m of sand will be dredged from areas which are not inhabited by protected sea grasses. Subsequently the dredged material will be depos- ited to create a seaward exten- sion of the sandy beach. The development of this infra- structure will require the use of heavy equipment and machin- ery, a revised Project Develop- ment Statement confirms. These will include the use of floating barges utilised for the transport of heavy machinery, a suction pump dredger and a sea floor excavator equipped with a rotary cutter for the excavation of the seabed. According to a screening re- port by ERA, works concerning the road are being considered as "a distinct stand-alone project" and will be subject to additional studies after the approval of the first stage of the project. Bird- life has expressed concern that the construction of an elevated road may have a negative im- pact on the nature reserve. Massive wave deflector required for Ghadira beach extension Ghadira bay soon include a submerged wave deflector built over 20,000sq.m of seabed