Parliament reconvenes, new penalties for unlawful firing of small fireworks

The House of Representatives reconvened after its summer recess on Monday, with MPs started to debate amendments to the laws regulating the Civil Protection Department and the Explosives Ordinance. The bill was moved by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri who focused most of his address on underlining the important work done by the members of the Civil Protection Department. Their responsibilities, he said, went beyond ordinary employment, as they risked their lives to save others. He explained that the purpose of the first part of the bill is to include the Assistance and Rescue Force within the Civil Protection Department as a disciplined force for the purposes of the Constitution. This put the force on a par with other disciplined forces. The second part of the bill, amending the Explosives Ordinance, provides for more proportionate punishments for the unauthorised discharge of small fireworks where no harm is caused. On the Civil Protection Department, the minister said that over the past two years, apart from better working conditions for the crews, the government had made a substantial investment in rescue services, including the purchase of 37 new vehicles, some...