Health and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi today told PN leader Simon Busuttil that he is not fit for purpose after he accused Dr Busuttil of undermining a whistleblower when he filed a judicial protest against him. Dr Mizzi also said that Dr Busuttil is now undermining, in the same way he did in the whistleblower case, the Mater Dei concrete inquiry.

Dr Mizzi was aswering a question by Dr Busuttil who asked what is the role of Alex Sciberras, who is the secretary of the Foundation for Medical Services, in the inquiry.

The Nationalist Party said the government has not taken any action to correct a conflict of interest which was reported in the PN media – that of having a retired judge, Philip Sciberras, leading an investigation on the concrete used at Mater Dei Hospital when his son Alex is secretary to the board of the Foundation for Medical Services.

Dr Mizzi said that Alex is not the secretary of the board, as was reported, but said that the inquiry required further legal support and the government assigned Alex Sciberras to support the inquiry.

“We won’t adopt the same attitude of Dr Busuttil when he said that once the hospital’s structure did not give in after all these years, it will not collapse now,” Dr Mizzi said.

All this and more led to a fighting match between the two sides with the Speaker of the House ordering the clerks to switch off the microphone of Dr Mizzi.

When Dr Mizzi told Dr Busuttil that he should be ashamed of himself, Dr Busuttil replied: "What I would be ashamed of is giving my wife 13,000 euros a month," referring to Dr Mizzi's wife Sai.

Dr Chris Fearne meanwhile said that the government has no problem whatsoever to publish the inquiry report once it is finalised. It is understood that phase one of the report is concluded.