ACT No. XVII of 2011 AN ACT to amend the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika Act to allow foreign citizens to be eligible for the conferment of the decoration “Midalja għal Qlubija” and to further provide for the method of termination of honorary membership in the Xirka or the

(L.S.) G eorge A bela

11th October, 2011

ACT No. XVII of 2011

AN ACT to amend the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika Act to allow foreign

citizens to be eligible for the conferment of the decoration

“Midalja għal Qlubija” and to further provide for the method

of termination of honorary membership in the Xirka or the

Order or of the holding of a medal in an honorary capacity

under the Act.

BE IT ENACTED by the President, by and with the advice

and consent of the House of Representatives, in this present

Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same as

follows:–

The short title of this Act is the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika Short title.

(Amendment) Act, 2011 and it shall be read and construed as one

with the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika Act, hereinafter referred to as “the Cap. 251.

principal Act”.

Immediately after sub-article (2) of article 10 of the Amendment of article

principal Act there shall be added the following new sub-article

10 of the principal

Act.

“(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-article (1),

the Midalja għall-Qlubija may be awarded on an honorary

basis to any citizen of a country other than Malta for an act of

exceptional bravery that merits recognition by Malta.”.

Article 23 of the principal Act

shall be amended as

follows

(a) Sub-Article (2) thereof shall be re-numbered as

sub-article (3) and immediately after sub-article (1) there shall

be added the following new sub-article

“(2) A person shall cease to be an honorary

member of the Xirka or of the Order, or to be the holder

on an honorary basis of a medal awarded under this Act

upon

(a)

his or her death;

(b) his or her notifying the Government of

Malta that he or she no longer wishes to continue to

be an honorary member of the Xirka or the Order,

or by the return of the medal. The cessation shall

take effect from the date on which the notification

is received by the Chancellor of the Xirka or the

Order, or the medal is returned to the Secretary to

the Cabinet;

(c) if the President of Malta, on the advice

of the Prime Minister given after he has consulted

the Leader of the Opposition, terminates the

honorary appointment to the Xirka or to the Order

or withdraws the award of a medal on the grounds

that the conduct of the person has, according to

the opinion given in the said advice, made him

unworthy of continuing to be a member of the

Xirka or the Order or the holder of a medal or

that it is no longer proper to keep the honorary

appointment to the Xirka or to the Order or the

award of the medal in force.”

(b) in sub-article (3) thereof, as re-numbered

immediately after the words “subarticle (1)(b) and (c)” there

shall be added the words “or of subarticle (2) (b) and (c)”.

Passed by the House of Representatives at Sitting No. 388 of the 4th October,

2011. Ċ ensu G alea

Deputy Speaker

P auline A bela

Clerk to the House of Representatives