ACT No. XIX of 2013 AN ACT to amend the Ġieh ir-Repubblika Act in order to provide for the increase in the number of members of the Xirka, to revisit the Grades of the Order, to amend the number of medals awarded and to revise the number of national events which shall be

I assent.

G EORGE A BELA

(L.S.)

President

6th December, 2013

ACT No. XIX of 2013

AN ACT to amend the Ġieh ir-Repubblika Act in order to

provide for the increase in the number of members of the Xirka, to

revisit the Grades of the Order, to amend the number of medals

awarded and to revise the number of national events which shall be

commemorated by the striking of medals.

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 Ġieh ir-Repubblika

(Amendment) Act, 2013, and this Act shall be read and construed as

one with the Ġieh ir-Repubblika Act, hereinafter referred to as "the

principal Act".

Article 4 of the principal Act shall be amended as follows

(a)

sub-article (1) thereof shall be substituted by the

following

"(1) The President of Malta may appoint as

members of the Xirka not more than three persons every

two years.";

(b)

sub-articles (2) and (3) thereof shall be deleted; and

(c)

sub-articles (4) and (5) thereof shall be renumbered

as sub-articles (2) and (3) respectively.

Article 8 of the principal Act shall be amended as follows

Amendment of

article 8 of the

principal Act.

(a)

paragraph (b) of sub-article (2) thereof shall be

substituted by the following

"(b) not more than two persons shall be appointed

Companions of the Order in each year;";

(b) paragraph (c) of sub-article (2) thereof shall be

substituted by the following

"(c) not more than three persons shall be

appointed Officers of the Order in each year;";

(c)

paragraph (d) of sub-article (2) thereof shall

substituted by the following

"(d) not more than ten persons shall be appointed

ordinary members of the Order in each year.";

(d)

sub-article (3) thereof shall be deleted;

(e)

sub-article (4) thereof shall be renumbered as sub-

article (3);

(f)

sub-article (5) thereof shall be substituted by the

following

"(4) The provisions of sub-articles (2) and (3)

shall not apply to appointments of honorary members.";

(g) sub-article (6) thereof shall be renumbered as sub-

article (5); and

(h) immediately after the sub-article (5) thereof, as

renumbered, there shall be added the following new sub-article

"(6) The President of Malta may award the honour

of Companion of Honour of the Order even posthumously

to a person who shall have served as Acting President of

Malta for a period of not less than one year when the office

of the President of Malta was vacant.".

Article 12 of the principal Act shall be amended as Amendment of

article 12 of the

principal Act.

(a)

sub-article (1) thereof shall be substituted by the

following

"(1) The President of Malta may award the

"Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika" to not more than ten

Maltese citizens in any year.";

(b)

sub-article (2) thereof shall be deleted;

(c)

sub-article (3) thereof shall be renumbered as sub-

article (2); and

(d) sub-article (2) thereof, as renumbered, shall be

substituted by the following

"(2) For the purposes of sub-article (1), no

account shall be taken of any award made on an honorary

basis.".

Sub-article (3) of article 15 of the principal Act shall be

substituted by the following

"(3) No more than four national events shall be

commemorated by the striking of medals in any period of ten

years, and such medals shall only be struck to mark the national

event itself, and its anniversaries of importance.".

In article 16 of the principal Act immediately after sub-

article (4) there shall be added the following new sub-article

"(5) In exceptional circumstances the Distinguished

Service Medal may be awarded to members of foreign military

or police forces." "

Passed by the House of Representatives at Sitting No. 100 of the

4th December, 2013.

A NĠLU F ARRUGIA

Speaker

R AYMOND S CICLUNA

Clerk to the House of Representatives