ACT No. VI of 2017 AN ACT to amend the Maltese Language Act, Cap. 470.

I assent.

M ARIE- L OUISE

(L.S.)

C OLEIRO P RECA

President

7th February, 2017

ACT No. VI of 2017

AN ACT to amend the Maltese Language Act, Cap. 470.

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:-

(1) The short title of this Act is the Maltese Language Short title and

(Amendment) Act, 2017, and this Act shall be read and construed as commencement.

one with the Maltese Language Act, hereinafter referred to as "the Cap. 470.

principal Act".

(2) This Act shall come into force on such date as the Minister

responsible for education may by notice in the Gazette establish, and

different dates may be so established for different provisions of this

Act.

(Articles 4 and 24)

LIST OF TRANSLATION DEPARTMENTS OF THE EUROPEAN

UNION

• The Council

• The Commission

• The European Parliament

• The Courts of Justice

• The Courts of Auditors

• The Committee for Economic and Social Affairs

• The Regional Committee

• The Centre for Translations

• The European Central Bank".

Passed by the House of Representatives at Sitting No. 477 of the

1st February, 2017.

A NĠLU F ARRUGIA

Speaker

R AYMOND S CICLUNA

Clerk of the House of Representatives

€0.72

Sub-article (2) of article 4 of the principal Act shall be

substituted by the following

"(2) The Council shall be made of fifteen members as follows

(a)

a Chairman appointed by the Prime Minister and

chosen from among persons who are established and qualified

in the study of Maltese and who are recommended by L-

Akkademja tal-Malti and by the Department of Maltese Studies

at the University jointly or separately;

(b)

a representative of L-Akkademja tal-Malti;

(c)

a representative nominated jointly by the

Department of Maltese Studies and the Institute of Linguistics

at the University;

(d)

a representative of the Education Division coming

from the National Curriculum Department and nominated by the

Minister;

(e)

a representative of the Arts Council Malta

nominated by the Council;

(f)

The Principal Permanent Secretary of the Civil

Service or his representative;

(g) a representative elected in such manner as may be

prescribed by and from among the members of the Committees

of the Maltese Language Associations listed in the Schedule A,

excluding L-Akkademja tal-Malti;

(h) a representative of the Institute of Maltese

Journalists;

(i)

a representative of the Broadcasting Authority;

(j)

a representative of the Department of Translation

Terminology and Interpretation Studies at the University;

(k) a representative of Maltese Publishers nominated by

the publishers in consultation with the National Book Council;

(l)

a representative of the departments of Maltese

translators of the European Union, nominated jointly by the said

departments which are listed in Schedule B;

(m)

a representative of the lecturers specialised in the

teaching of Maltese nominated by the Faculty of Education at

the University;

(n) a representative of the teachers of Maltese within the

Church schools nominated by the Secretariat for Catholic

Education; and

(o) a representative of the teachers of Maltese within the

independent schools nominated by the independent schools.".

Sub-article (3) of article 5 of the principal Act shall be Amendment of

article 5 of the

amended as follows

principal Act.

(a)

in paragraph (j) thereof, for the words "under this

Act." there shall be substituted the words "under this Act;"; and

(b) immediately after paragraph (j) thereof, there shall

be added the following new paragraph

"(k) keep continuous contact with the Maltese

communities living abroad and their representatives with

the purpose of keeping the Maltese language alive

amongst them.".

Article 6 of the principal Act shall be substituted by the Substitution of

article 6 of the

following

principal Act.

"6. (1) Subject to any power of the Prime Minister and the

Minister, any initiative taken under this Act shall be subject to the

decision of the Council

Provided that on any linguistic issue of a technical-

scientific nature, particularly in the execution of its function under

article 5(2), the Council shall act on the advice of the Commission

Provided further that in the case of any disagreement with

the Commission on any decision of a technical-scientific linguistic

nature, the Council shall have the right not to accept the position

adopted by the Commission. The Council shall, however, in such an

event provide the Commission with its concerns in writing within

four (4) weeks. The Commission shall be obliged to reconsider its

advice and resubmit it in writing to the Council within four (4) weeks.

In the event that no consensus is reached, the position of the

Commission is discarded.

(2) Decisions of a technical-scientific linguistic nature

referred to in the preceding sub-article shall come into force by virtue

of a notice published by the Council in the Gazette.".

Sub-article (3) of article 7 of the principal Act shall be

amended as follows

(a)

in paragraph (c) thereof, for the words "a specialised

library on the subject." there shall be substituted the words "a

specialised library on the subject;"; and

(b) immediately after paragraph (c) thereof there shall

be added the following new paragraph

"(d) be obliged to hold meetings at least once every

three (3) months and shall keep minutes of each of its

meetings.".

(1) Sub-article (2) of article 8 of the principal Act shall

be substituted by the following

"(2) Each Committee shall be a consultative organ for the

discussion of the linguistic policy to be adopted in specialised sectors,

such as (i) information technology, (ii) specific terminology and

translations. Each Committee shall be composed of

(a)

a Head of Committee who shall be a person learned

in such speciality, to be proposed from among qualified persons

recommended by L-Akkademja tal-Malti and by the

Department of Maltese at the University, with the choice of the

person to be made by the Council;

(b) an expert to be proposed by the Commission on the

advice of the Head of the relevant Committee;

(c)

three members or more selected for their

contribution in the particular sector of activities in relation to

which the Committee is set up, to be proposed by the Council on

the advice of the Head of the Committee concerned.".

(2) Immediately after sub-article (4) thereof there shall be

added the following new sub-article

"(5) The Technical Committees shall deliver a report of their

work to the Council every six months.".

In sub-article (9) of article 10 of the principal Act, for the

words "as if he were a member" there shall be substituted the words

"as if he were a valid member".

In sub-article (1) of article 11 of the principal Act

immediately after the words "The Minister shall, once every three

years," there shall be added the words "or before,".

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

article 12 of the

principal Act.

(a)

sub-article (2) thereof shall be substituted by the

following

"(2) The Executive Director shall be appointed by a

selection board purposely appointed by the Council,

having a representative of the Ministry of Education,

after a public call. The appointment shall be for a period

of three years and the said period may be extended for a

period or more periods of three years, subject to the

satisfactory performance of his duties.";

(b) paragraph (b) of sub-article (4) thereof shall be

substituted by the following

"(b) develop the necessary strategies and ensure that

the strategies and the plans of the Council are

implemented;"; and

(c)

paragraph (e) of sub-article (4) thereof shall be

substituted by the following

"(e) besides keeping the public informed about the

work of the Council and its decisions, perform other

duties that the Council may assign to him from time to

time.".

The Schedule to the principal Act shall be substituted by Substitution of

the Schedule to

the following

the principal

Act.

"SCHEDULE A

(Articles 4 and 24)

LIST OF MALTESE LANGUAGE ASSOCIATIONS

• L-Akkademja tal-Malti constituted in 1924

• L-Għaqda tal-Malti (Università) set up in 1931

• L-Għaqda tal-Poeti Maltin set up in 1975

• L-Għaqda tal-Qarrejja tal-Provi tal-Malti set up in 2010