The Maltese parliament archives post-2017 Parliamentary service act

Abstract

The underlying objective of this research entitled “The Maltese Parliament Archives post-2017 Parliamentary Service Act” is to identify and evaluate the approaches through which the professional and efficient management of the Maltese Parliamentary Archives is implemented. Up to the time of writing, no study has been carried out focusing on this research area. Thus, this study is of a pioneering and exploratory nature. Its significance surfaces given the actual and potential contribution of the archives in building awareness and educating the public on both parliamentary and legislative developments. The methodology adopted capitalized on the qualitative approach via interviews. These were addressed to representatives and personnel engaged within the archives section of three distinct European Parliaments - The House of Representatives in Malta, the Chamber of Deputies in Italy and the Westminster counterpart in the UK. The research outcomes indicated that these distinct archives pursued different traditions and approaches. This is the result of the distinct political and historical cultures of the respective countries. All parliamentary archives adopted strict criteria for securing the validity of documents and guaranteeing a high level of efficiency and support to users. Distinct levels of importance were granted to on-site and online research. These outcomes are significant to assess not only the current approaches adopted by the archive section of the Maltese House of Representatives but also in securing a meaningful incremental contribution in this regard. This is summed up in the set of recommendations targeted at the distinct stakeholders of the House of Representatives as presented at the end of the dissertation.