Maltese legislators have been taken by surprise by a Government announcement that the head of the Public Service won’t act as Cabinet Secretary.
Newly-appointed Principal Permanent Secretary, Tony Sultana is to step aside from the role his predecessors have traditionally filled, with the expectation that the position will be handed to Ryan Spagnol (32), who currently works at the Office of the Prime Minister as a policy coordinator.
Cabinet Secretary is a constitutional role with the holder tasked with coordinating all Cabinet work across the Government.
The Government’s Internal Audit and Investigations Department (IAID) also falls under the Cabinet Secretary’s responsibilities.
Senior Public Servants said concerns had been raised in the back halls of Government at the administration’s decision to split the roles.
“This isn’t a matter of whether Ryan Spagnol (pictured) is competent — he is a capable person,” one senior source said.
“However, the two roles of Principal Permanent Secretary and Cabinet Secretary have been tied together for the best part of two decades for good reason.”
The source told the Times of Malta newspaper that while Mr Sultana is currently acting as Cabinet Secretary, he will be handing the reins over to Mr Spagnol later in the year.
His appointment to replace longstanding Principle Permanent Secretary, Mario Cutajar was formally approved last month, with Mr Sultana retaining his former position as head of the Government IT Agency, MITA.
Valetta, 5 July 2022
