Prime Minister Robert Abela has excluded another moratorium on the construction industry, but said that a “complete revision” of the current regulations and practices within the industry will take place.
Speaking two days after the collapse of a home into a construction site in Hamrun claimed the life of Miriam Pace, Abela said that he will be appointing a dedicated group to handle a full revision of the current regulations, systems, and practices pertaining to the construction industry will take place.
The current law – the Avoidance of Damage to Third Party Property Act – was significantly updated last July, after three residences collapsed into construction sites in the space of two months. Then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had imposed a moratorium on demolition and excavation works until the law was revised in such a manner to increase safeguards to those residing near construction sites.
Asked by The Malta Independent whether the government was considering a similar moratorium until the necessary revision to the regulations takes place, Abela said that it is not a question of imposing a moratorium on the construction industry, but noted that in the immediate the government will ensure that there is more enforcement and site inspections carried out.
He said that in the coming hours he will appoint the group which will look into the current regulations, saying that they will make a complete revision of these regulations along with the construction methods and techniques being utilised.
“It is clear something failed, and that whatever failed resulted in the collapse of a house and in the death of a person enjoying the peace of her own home. We need a mechanism to make sure that what happened, does not happen again”, Abela said.
Answering other questions, the Prime Minister neglected to shift the blame onto any particular entity, noting that it is best to allow the police and the magistrate handling the inquiry to establish the facts first.
However, he said that once those facts established he will ensure that all those who exhibited shortcomings will face justice.
Asked whether he felt that the state must also hold some of the blame, Abela said that if the facts result in there having been any shortcomings on the part of the state, action will be taken, although he noted that as far as he has been told, it does not seem like there were any such shortcomings.