Robert Abela Yet To Acknowledge Kamra Tal-Periti’s Proposals To Regulate Construction In Malta
Proposals sent out to Prime Minister Robert Abela and a number of cabinet members by Kamra Tal-Periti to regulate construction in Malta have remained unacknowledged, despite several reminders.
Following the Grenfell tower fire in the UK which claimed 72 innocent lives, the Kamra Tal-Periti had set up a committee to deliver a proposal for ‘A Modern Building and Construction Regulation Framework for Malta’, which was eventually published for consultation in May 2019. This was done in a bid to prevent similar accidents from happening in Malta.
Following the death of Miriam Pace earlier this year, Abela had established a committee which would advise him on the changes that are required to ensure that the construction industry becomes safer.
Despite this, Kamra Tal-Periti went on to say that issues of site safety and unregulated workforces are still aplenty nowadays, raising doubts on the authenticity of the Prime Minister’s concerns.
The Kamra Tal-Periti went on to publish a final version of its proposals on 6th June, at which point the Prime Minister and three of his cabinet members were asked to attend a meeting where these ideas would be presented.
“To date, and despite several reminders, we have not so much as received an acknowledgement of our request from your office,” an open letter sent out by the organisation to the Prime Minister said.
The open letter went on to speak out against the government’s “laissez-faire attitude” towards the industry in question, “resulting in loss of life and the social upheaval of local communities”.
Kamra Tal-Periti criticised the government’s efforts at drafting legislation to regulate construction in Malta, saying this inaction has incessantly led the industry to the crisis which it is in today.
Only two weeks ago, Gambian worker Sarjo Konteh died at a building site in Bormla after a wall collapsed – the second construction-related death this year.
The open letter concluded with one last request for a meeting, saying “we trust that this request will be accepted without delay, otherwise we will be left no option other than to question the value of your Government’s written commitments and its willingness to protect the lives and well-being of citizens.”