The list of licensed masons has been published on the website of the Building Regulation Office (BRO), with the Chamber of Architects welcoming the move.
The Kamra tal-Periti said it has been asking for the publication of such list for many years, and each time it was told that this could not be published for reasons of data protection.
The Code of Police Laws stipulates that “It shall not be lawful to exercise the trade of mason without a licence …”. This licence is required to give assurance to the owner of the site, theperit in charge of the project, and society at large that such person is indeed qualified to carry out this trade and has received the appropriate training. The Code of Police Laws also states that “If any mason, through unskilfulness, imprudence or carelessness, shall, in the construction of any work entrusted to him, and appertaining to his trade, cause any injury to any person or property, it shall be lawful for the Court of Magistrates to interdict such mason from the exercise of his trade for any time to be stated in the sentence, ordering, at the same time, the withdrawal of the licence.” The responsibilities arising out of the Code are very clear, and no lesser legal instrument can be used to infer otherwise.
The publication of the list is therefore a welcome move, and it is expected that the BRO will not permit works to continue on any site where masons are found not to be on the list, the chamber said.
It is also pertinent to note that the Civil Code places the onus for the structural integrity jointly on the perit and the contractor.
The Building Regulation Act also places the obligation on the BRO to issue “licences and registration of masons, fire consultants, other consultants in the building industry, building contractors and tradespersons.”
The EGM of the Kamra tal-Periti held on 21 June 2019, which was the largest in the Kamra’s history, demanded that such licencing and registration is implemented. The Kamra tal-Periti reiterated its willingness to support Government in setting up systems for the registration and licensing of contractors in accordance with the BRO’s obligations as set out in the Building Regulation Act.