A register of contractors will be set up, leading to their licensing by the end of the year, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg said today.
All contractors will need to apply to be listed on the register, which will be handled by the Building Regulations Office (BRO) and will be made available online. The register will include details pertaining to the kind of work contractors are specialised in as well as the number of people they employ, as well as their experience, amongst other things.
Minister Ian Borg said that the Malta Developers Association has given its commitment to help the government get contractors registered. The registry will take the format of a directory. The register will lead to a classification for a licence at the end of the year, which will be done through a legal notice, Borg said.
The setting up of the register has been advocated by the Chamber of Architects. The chamber was present for the press event together with representatives of the Malta Developers Association.
The move comes in the wake of new regulations the government has proposed following the collapse of three buildings in the past few weeks.
The MDA always said that the few contractors who do not work diligently, or are reckless, are giving a bad name to the majority of people within the industry who work dilligently, Borg said. He added that architects should feel comfortable in knowing that the contractor delivering a service will be licensed, and that there will be a directory with details about the contractor so that they can form their own assessment as to whether that contractor would be suited for certain jobs.
On the recent legislative changes regarding excavation and demolition, Borg said that there are proposals for amendments, and that the changes agreed on so far revolve around warranted engineers and construction engineers being able to serve as site technical officers.
As of Thursday, he said, there were around 900 sites where the architects declared that there was no peril, and work continued.
"Our aim is that everyone can work, but we don't want to see such scenes of tragedy like we saw weeks ago."
Chamber of Architects President Simone Vella Lenicker was pleased that the government will be implementing the register. She said that it was unsustainable that architects were regulated, and contractors were not.
"We discussed amendments to the legal notice. The most important one is that the role of site technical officer be made more clear and that the list of competences to become a site technical officer are opened up. We agreed on that. We hope that in the comig days we can hold more discussions so that more of our proposed amendments can be agreed upon.
"What happened over the past 2 weeks are a big step, but it is still just a step for the industry to enter the 21st century, and come in line with international practices. We also proposed a basis for building and construction regulations which we know you are considering and discussing with stakeholders."
Malta Developers Association President Sandro Chetcuti described today as a historic day, and said that the MDA will open its offices to help register contractors.
He pledged complete cooperation with the ministry and the Chamber of Architects. "Our aim is not for work to stop but for work to continue positively. Those who are competent have time to regularise themselves and those who don't need to go." On the newly introduced legislative changes, Chetcuti described them like buying a new pair of shoes, which are uncomfortable at first, but then fit comfortably after wearing them for a while.
Parliamentary Secretary for Planning Chris Agius also spoke.