Prime Minister Robert Abela on Thursday defended the three government Ministers who faced a PN motion calling for a no-confidence vote in Parliament, following the public inquiry report into the death of 20-year-old Jean Paul Sofia.

The PN motion which was debated in Parliament on Thursday afternoon calls for the resignation of Economy Minister Silvio Schembri, Energy Minister Miriam Dalli and Lands Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi.

In his speech in Parliament, Abela opened by describing the PN's motion as "populist," and "partisan," while government, within hours of when the public inquiry report was published, came to Parliament to present its plan on implementing the inquiry's recommendations.

He said that the coming weeks and months will be crucial, which will reflect government's work in implementing the inquiry recommendations, as well as further reforms in the construction sector.

Abela said that the PN's motion is "evidently trying to capitalise on a tragedy," and does not give added value to the inquiry's recommendations. He said that the PN did not focus on the reforms needed, but on who to attack and set aside.

"The inquiry report clearly identifies and names who needed to resign, but it never mentioned the three ministers," Abela said, adding that the PN's motion clearly revealed the PN's intentions.

He said that despite past PN administrations suggesting the licensing of contractors, it was the Labour government which implemented it, naming Minister Zrinzo Azzopardi.

Abela reminded that the inquiry positively commended the licensing of contractors, as being the first step towards seriousness in the sector.

He continued that Minister Dalli was not even a Member of Parliament, or a Minister, when the land allocation of the construction site Sofia died in occurred, and then-INDIS Minister Schembri became the Minister responsible in the last phase of the land allocation process.

"The inquiry clearly said that there was no connection between the land allocation and the incident," Abela said.

He said that before the inquiry report was published, Malta Enterprise and INDIS entities had already taken strong initiatives to improve their existing systems, such as issuing Letter of Intents and the land allocation process.

Abela said that government is determined to implement the inquiry's recommendations without delay, and will be updating Parliament, society, and Sofia's family on a regular basis on government's work in implementing the recommendations.

"Instead of analysing the recommendations, the PN's populist motion said nothing of the 39 recommendations, and gave a 6 month deadline," Abela said.

He said that the changes proposed by the inquiry have not been done for 50 years of the industry, and it is the government that will implement such changes with thought, and consultation with all those involved.

Abela said he has received requests from several persons and entities such as the Chamber of Architects, engineers, masons, developers, geologists, who have all expressed their interest in contributing and actively being involved in the consultation, to improve the sector's operations and make necessary changes.

"All these changes must lead to a bigger change, beyond the legislative one. This is the change in the mentality of how the sector works," Abela said, commending those who have already reached standards government wants to ensure for the whole sector.

He said that the PN has strategically worked to make unreasonable requests, to make it seem that government has learnt nothing since it voted against the public inquiry last July.

"Government has learnt a lot, and we did not need to wait for any motion before I extended my apology to the Sofia family," Abela said, which he did at the start of the five-sitting debate following the published report.

Abela mentioned five points which government will focus on and give updates regularly on.

He said that the appointed cabinet subcommittee aimed at implementing the recommendations has been meeting weekly before each Cabinet sitting, and has already discussed the reform needed on the process of planning regarding ODZ buildings, a planning regime different from the DNO system today. Abela continued that more consultation is needed in this regard.

Secondly, he said that he has met the Ombudsman and the Commissioner responsible for environment and planning to discuss the needed legislative change to extend construction under the Commissioner's responsibility.

Abela said that the call for lawyers and architects to assist citizens free-of-charge on matters of the industry has already been issued, and work has commenced on the central helpline which will be used for citizens for assistance, and will start operating by July after staff training and coordination of involved entities. He said that this will be accompanied by dedicated enforcement officials to enforce citizen reports.

By Summer, the Occupational Health and Safety Act will also change completely and legislative work is underway, Abela said, while government is also concluding the process to eliminate the distinction on responsibility over free-standing structures, an exercise which began before the report was published.

Abela continued that the Economy Ministry has engaged a company of auditors that will audit the process of land allocation, as recommended by the inquiry.

While thanking dedicated workers in the entities involved in the sector, and reiterating that whoever needed to bear responsibility has done so, he encouraged workers to continue their work with dedication, and urged serious and genuine investors to continue investing, as the quality changes government will be pushing will benefit them.

He said that the public's reaction to the PN's motion was that of hypocrisy, mentioning that only Labour governments launched public inquiries.

Abela mentioned several past cases where a PN government was found responsible of several workplace incidents, where no public inquiry was launched, in addition to delays for compensation for the victims. "2004, under a PN government, was the year with the most fatal workplace incidents," Abela said.

He said that to prevent more accidents, the approach must be professional and mature, and pledged that government will regularly update the public, as per the terms and references of the public inquiry which ties government to to present a publication of its progress in implementing the inquiry recommendations in a matter of a year.

Abela added that he wants to involve society in participating and contributing to necessary changes.

He also said that the sector must be elevated to the next level, to have an environmental heart for increased sustainability in the construction sector.

Abela said that the public does not expect resignations from the mentioned Ministers, but for them to continue their work and give solutions for the public's interest.  "We will keep the promise, and give a new dimension for the construction sector, and true justice for the victims," Abela said.