A board of inquiry has been set up by the Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry to investigate the mudslide that occurred at Xemxija last month during excavation work, Minister George Pullicino told Parliament yesterday.

Speaking during the adjournment, Mr Pullicino said the board’s terms of reference include the determination of the type of work that took place close to the site in question and whether this were carried out in line with the permits issued by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.

The board is also being asked to establish what steps were taken by Mepa and to check if these were adequate in the circumstances.

The board is also to see if the stop and enforcement procedures are adequate and effective to deal with similar circumstances.

Mr Pullicino said that the board, to be chaired by Architect Joe Falzon, Mepa auditor and dean of the Faculty of Architecture, is expected to forward its recommendations within six weeks.

The other members of the board are Architect Victor Torpiano, who is deputy chairman, architects Peter Zammit and Kevin Gatt and Dr Kevin Aquilina.

Mr Pullicino said there had been occasions in the past when he had expressed his dissatisfaction at the way Mepa was enforcing the law. In November, he said, he had voiced his concern that Mepa still had to take direct action on 3,000 illegal developments.

He said in November he had written to Mepa to request the board to consider proposals with regard to these illegalities outside development zones.

In the letter he had urged Mepa to use stop notices more frequently and to increase the number of direct actions to demolish illegal buildings.

Although enforcement had increased over the past years, Minister Pullicino said he believed that Mepa should be more efficient in this regard to act as a deterrent. Mepa also has the facility to refuse applications where it resulted that illegal work continued in spite of enforcement notices, the minister said.

He said he was informed that some progress had been made following talks with Mepa. In a few days’ time, he added, an amendment to the law will increase fines for illegal buildings from Lm1,000 to Lm10,000.

The law should be enforced on everyone because the regulation of development according to established policies offer a better guarantee for the future, Mr Pullicino said.