Following discussions between the Audit Office of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) and the Office of the Ombudsman, the Mepa Audit Officer agreed that the proposal by the Ombudsman to strengthen the system for the scrutiny of administrative action would take effect on 1 November.

By means of a letter dated 26 July 2007 the government had approved that Mepa's Audit Office will be the first institution to implement this proposal.

As a result of this measure Mepa's Audit Office will start to make use of the investigative services and the administrative resources that the Office of the Ombudsman will be making available.

Details of how this system will work in practice will be announced in the coming days.