Both the site officer and the Project Manager of the Ta' Kandja shooting range were chosen by direct order, Education Minister revealed in Parliament today.

The minister was asked a Parliamentary Question by PN MP Jason Azzopardi. Azzopardi asked the minister to say who occupied the posts of field officer and project manager at the shooting range, for details about their salary, and how they were chosen.

In response, the minister said that the site officer was chosen through a direct order, with an €18 an hour salary without VAT (up to a maximum of €33,264.) The name was provided seperately to the MP who tabled the question, and not included in the response.

The duties of the site manager were also tabled, and include being stationed on site, holding progress meetings with the different contractors employed on site on a weekly basis, quality control and testing of all materials, checking the monthly progress interim payments to contractors, ensuring remedial works were done on all defects, ensuring the progress on site was never held up due to delays in providing drawings and information to contractors, coordinating works and more.

The Project Manager of the shooting range, the minister said, was  G.C. Consultants Ltd, who were engaged for a number of projects of which the shooting range was one, and were paid €5,000 a month without VAT. This company which was chosen through a direct order, the minister said, provides consultancy services.