Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the site where the tragic death of Jean Paul Sofia happened will be transformed into a garden in memorial of the youth, as per his parents’ wishes.

Abela was speaking in Parliament during a discussion about the recommendations of the board of inquiry set up following the death of Sofia in 2022, saying that government will be honouring Sofia’s mother Isabelle Bonnici and his father John’s wishes for a memorial garden.

The two were present in the sitting, with the Prime Minister thanking the two for their efforts on speaking about the construction sector.

Earlier on Monday, the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Mark Mallia said that of the 39 recommendations made in the Sofia public inquiry, 22% have been implemented entirely, and 74% are in the process of being implemented.

Abela said that Malta has been crying for reforms in the construction sector, and up till 2021, the sector, which contributes substantially to the economy, had no Authority to regulate it.

“There was a fatal incident in 2020, and that led to the start of a committee, which then brought out the idea for a regulator for the sector beyond the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA), and so the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) was born.

After that, government worked on the contractors’ license, long before the inquiry report which was being discussed in Monday’s sitting, Abela said.

Abela continued that government has given more strength and voice to citizens through the helpline 138 – Sofia’s birthday, giving citizens the chance to report continuous inconvenience due to developments next door.

He said that the 24/7 helpline which is available for all receives an average of 94 telephone calls every day, 17,000 calls in the last six months.

“We also issued a public call for architects and lawyers to assist residents aggravated by construction next door, even if they have to go to court, for free, which is paid for by the BCA,” Abela said.

Abela continued that government also kept its promise that by last summer, it would implement completely new OHSA laws, for workplaces even beyond the construction sector.

He said that government closed legal anomalies such as that for stand-alone buildings and insurance cover.

Government also carried out a very important exercise in Malta Enterprise and INDIS Malta to audit how industrial land is allocated, which guarantees more transparency and good governance in allocation of land, so that government can ensure that every project merits it, Abela said.

Abela said that there will be a registry on competent persons for workplace safety, and rules for construction project safety and security, where a specific Project Supervisor will be appointed. He continued that the OHSA will also open an office in Gozo in the coming weeks.

Abela said that the Project Supervisor will have the power to stop a project if they feel that health and safety are not being followed, and risk evaluation has to be filled in, with government amending the skills for masons, by introducing an induction course.

“We have also reached an agreement for National Building Codes, which favour more regulation on safety and fire prevention,” Abela said.

He said that the contractors licensing was long-awaited for 20 years, and now this government has implemented it. 

“We extended the construction skills card, and we will now strengthen regulation on sites of INDIS Malta.  One of the recommendations was to strengthen the DNO process and in the last days, Cabinet approved that in INDIS zones, the Planning Authority will have the power to scrutinise DNO proposals as well,” Abela said.

He continued that government was faced with cooperation even from the sector itself, where contractors agreed that it was time to improve the standards as well.

Abela said even the best reforms fail if they cannot be enforced as necessary, and said that some wanted an element of self-regulation, but government knows this does not work.

He said that between OHSA and BCA there were no less than 20,000 inspections in one year, an average of 50 inspections every day. 

Abela said that the BCA by itself issued 670 fines and 240 stop orders for works, while the OHSA issued 550 fines and 331 work suspension orders.

The OHSA also issued 960 notifications for improvement on the workplace, and now, the authority has the highest number of inspectors it has ever had, he said.

Abela said that while government made giant steps forward, there is more to be done to see more seriousness in the sector in the future, however government is eager to find solutions.

Abela continued that government’s message is a clear one: those who are not serious have no place in the construction sector, nor in any economic sector.

Those with goodwill and those who truly want to raise the standards in the sector will find government behind them, Abela said.

He continued that government wants a serious and professional environment with the investment needed in its workers, as well as towards the health and safety of workers.

The Labour Migration Policy ties well into the inquiry’s recommendations, Abela said, adding that the policy is comprised of four principles, two of which address the inquiry’s recommendations – the investment towards the rights and conditions of workers in the workplace.

Abela said that whoever abuses will face harsh consequences and fines imposed by the authority.

He said that government is determined to raise the standards in the sector, as that is what Jean Paul Sofia, and other victims of the construction sector, deserved.

‘The burdens will continue to increase on those who follow the law, while other cowboys do whatever they want’ – Grech

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech meanwhile thanked Bonnici and Sofia’s father for having taken their tragedy to do something good for the country.

Grech said he could not keep himself from remarking that while the Prime Minister called for a debate in Parliament on what government did after the public inquiry, government did not so much as present the document to the PN days before, and was only given the document on Monday.

“The Prime Minister is choosing to be partisan by doing this. If the document is so positive and conclusive, he should have given it to us days before today,” Grech said, adding that Abela expected Parliament to discuss the document without the PN having read it before the debate.

Grech reminded that in July 2023, Parliament had a heated and important discussion on the PN’s motion carrying Bonnici’s wishes to appoint a public inquiry into her son’s death.

“I have to remind everyone that the other side of the House voted against a public inquiry back then, against Isabelle and John’s wishes, against the truth of what happened to Sofia, and therefore against this document as we would not have this without the public inquiry’s results,” Grech said, adding that he wanted to set the record straight.

Grech continued that each passing day where there are no workplace tragedies, especially on construction sites, is a day where Bonnici should be thanked solely and again.

He said he recognised that some of the measures in the document are positive, which are ultimately for the good of the whole public.

Grech said that it is positive for the sector to be regulated, but this means nothing without the needed enforcement.

“We had cowboys, there are still cowboys, and there will still be cowboys if enforcement is not carried out,” Grech said.

He said that the report means nothing without enforcement, but rather it is also increasing rules and conditions on those “hundreds” who have always complied with regulations.

“The burdens will continue to increase on those who follow the law, while other cowboys do whatever they want. That is injustice, and there is still danger of someone injuring themselves, or even die on the workplace, despite the rules,” Grech said.

He continued that the PN insisted on a public inquiry and it will continue insisting on measures to be implemented.

Grech said that Bonnici’s fight will not stop, and the PN will always consistently support her.

“What we have done and what we still need to do with regards to Jean Paul Sofia, we will continue to do,” Grech said.