Parliamentary Secretary for Construction Chris Agius on Tuesday pledged that the setting up of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) would lead to the licensing of contractors.
Times of Malta reported on Sunday how the 2019 deadline for this had quietly slipped away, with an online directory of contractors that was meant to provide more transparency in the sector also vanishing.
Speaking in parliament, Agius highlighted how a person needed a license to drive a car, but not to use a crane to demolish a building.
He said the licensing would ensure that those working in the industry would have the necessary expertise, capacity and resources to improve the quality of their work and reduce the risk of incidents.
Agius acknowledged the spate of construction accidents involving both workers and damage to third-party property.
He said despite steps to improve regulation in the industry, including the delineation of responsibilities and the introduction of site technical officers, there had been yet more incidents.
“Laws will not ensure that we will not have more such incidents, but following the rules will help reduce their prevalence,” Agius said.
He paid tribute to...
