Labour MP Charles Buhagiar, who chairs the Building Industry Consultative Council, has employed its former chairman as an assistant.

Martin Debono, an architect by profession and a former Labour candidate, has been employed directly by Mr Buhagiar without a call for applications.

He is being paid almost €27,000 a year for his services.

The BICC was founded under a Labour administration in 1997 by Mr Buhagiar, then minister responsible for public works. The first chairman he appointed was Mr Debono.

While Mr Buhagiar is in the BICC’s driving seat as chairman, Mr Debono is back helping Mr Buhagiar on national capital projects. When asked whether Mr Debono had been given a contract by the BICC, a Social Dialogue Ministry spokesman said he had been engaged on a “position of trust” basis.

“Mr Debono was recruited as a consultant with the BICC to replace another consultant, John Ebejer, whose contract expired,” the spokesman said.