A parliamentary no-confidence motion in three ministers presented by the Opposition also demands monthly reports into progress to implement Sofia inquiry recommendations. 

The PN motion proposes that MPs should be given the chance to ask questions on each monthly progress report, one week after the reports are tabled in parliament.   

Presented by PN leader Bernard Grech and seconded by party whip Robert Cutajar, the motion also calls on the house to apologise to Jean Paul Sofia's parents, John and Isabelle Bonnici, for having voted against holding a public inquiry into the 20-year-old's construction site death last July.    

A public inquiry into the construction death of a 20-year-old found Sofia died in an essentially unregulated construction site, and the state must bear responsibility for that.

The government initially sought to prevent the inquiry from happening and voted against an Opposition motion to hold one. But following public outrage, Prime Minister Robert Abela relented and agreed to appoint a three-person board of inquiry.  

Following the inquiry's findings published last week, the government appointed a cabinet committee to implement recommendations made by a public inquiry into Sofia's death.

That committee will report to cabinet.  

Economy Minister Silvio Schembri sits on that committee - something the PN said on Friday is a conflict of interest, as the Sofia report implicated entities under his political control. 

The PN wants Schembri and two other ministers, Miriam Dalli and Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, to resign in the wake of the inquiry findings, and the call for the three to resign forms the basis of Thursday's no confidence motion. 

Robert Abela appointed Schembri as his economy minister in January 2020, essentially putting him in charge of INDIS, the state entity responsible for the government's industrial land.  

In February 2020, a month after Schembri took over political responsibility for INDIS, the entity signed over the Corradino site to the developers of the site that collapsed on Sofia, killing him. 

On Friday, Nationalist Party whip Robert Cutajar zeroed in on Schembri, saying he should resign rather than have the responsibility of implementing the inquiry's recommendations.   

Schembri had several entities who were somehow involved, according to the report, he said.  

Cutajar said the government needs to show political maturity, and political responsibility needs to be taken.  

Schembri has said he has no reason to resign, as the decision to allocate the land happened before he was a minister. 

Deputy whip Paola Mifsud Bonnici and environment shadow minister Rebekah Borg flanked Cutajar during the PN press conference.   

Borg noted that Malta Enterprise - another entity singled out for criticism by the inquiry - was now also part of Schembri's ministry.  

Malta Enterprise became part of Schembri's portfolio only last January, following a cabinet reshuffle. It was previously the responsibility of Miriam Dalli.