The Nationalist Party will be asking parliament to consider changing the law to stop government agencies from abusing an exemption that allows emergency works without a permit.

The change will be proposed in a private member’s bill that will be tabled by the Opposition in the coming days, weeks after the Ombudsman said that works carried out in Comino under this exemption broke the law.

The works consisted of the construction of a service culvert on a dirt road to the Blue Lagoon, raising vociferous objections from environmental NGOs.

Last month Times of Malta reported that according to a report by the Office of the Ombudsman, construction had been carried out without a planning permit and was, therefore, in breach of the law regulating planning and construction.

The report was spurred by a complaint filed by PN whip and opposition spokesperson for the environment Robert Cutajar who will later on on Thursday inform Parliament about the PN’s plans on the private members’ bill.

Parliament will on Thursday discuss a separate private member's bill tabled by the PN about transparency within the operations of the Environment and Resources Authority.

The Ombudsman’s report, seen by Times of Malta, says that in February of last year, the Gozo ministry wrote to the Planning Authority asking for an exemption from planning permission to carry out works near Blue Lagoon under Article 70 of the Planning Development Act, which allows emergency works to be done without a permit in the interest of public safety.