An expert report into reforming the construction sector has further bolstered arguments in favour of a public inquiry into the March 2020 construction collapse killing of Miriam Pace, her bereaved relatives have said.

The Pace family welcomed the decision to publish the report as a “step forward” and noted that it confirmed that institutions had “flagrantly failed” to safeguard Pace’s life.

Pace, a 54 mother-of-two, was buried alive beneath the rubble of her own home when it caved in above her on March 2 last year. Four people, including two architects, who were involved in excavation works next door have been charged with her involuntary homicide.

The Pace family has repeatedly called for a public inquiry into the incident, which had prompted Prime Minister Robert Abela to appoint an expert panel to look into ways in which the construction sector needed to be reformed to avoid such incidents.

Abela had initially declined to publish that report, saying its recommendations had already been incorporated into a new bill which parliament would be passing into law. That decision was slammed by the Pace family and other victims of previous construction site collapses.

Following that criticism, the government tabled the report in parliament last week.

The report, which was drafted by a four-person team led by retired judge Lawrence Quintano, found that excavation works were often done using “very dangerous” methods of cutting rock flush with party walls and made a series of recommendations about changing practices, licensing arrangements and enforcement methods.

In a statement on Monday, a legal representative of the Pace family said that it wanted a parliamentary motion calling for a public inquiry into Miriam Pace’s death should be debated as soon as possible, to allow the family to “learn of the reasons why calls for a public inquiry are being ignored”.

The motion was tabled by the Opposition last April.