The Opposition has given notice of a motion in parliament calling for a public inquiry into the actions of the authorities in relation to the collapse of a residence into a building site in Ħamrun a month ago.

The incident had cost the life of Miriam Pace, a 54-year-old mother of two.

The motion calls on Prime Minister Robert Abela to appoint the inquiry to report, within two months, on whether the institutions had done what was expected of them to safeguard life and the interests of the various parties before and after the tragedy, and whether all the necessary precautions had been taken.  

The inquiry would also need to establish whether any measures which had been taken were adequate and whether other action could have been taken to avoid the tragedy.

It would also need to look into whether those heading the institutions were trained, competent and sufficiently equipped to enforce the law and regulations. 

The PN said the inquiry board should be headed by a judge, with a magistrate among its members. 

The PN noted that other calls for a public inquiry had so far been ignored. 

A few days after the collapse, the prime minister had said that a four-person panel led by a retired judge will be reviewing the laws and oversight systems governing the construction sector. The panel is made up of retired judge Lawrence Quintano, engineer Adrian Mifsud and court experts Mario Cassar and Mark Simiana.