[WATCH] Do government MPs regret voting against the Sofia inquiry? We asked them outside parliament

Many of the ministers and MPs canvassed outside the House of Representatives said they concurred with the spirit of Prime Minister Robert Abela’s speech on Wednesday, assuming a sense of collective apology for having voted against the public inquiry at the outset.

“We could have been more sensitive towards the Sofia family,” said economy minister Silvio Schembri. “Maybe we were being too legalistic in the way we looked at the situation.”

Schembri said he would not be resigning, reacting to calls from Opposition leader Bernard Grech.  “The inquiry found no connection between the incident and the previous allocation of the land from Malta Enterprise, which happened a year before I took office as minister.”

Education minister Clifton Grima said he had spoken to Sofia’s mother Isabelle Bonnici on Wednesday, and said the public inquiry carried moral authority in the way government and ministers were now urged in effecting its recommendations.

Minister Julia Farrugia-Portelli said that while Abela’s sentiment on the inquiry reflectedministers’ collectively, she added that the inquiry’s recommendations had to be affected not only for the sake of Sofia’s memory but also for the safety of both worker and third-parties who lived akin to construction sites.

Transport minister Chris Bonett said whether or not an apology was due was moot, concentrating instead on the recommendations that the government was now duty-bound to effect. “I think we have shown, with our actions, that the government will be working on these reforms.”

Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, who was previously tasked with reforming the Building and Construction Authority, said he would not be stepping down as minister. “The inquiry did note the work that was carried out while I was minister, upon which further reforms now will take place. Over 90% of what had been recommended in the Quintano report were effected, but evidently there is much more that needs to be done. Indeed, the licensing of contractors is the basis upon which more of these reforms have take place. Today we have a public inquiry that shows us the way forward, and which will themselves be the greatest respect shown towards the memory of Jean Paul Sofia.”