Left hanging for months

In 2010 I answered an advert in the local press for a Malta Resources Authority (MRA) training course to become a “competent person” in the field of LPG technology. Applicants had to have either an engineer’s warrant or have equivalent recognised qualifications.

I submitted my application and CV and was duly accepted. I paid €1,100 for the course, kindly sponsored by my employer. Having many years’ experience in managing the Enemalta Gas Division, I did not envisage any problems.

So far so good. I sat for the intensive course and was successful.

However the MRA then refused to accept me as a “competent person” in this field. The reason? My qualifications were suddenly now not acceptable to them. So they were acceptable to sit for the course, and for them to take the €1,100 fee but the very same qualifications did not make me acceptable as a “competent person”.

I appealed to the MRA Appeals Board, with legal assistance. Matters proceeded well and I believe the board got a good grasp of the arguments.

In December 2011 the Appeals Board reached its decision. The parties were informed of the date of the sitting in which the decision was to be given; however this sitting kept being repeatedly postponed a day or two before it was due to be held.

The exception was the planned sitting of April 4, 2012. On March 31 the parties were informed that it was again postponed, but no new date was set this time.

On inquiring further I was informed that the term of the Appeals Board was coming to an end and instead of giving its decision the board was waiting for its term to lapse.

I inquired with the ministry if the board’s term was to be renewed, explaining that if not, this would presumably mean that the sittings would have been held for nothing as the new board would then have to start hearing evidence all over again.

I was assured that the board’s term had been renewed and that a sitting would soon be held. I breathed a sigh of relief.

On June 8 the Appeals Board informed us that it would give its decision on June 19. However at quarter to midnight of June 18 I received an e-mail informing me that the sitting was again put off. The new date was June 27. On June 26 I got another e-mail: sitting postponed to July 10.

The best was however yet to come. On July 4 I got another e-mail, this time informing me that there would not be a decision as according to L.N. 184 of 2012 the duties of the Malta Resources Appeals Board had now migrated to the Administrative Review Tribunal.

I realise it is not a simple matter for an Appeals Board to overturn a decision of a government authority, but this has stretched things a little bit too far.