Opposition leader Simon Busuttil insisted today that there was “no deal” with Armier boathouse owners.

He was reacting to a report in Times of Malta today that boathouse owners expected him to honour agreements made by his predecessors, one of them on the eve of the 2008 general election.

Dr Busuttil said it was "useless" saying there was a deal several years ago, as several elections had happened since then.

“I look at the last election, when I was involved and there was no deal made then,” he said.

Tarcisio Barbara, a spokesman for Armier Developments Limited, had asked whether Dr Busuttil was backtracking on previous agreements.

According to Mr Barbara, one agreement was for the building of new beach rooms to replace old boathouses, giving existing owners the right of first refusal.

Pressed on the matter, Dr Busuttil said he was ready to meet and discuss the matter with all interested parties, but he could not be expected to be bound to agreements made before he was even in politics.

During a recent conference organised by the Church Environment Commission, Dr Busuttil offered the government his party’s “complete and unconditional support” to tackle the long-standing issue surrounding the illegal boathouse village on the sea’s edge in Armier.

Dr Busuttil admitted that part of the blame for the continuous illegalities being committed by boathouse owners lay with his own party.