Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela says the government would no longer tolerate the “lax” situation in Paceville.

Some 200 people have been interviewed as part of the magisterial inquiry into last month’s staircase collapse at a Paceville nightclub in which 74 youths were injured, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.

The inquiry, headed by Magistrate Doreen Clarke, is looking into the incident at PlusOne club along St Rita Steps in Paceville, where a glass banister railing gave way as dozens of clubbers rushed out into the street on November 14.

Among those injured were a number of underage clubbers.

Sources said the inquiry was looking into the health and safety aspects of the club.

The police said they would be taking action against all those involved in the incident once the magisterial inquiry was concluded.

Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said the findings of the inquiry would be made public as soon as it was concluded.

Speaking in Parliament shortly after the incident, Mr Abela had said the government would no longer tolerate the “lax” situation in Paceville.

Asked for an update on the inquiry, Mr Abela told The Sunday Times of Malta: “It is moving ahead swiftly and is being conducted with the utmost seriousness. It should be finalised soon enough.”

The inquiry is also looking into the admittance of underage patrons – a practice described as widespread by youths.

“The clubs have always let us [underage youths] in. Some don’t but the majority do,” a 15-year-old Paceville regular said during a public consultation on Friday.

Nightclubs are meant to ask patrons for identification as proof of age on entry – a task normally delegated to bouncers.

Youths at the consultation, however, raised concerns that this was almost never done and that bouncers were oblivious to most of those entering nightclubs.

The bouncers act like they own the place, they are often rough with us

“The bouncers act like they own the place, they are often rough with us. I’ve seen lots of fights and bouncers either ignore the situation or make it worse,” a 15-year-old boy who frequents Paceville said.

Mr Abela flagged the issue during the consultation saying bouncers would have to receive training and set stricter standards in the near future.

To address the situation in Paceville, the government has committed to carrying out wide-ranging reforms of the regulations and enforcement of the nightlife district.

Mr Abela said the latest issue the government was looking into was the lack of adequate fire safety certification in the area. “Do you know there isn’t an authority tasked with certifying fire safety for such establishments? Private operators who sell equipment are conducting their own certification. This is especially worrying when you consider the number of people crammed into these nightclubs,” he said.

Mr Abela said the government would be addressing this by either tasking an existing authority with carrying out fire safety tests, or specifically setting up a new body.

Earlier this month this newspaper revealed that according to the Malta Tourism Authority, which is tasked with handing out permits to entertainment venues, there were only five registered nightclubs in the area.

The rest, some 15 establishments, were licensed as bars, cafes, and restaurants. This meant they were not subject to the same health and safety inspections as discos.

The situation was not much better when it came to strip clubs, which have mushroomed in Paceville in recent years.

According to the MTA there were no so-called gentlemen’s clubs in the area, due to lacuna in the law.

Mr Abela said the licensing situation was of “particular concern”. He said the Paceville reform would “definitely” see a review of the licensing situation to ensure nightclubs had adequate permits and underwent regular compliance checks. This, he added, would take longer than the initial reform on enforcement, as it required further consultation and a review of international best practices.

“The way licences are issued has to be reviewed and but this will take months to do. We are committed to a holistic reform,” he said.