The Parliamentary Committee for Health will wait for the conclusion of an inquiry into the discovery of structural weaknesses at Mater Dei Hospital’s emergency department before considering requests to discuss the issue.

Committee chairman Etienne Grech, a Labour MP, said this in reaction to a call by the Opposition on Tuesday for an urgent debate.

Dr Grech said the committee had no objection to discuss the matter “at the opportune moment”, once more information was available and the inquiry was concluded.

In a statement released with Dr Grech’s reply, the government said any criminal and civil liabilities could only be evaluated once all details were known. It reiterated that political, technical and commercial responsibility had to be shouldered.

The investigation was ordered in the wake of a story published in The Sunday Times of Malta, which revealed that urgent intervention was needed to reinforce the concrete structure of the emergency department.

The weaknesses had been discovered during preliminary checks to ensure that the building could withstand the load of two additional wards, which will have to be constructed elsewhere.

Following further tests in the UK, the Health Ministry announced on Tuesday that urgent works would have to be carried out in order to reinforce a number of concrete columns.

These involved the installation of temporary structures. Structural checks on the rest of the hospital building would be carried out as well.

The ministry also announced the setting up of an external board of inquiry, headed by Judge Philip Sciberras, whose remit is to establish the facts and timeline of events.

It will collaborate with police investigations and appoint technical experts while analysing any criminal and civil liabilities.