Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici said that the Bill to amend the Explosive Ordinance was there to protect those who followed the law and was coming down hard on those who made bad use of explosives.

Winding up the debate on the Bill in second reading, the minister said this was a proactive Bill, the first step towards a reform of the sector. Otherwise, there could be no more fireworks, which had to be safe for the people in general and those manufacturing, storing and transporting explosives.

He said the debate had produced many good suggestions, both politically and legally.

The government was in favour of more consultation and education and the measures discussed had been the result of the consultation made. All parties concerned had met around his table and there had been a fresh air of ideas on which the Bill had been based.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said that the message being sent was that there was a line which could not be crossed. There should not be smokescreens. Society was afraid of fireworks being mishandled, and although he promised to do his utmost to preserve this tradition, he would not do this to the detriment of others.

The Naxxar tragedy had instilled fear into a lot of people because it was the first time that people had died in their homes as a result of a fireworks explosion.

Earlier, Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando said the extent of explosives tragedies went far beyond statistics. It was good that any concrete steps taken to avoid such tragedies would be taken in full consultation with experts in the field.

Licences should only be issued on the strictest conditions and followed up by regular training and updating of licence holders. Compulsory insurance schemes should be introduced to protect the innocent victims of any such incidents that would still occur in spite of all the precautions.

All legally-produced fireworks should be certified, and spot-checks made on all firing areas to make sure that the fireworks being let off had been legally manufactured.

It was a major step forward to consider the damages that the courts could award to the victims of fireworks explosions. It was also time to consider the implications of fireworks factories which had now been surrounded by residential areas.

Joe Falzon (PN) said such a debate should also cover inspections of explosives such as those used for military, construction, industrial, fireworks and films, all of which fell under the term "explosives". Fireworks made use of the most dangerous kind of these explosives, besides being handled by amateurs in many cases.

Mr Falzon appealed for clearer guidelines to regulate both the authorities and those involved in fireworks.

The Bill was unanimously given a second reading.