The Labour Party has urged MEPA to speed up the granting of permits so that those people whose houses were demolished in the Naxxar fireworks explosion could rebuild their homes.

In a statement, the party expressed its concern that the permits had not been issued yet.

"This matter must be given the importance it deserves because this is a genuine case and there is a social need to ease the suffering and inconvenience being suffered by these people," the party said.

It said that while the legal provisions should be respected, all unnecessary red tape should be removed.

Three houses were demolished and others were made uninhabitable by the blast which killed two people in mid-March.