Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this evening offered to ask technical people to reply to questions by MPs on the soot found in Fgura and surrounding areas.

Replying to questions by Nationalist MP Jesmond Mugliette and Labour MP Joe Mizzi, Dr Gonzi said the tests so far showed that the soot did not include the chemicals that would prove conclusively that it came from the power stations.

He said every effort was being made to ensure that the tests were of the highest quality.

Mr Mugliette said this was a matter which should have been established by now. He called for ongoing tests in several areas in the south of Malta.

Dr Gonzi said the sampling was ongoing but samplers had been concentrated on Fgura because that was the area from where most of the complaints came from.

The sampling was continuing and tests had been sent to several laboratories abroad. The volume of dust changed over particular periods, making the establishment of the cause more difficult as other dust was collected.

Mr Mizzi said there had been periods when the power station precipitators were not used and the government said nothing about them. That was when the soot increased.

Dr Gonzi insisted that Mepa was continuing to do whatever it could to conclusively establish the cause of the soot.