March 14, 2022

Can the Minister explain or
give even a brief overview of what the BCAA has in place to actively pursue business development in ot her markets to attract more planes or leasing companies to our register given the fact that so many countries require planes to [be register ed] in their home
countries? So what do we have in place for business
development? How can we start to look to other leasing companies or the like in order to attract new bus iness to our registry?

Minister.

Hon. W. Lawr ence Scott: If I understand the question correctly, the answer is that it is not something
that we will start doing, it is something that we have
already started. Over the course of the last few years


Bermuda House of Assembly we have aggressively been marketing the Bermuda
registr y in other jurisdictions. Once again, I am not
going to give away our secret sauce but we have
been successful in registering new aircraft and new
airlines on our registry from new jurisdictions. And so therefore this is why I can say that we do have a diversification already in place and a diversification
strategy [in] which we have seen green shoots.

Thank you.
You were just talking about the sustainability
of the BCAA. What is the total number of planes on
the registry that are not affected? I.e., you say 700 are
affected, how many are left above and beyond that
700?

Hon. W . Lawrence Scott: Given the fluid nature of
this situation, I cannot give a specific. But I can say it
would be approximately over 200.

Minis ter, last Friday you gave a
Statement to this Honourable House estimating pote ntial losses to the registry. You indicated, and this is from memory, but I think you indicated $5 million an-ticipated losses if the war were to continue for a threemonth period with anticipated losses of $25 million
beyond that. My question is this, Is that still the picture
as you see it given the steps that we are taking on
Saturday? Are we now in the $25 million loss range?

In addition to the losses, pr esumably there are considerable additional costs being undertaken to deal with these global matters, is that
correct? Do we have a rough number for that?
Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: I am not aware of any additional costs, given the agreements that we had in
place with the lessors and other stakeholders prior to
this. I cannot give a direct or specific number, but I will
take that back to the BCAA and include it in future
updates.

Yes. In terms of those considerable additional costs, one would think professional
services for legal fees and regulatory advice, et
cetera. Correct, Minister?

Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: My understanding is that
situations such as this are already incorporated in the
contractual negotiations , but I want to double check
and make sure and go back . . . because this is a very
precedent -setting event, we just need to make sure
that everything is covered as it normally would be and
anticipated and that i s why I will go back to the BCAA
and bring that information back to the House in future
and subsequent updates.

Presumably if there are Russian
relations to ships on our registry, then those will be
caught by sanctions. Is that right?

Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: According to our current
legislation, no Russian ownership . . . no ships that
have Russian ownerships will be allowed on our regi s-try in the first place. And this is why you see that we have no impact on our shipping registry versus that of
our aircraft.

Thank you.
Honourable Mi nister, you stated several times
that this is a fluid situation. And I remember when we
were before the Honourable House last Friday you
undertook to come and give an updated statement as soon as possible. Can we anticipate that you will give
a further statement to the House in due course?

Hon. W. Lawrence Scott: Yes, I will be giving u pdates in due course. Keep in mind that as I stated in
my Statement that March 28 is basically the deadline
for leasing companies to retrieve their aircraft. After
March 28, it will take approximately a week to two
weeks for us to assess the impact because we would
then know how many leasing agencies got their ai rcraft back there, how many aircraft were returned, and
have a better understanding of what they are going to
do wi th re- registering them. And so we will definitely
be having to include that at least by the second week
in April. We should have that information and be able
to give better projections.

As indicated last week, we are going to
start this morning by taking a moment of silence at


Bermuda House of Assembly this point in r ecognition of the passing of our former
Member, and then Members will be allowed to make
appropriate remarks.
At this time, Members, I am going to ask you
to join. And for the listening audience, we are going to have a moment of silence as a tribute to t he passing
of Darius Tucker, a former Member of these Honour able Chambers. And that moment of silence will begin now, Members.

[Members rose and observed a moment of silence.]

Well, I was waiting for the Premier. But
we will let the Deputy Speaker go next.
Deputy Speaker.
Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, this has been a very sad, difficult
week in Bermuda. Particularly with the loss of Darius Tucker, a former Honourable Member of this House. If
you knew Darius a little, you would have liked him a
lot. He was such a jovial person. There was never a
dull moment when you were in the presence of Darius
Tucker.
Mr. Speaker, I can recall one time I was in the
grocery shop last year and I was looking for some
Brazil nuts. And Darius Tucker appeared, and he said,
What are you looking for? And I told him, and he said,
Did you see any? I said, no. He said, That means
there aren’t any here. And he started laughing as he normally would
do. The next day there was a knock on my door. It
was Darius Tucker. He handed me a bag and before I
could open that bag, he was gone. He said, I don’t have any time to talk to you. Some people have to work, (in his normal jovial way). And in the bag was
three bags of Brazil nuts.
Darius was kind. He was generous. In fact, I
was talking to one of my granddaughters last night
and she said, Darius’ father (she knows his son, [D arius II]) said he was always giving caution to him and
other young people. That was Darius. Always willing
to help others. Darius was a true friend to me and always willing to help me no matter when I called him to
help me out. He was always willing to help.
Mr. Speaker, Darius will be thoroughly missed
by all who knew him. Particularly his wife, Talitta , his
son, Darius II; his other son, Taj; his parents, his si blings and other family members and all who knew him.
Darius will certainly be a miss to us all because of just
the way he was —always friendly, outgoing. I never
saw Darius angry. I am going to miss him and I am
still grappling with his loss. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

You have your three minutes.

Hon. E. David Burt: My sincere apologies, Mr.
Speaker, I was having technical difficulties connecting
through. I understand that you did call me, so I si ncerely apologise.
Mr. Speaker, today certainly Honourable
Members are paying tribute to a former Member of this House of Ass embly, a Member that served on
both sides of the aisle, a Member who was known for not necessarily only his political service but certainly his community service, and that is of course the late
MP Darius Tucker. People will pay tribute to his warm
and kind- hearted spirit. As the Deputy Speaker just
said, [we] never remember seeing Darius angry.
Mr. Speaker, he always sent a kind letter of
encouragement and support especially over these last
two years as we grappled with leadership in the pa ndemic. And I r emember that the first opportunity that I
had to meet his wife, Talitta , was actually in 2011
when my wife, Kristin, moved to Bermuda and we held
our engagement party. And since then Talitta and
Kristin have always kept in contact. And we looked forward to the regular engagements that we would
have with Darius, whether or not that would have
784 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly been on May 24 at Cup Match . . . and I remember
when we visited the house on Thursday evening,
there was a photo of us from the Cup Match holiday
and people were speak ing about how they fondly r emember [it] because every time at Cup Match Darius
would have a Swizzle or another beverage on offer
there on May 24.
Certainly, Mr. Speaker, he will be a miss. And
I think what is most important to recognise is the men-torship in which he had for young people in this cou ntry. Especially in regard to his trade, he was a commi tted and avid tradesman. He wanted to make sure that the tradesmen were maintained, built and developed
in individuals, and he certainly maintained that. On e of
the things is that his son, Darius II, was following in
his footsteps. I am sure he will emulate the record of
his father in that he just got his project management
certification and is pressing on to make sure that the
trades continue to be represent ed in this country.
So, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Government
of Bermuda, on behalf of my family, on behalf of the
Bermuda Progressive Labour Party of whom Darius
remembered and served, my sincere condolences to
his wife, Talitta, to his sons Taj and D arius, to his entire family and his extended family. There are many
who will miss Darius’ big smile, his laugh, his pre sence, and his always warm -natured spirit.
Bermuda certainly lost someone who was a
part of our fabric, Mr. Speaker. And I urge all of us to
continue to rally around the family in support as we
have [done] over the past week to continue to make
sure to provide them the support and love as they
deal and grapple with this loss. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, to say that Darius
was just an ordinary, affable, fun- loving guy is an understatement. He was all of those things, and Mr. Speaker, he was so much more. He did have a philanthropic nature. He was willing to help anyone who
sought his assistance in any way, shape, form or size. I can say, Mr. Speaker, first within the House of A ssembly he was the guy who delivered goodies to ev eryone, especially the women, and made sure that they were all comfortable regardless of what side of the
House you sat on. And while he [sat in the] House
with us, comfortable was something that we always
experienced.
Mr. Speaker, Darius was a very practical and
pragmatic person. I had the pleasure of being able to
observe him both in his trade and on a personal level
and assigned that same practicality to everything that
he did. He was a problem solver. He figured it out and
he did the job with a high level of excellence whene ver it wa s something that he had to do. He did not
short -change anyone.
Mr. Speaker, personally, with my family . . .
Darius was part of our family. My family’s success . . .
when I say that, I talk about my nuclear family, with my daughters and myself. We owe a d eep thank you,
a deep level of gratitude for all of the assistance that
Darius afforded us and gave us. In fact, we would
never have been able to progress the way that we did
without the assistance of Darius.
We have lost a great friend. We have lost a
great family member. And the fact that seeing Darius
the day before and then him reaching out to us with a
message on the day of his demise, and the message
. . . the message, the content of the message, again,
was reflective of who Darius was and how he was .
And I am grateful that we have that message to keep
us comforted from every day we walk forward without Darius.
My heart goes out to Talitta , his sons, his fa mily in general, and I want them to know that the same love, respect and attention that Darius brought in our
lives, will be extended to them forever and always. We
can do no less. And that is our way of paying tribute—

Opposition Leader.
Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Darius’ loss is Bermuda’s loss. You know as
people we are a very interesting clan. And I can say in my many, many years of life I have heard no one say
anything badly about a person. Bermudians always
have an opinion. But in this case, with the chall enges
recently faced by Darius, everyone that I have spoken
to has had positive things to say about Darius.


Bermuda House of Assembly Darius was a very kind soul. Darius shone his
light on all of Bermuda, collectively and individually.
You have heard stories about how his light has
touched many, many people in this country. You
heard my cousin, the Honourable Derrick Burgess talk about the Brazil nuts. I can also talk about his Swizzle.
I had the taste of his Swizzle years ago. And every
now and then I would go outside in my yard a nd see a
bottle of Swizzle in my car. I did not ask for it. It was
just something that he did out of the kindness of his
soul. He just didn’t do to me; he did to the whole community. There were many people who needed
help in regard to their homes and he pr ovided the
support through the tradesmanship that he had. He
just was a giving person and he shined his light. And he left a footprint on our universe, on our community.
To Talitta , Darius and Taj, I know that this is a
difficult time for you all. But ma y his loving memory be
etched in your hearts forever. As I said, he can rest in
peace in that he served his purpose. He served his
community. He shined his light collectively on Berm uda and touched the hearts of many, many people in
this country. If I coul d have a similar legacy, I know
that I would have done my job on earth. And as a
consequence, I feel pleased that Darius’ life was not
in vain and that he left a legacy for all of us in the way
he lived his life, for all of us to follow. May he rest in peace.

—I would like to echo
those comments going out to the family of Darius
Tucker.
Forthright was Darius Tucker. A young man,
the picture I just saw of him, I shared with him last on WhatsApp was his Southampton Glebe school picture
in the class of my brother, Darron. And Darius, like 12 of us, came to the Legislature from Southampton
Glebe under Dolly Tucker , the late Dalton Tucker of
which the school is today named. [So there were] 12
of us in the Legislature from Southampton Glebe [ INAUDIBLE].
I knew Darius in politics, Mr. Speaker. So
forthright was Darius that he had to come to his friend
and say, Listen, I can’t be here anymore. I am going
elsewhere. I’ve talked to my church and I am going elsewh ere. And elsewhere he went, and elsewhere I
sit today as a Member with him in the Progressive
Labour Party. It weighed heavy on his heart then. And
we remained friends throughout, because that is who
Darius always was, someone who was prepared to tell
you what time it was.
And, Mr. Speaker, it is not lost on me that D arius was a carpenter. And he was in the House of A ssembly, just a simple country boy, from Southampton
Glebe who could tell you things in the most simplest of
manner in the same way in which he had to put t ogether his construct to build those luxurious houses
and structures that he put together. He had to do it in
the simple way and he communicated thus.
I knew brother Darius in a fraternal sphere of
which he was a mason’s mason. A brother’s brother.
And that is why so many were out in search of brother
Darius. Brother Darius was a work -workman man, a
man who loved his club, loved his communities, and
Darius was a man of many communities. The St. George’s community of which he married into. T he
Hamilton Parish community of which he lived. The
Greater White Hills, Southampton Glebe community of
which he went to school and many other communities.
The Devil’s Hole community of whom he represented
in Parliament and many other communities up and
down this country, Mr. Speaker.
As you know, Mr. Speaker, I wish I had 10,
but I only have three [minutes]. I just wish to Darius’ beloved family deepest condolences from my family.
Deepest condolences from our constituency in St.
George’s. And may my good brother truly rest in
peace. That is my prayer.

Thank yo u for the opportunity
to join in condolences to my very, very good friend,
Darius. So many words have already been spoken
about him, describing him, but my best words I can
say is, a kind friend. He was the kindest person that I
have ever come into.
786 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly I hav e known Darius in sort of three different
areas. I benefited from his trade work. He worked for
me at my house and got to know my family. I know
him from the fraternity. We came up through the fr aternity together. We encourage each other. And we
were traveling buddies; we travelled together. And all
three of us, all I can say is that his kindness just came
out. He could be talking to me, and [when] 10 other
people would come by he would be able to have a
conversation with all 10 people and still get back to
me. I certainly am going to miss him. I certainly will. And I certainly would like to offer condolences from
my family to Talitta and the rest of the family. And certainly I really hope my friend rests in peace.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I first met Darius Tucker in
a previous life in my time in the United Bermuda Party. And while I severed relations with the organisation, I never severed the relationship with my good friend.
A few years later, when he also crossed the
floor and joined the Progressive Labour Party, I sent
two messages to him on Facebook. And it is funny,
they just popped up in my memory the other day. The
first one was, Brother, you look good in green. And
the sec ond was, What took you so long? And it was
really then that we got to bond because we had a
shared experience of being people who had been in
that party and chose to go in another direction.
And while life often could be hard for people
who make that choi ce, Darius never lost his sense of
humour. He never lost his sense of compassion. He never lost his humanity. I will always remember him
for the times that I would be walking along somewhere
and he would pull up in his van and he had a joke, or
he wanted t o talk politics, or he wanted to talk about
different things that were going on. And that is som ething that I will truly miss.
A few years later we found out that our sons
had become friends, not knowing who each other’s
parents were. Because, you know, i n today’s gener ation they don’t ask who your people are. And we have
had a chuckle saying that it is interesting how friendships can transcend generations without even intent. I have so much to say about this fellow. But I
will say that Darius loved his family. He loved his
friends. He loved his Island. I will miss our talks. I will
miss his smile and I will miss his friendship.
Rest well, Darius, and well done, good and
faithful servant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister Furbert, you have the floor.

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I also would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the fami ly of former MP Mr. Darius Tucker,
to Talitta , to his sons, Taj and Darius Junior . Darius
would often talk about his family and the sacrifices
that he had made for his family. I know that he adored
them and loved them much.
I just want to speak to . . . Darius has a bit of
significance to me. He was actually the Chair of constituency 4, St. George’s South, my branch, when I
first won the election. He came forward when no one
else at that time was willing to put their foot forward to take a lead in that pos ition. He put himself forward to
be my branch Chair. And for that I am very thankful
and grateful. He also made sure during Election Day
that I had all that I needed by way of food, snacks. He
would ask me what my favourites were, and he made sure that the y were there. He made sure that we were
tented up and that we had the right spot right up in the front. So, again, for that I am thankful and I am grat eful.
He also taught me a little trick which many of
the other MPs may know, and I am not going to share it fully if you don’t know, but he let me on to that very
special clicker and that too has been very great for us,
particularly during elections. Mr. Speaker, when the
boundaries changed in the last election, Darius and
his family were no longer in my cons tituency but had
gone over to my colleague, MP Burgess’s constituency, but he always said to me, Today you are still my
MP.
He used to always send me messages and
WhatsApp messages when he had a particular con-cern for our country. He really cared greatly f or the
people of our country, and particularly our grassroots people, making sure that we were giving them oppor-tunities and chances. And you know even colleagues
already spoke about donation giving, he was very,
very giving. He would call and say, Tinee, I want to
donate to the nursing homes. At Christmas, I want to
donate to a constituent who has succeeded pretty
well. And he was always wanting to help and wanting
to assist by way of donations which go a long way.


Bermuda House of Assembly So, again, I want to give my condolences to
the family of Darius Tucker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I
also extend my condolences to the family and friends
of Darius Tucker. We knew each other through a local charitable organisation. And he was always helpful,
always welcoming, especially to new members of our
organisation. He is described as being amongst the best of us. He is described as representing everything
we have stood up for. He was the first to help.
And it is quite funny. Although we never got to
work closely together, oftentim es we would be in
meetings in one team, and his name would come up. And [they] would ask, Well, Darius said this . . . or Darius thinks that. And so there is a huge part of Berm uda in this charitable organisation that will miss him
forever. The shape of the hole he leaves will never be filled by anyone else again.
And we extend our condolences to his friends
and family and we wish the very best for them. And
the rest of us will try our best to carry on what he
started. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Deputy Premier, you have the floor.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you
for the opportunity to have my few minutes to give this
statement of tribute.
It is difficult at times to be public about how
you feel, particularly when tragedy [strikes]. And last
week, unfortunately, there were a number of tragedies
one of which we are all reflecting on. But the whole
country is certainly reflecting. For me, the thought that
Darius is not here is very difficult because for many
years he was somebody who I certainly, without a doubt, even when he was on the other side of me politically, I considered him to be somebody who I could
get along with. And it went from getting along with to
being a genuine friend.
That is who Darius was to me. And like many
have said today already, there was never a time that I can recall where I was in the company of Darius and felt sadness or a lack of optimism about whatever because Darius approached you with a very positive sort
of feeling.
Like some others, he did work at my house
and so I had the benefit of his professional skills. But I also had the benefit of his counsel because he would
often send very uplifting messages. He would give
advice and [it was] always to make me a little bit better at what I was working at. Unsolicited, never r equested, but always well received from him. When
asked if he could assis t with something, Darius would
always give you more than what you asked for. That is
one thing that was really wonderful about him. I can
remember recently something to do with one of my
hobbies, and I asked Darius if he could assist me. I
asked him for one thing, and he gave me a number of things as a result of which I now have the benefit of.
A warm, giving . . . always with a smile on his
face, always encouraging in his approach to you, nononsense at all times , if he thought there was room for
criticism , he would give it but you received it in a way
that was never offensive. You knew that Darius was
giving it to you from his heart and he had such a big,
warm welcoming heart. And the fact that we are the
same age just brings home of how life is so preciou s
and how life can be so short. And we all should take
every day and treat it with care because we do not
know what tomorrow will bring for us.
So I send my condolences certainly to Darius’
family, all of his friends, and people whose lives that
he has im pacted. I send my sincere condolences to
them as well.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MP De Silva, go right ahead.

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I too send out condolences to
Darius’ wife and two boys. It certainly brings to light
for me, Mr. Speaker, I think I was probably a little
closer to Darius than most. I spoke to him on Sunday.
So I certainly feel for the family at this point in time. I
feel for his close friends, some of his colleagues who I
think were probably as close to Darius as I.
I knew Darius long before politics, Mr. Speaker. And of cour se, during our political lives we became
closer. And I will never forget the many times that he spoke about him being a member of the UBP. And of
course being a member of the Progressive Labour
Party. We had a lot of chats about politics and bus iness over the years.
788 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly As has been said by everyone, I think Darius
was a unique individual in that he appealed to a large
cross section of people in this country. It is a sad day
that Darius has left us. As MPs, Mr. Speaker, and you
will know because you have been here longer than any of us , I believe at this point in time there are sacr ifices that one as an MP . . . and I don’t care which
party we are part of , there are a lot of sacrifices that
we make as MPs. Unfortunately, in this country when
one decides to repr esent one party or the other there
are a lot of other pressures that come along with d oing that and they come in many different forms. I cer-tainly had many an opportunity to talk to Darius about
his experiences and telling him about mine. I think
Darius di d not regret the changes he made with h is
political affiliation. And as the Deputy Premier, Walter
Roban, just said, Darius would do the same with me.
He would call me up out of the blue and say, Listen,
guys, I think we are doing this right or we are doing
this wrong and I am just going to give you my opinion
whether you take it or not.
Certainly he won’t be forgotten. I think that
this is a time of reflection for all of us. To think about our families . . . because as MPs and as former MPs
the pressure never stops. I have talked to enough
former MPs to know that it does not stop. And I would
ask that we all take a little time out to reflect on what we do and why we do it and who we do it for. And I
think Darius was one of those who got involved in pol itics because he wanted to be a change agent, like I
have to believe most of us are doing this job for, to become agents of change —

Thank you, MP.
Does any other MP wis h to make a contribution at this time? Any other Member?
Does any other Member like to make a contr ibution? There are none other?
Then I will close by just adding my remarks.
Bermuda has truly lost a son of the soil. The remarks
that have been said this morning indicate a man who
was always prepared to go above and beyond, a man
who put a smile on your face no matter what the ci rcumstance was. He always came with that warm greeting. He lifted your spirits when you were in his
presence. And no matter where you were, it was the
same. He did not change. He approached you the same way. You always knew that warm smile. If he was just passing, that toot and that wave, that grin, it
was Darius.
We heard many comments this morning on
how he has impacted the lives of us in the Chamber
and the lives of those in the community, particularly
his family —his wife, his children, his siblings, his parents, his wider family circle and friends. We share the loss that each one of you feel s this morning. He will
always be remem bered for his willingness to give and
to serve his community. And I will end where I began, that Bermuda has truly lost a son of our soil.
Thank you, Members, for your contribution.
We will now move on.

MATTERS OF PRIVILEGE

Members, that brings us to the Orders
of the Day. Again, for the listening audience, we are
here today continuing on with the debate [in Comm ittee of Supply] on the Estimates of Revenue and E xpenditure for the year 2022/23.
There are eight hours set aside each day for
the debate on the respective heads that are to be d ebated on that day. And today we have four hours at first for the Ministry of Home Affairs and then a latter
four hour s will be spent on the Ministry of Social D evelopment and Sport.
Members, as I have indicated each morning,
once we go into Committee the Speaker is out of the
Chair and the proceedings of the day, during the debate, are in the hands of the Panel of Chairmen, led
by the Deputy Speaker . At this time I am going to call
on the Chairman who opened this morning’s session
for us.


Bermuda House of Assembly But first of all we will ask for the Premier to
move us into [Committee of] Supply. Premier, are you
going to move us in . . . Deputy Premier, are you going to move us into Committee?

Hon. Walter H. Roban: I can do that, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And good
morning colleagues and good morning to the listening
radio audience.
We are now in Committee of Supply for further consideration of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year 2022/23. The first head this
morning is the [Ministry of] Home Affairs who will have
Heads 93, 29, 32, 49, 79, 89 and 97 to debate. I call
upon the Minister.

MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Good morning, Mr. Chairman.
I move the following heads: Head 93 —Ministry of
Home Affairs Headquarters; Head 29—Registry Ge neral; Head 32—De partment of Planning; Head 49 —
Land Valuation; Head 79 —Environment and Natural
Resources; Head 89— Energy; and Head 97— Land Title and Registration to be now taken under consi deration.
May I continue, Mr. Chairman?

Please proceed. Thank you.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, I am grateful
for the opportunity to lead the debate and present the
Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for Heads 93,
29, 32, [49] , 79, 89, 97, the Ministry of Home Affairs
Headquarters, the Registry General, the Departments
of: Planning, Land Valuation, Environment and Nat ural Resources, Energy and Land Title and Registr ation, respectively . I will present each head in turn.

HEAD 93 —MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
HEADQUARTERS

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, I am grateful
for the opportunity to lead the debate and present the
Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for Head 93,
Ministry of Home Affairs Headquarters. This is found on pages B -299 to B -303; C -16 and C -21 of the Est imates of Revenue and Expenditure for fiscal year
2022/23.
The Ministry Headquarters Head 93 compri ses business unit 103000, Administration and 103010,
Consumer Affairs, A dministration.

Mission and Objectives

Hon. Walter H. Roban: The Ministry of Home Affairs
Headquarters mission statement is We Protect Bermuda’s Resources. To achieve the mission, the Mini stry Headquarters has the following objectives:
• collaborating and c onsulting with various go vernment departments and public sector stakeholder groups;
• providing logistical, financial, and administr ative support to the Ministry Headquarters and its constituent departments;
• eliminating unfair debt collection practices;
• ensuring that landlords and tenants receive fair and equitable treatment; and
• ensuring consumer protection through educ ation, fair practices, and legislation.

Expenditure Overview

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, as noted on
page B -299, the Ministry Headq uarters has been all ocated a total of $2,811,000 for the fiscal year 2022/23,
or 5 per cent more than the original budget allocation
790 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly for fiscal year 2021/22. This is comprised of a 6 per
cent increase for the Administration business unit,
which has a budget of $1,959,000 and a 4 per cent
increase for the Consumer Affairs Administration business unit, which has a budget of $852,000.
Mr. Chairman, the most significant changes in
the Subjective Analysis found on page B -301 in the
2022/23 Current Account Estimates are explained as follows:
• The majority of the various areas of expend iture have remained the same as last year, or
seen a decrease.
• The areas with 0 per cent change include
wages, transport, communications, adverti sing and promotion, repair and maintenance,
materials and supplies, and minor capital
equipment.
• Both training and travel costs have been d ecreased significantly by 47 per cent and
18 per cent, respectively.
• In terms of increases, there is a 5 per cent i ncrease in salaries. This is primarily due to the
reinstatement of salaries to the previous le vels. As you will recall, for a significant portion of the previous fiscal year salaries were r educed by 10 per cent for six months of the fi scal year. In addition, the Business and Compliance Officer post, which was vacant and
unfunded for the fiscal year 2021/22, is now
being funded again.
• Energy costs for the Consumer Affairs bus iness unit have a 22 per cent increase due to
the general rise in the cost of energy.
• There is also an increase in the Grants and
Contributions from $5,000 to $30,000. This
modest rise is for grants for environmental projects. Although it is a 500 per cent i ncrease, this is due to the previous year having almost no grant and contributions allocation.
• Lastly, other minor expenses have increased
by $2,000 or 40 per cent.

Revenue

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Revenue
Summary is found on page B -302.
The Ministry Headquarters anticipates that it
will collect $18,000 for fiscal year 2022/23. This is
$2,000 less than the original estimate for fiscal year
2021/22, representing a 10 per cent decrease. The
revenue comes from planning appeals of $11,000 and $7,000 from licensing debt collectors.

Manpower

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the manpower
estimate for the Mini stry Headquarters, as outlined on
page B -302, is 15 full -time posts. The Administration
business unit [has] eight posts which is an increase of one post from the fiscal year 2021/22. The vacant
Business and Compliance Officer post was temporar ily unfunded for 2021/22 but has now been refunded
and is thus reflected in the number of posts again.
The Consumer Affairs Administration business unit [has] seven posts, which represents no change from
2021/22. A Community and Business Liaison Officer
was successfull y recruited to the vacant post formerly
known as the Education Officer in December 2021.

Capital Expenditure

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Ministry
Headquarters anticipates purchasing capital assets to
the value of $90,000 during fiscal year 20 22/23, as
shown on page C -16. The Consumer Affairs Admi nistration business unit’s Case Management System was developed over 21 years ago, and t his expend iture is for the procurement of a new and more modern
Case Management System. The system is required in
order to
• eliminate reliance on hard copy files;
• better manage the caseload for all seven
Acts;
• modernise the electronic recording equi pment ;
• increase the capacity for producing management reports on caseloads and service level
performance; and
• provide web access for clients to record i nquiries and monitor the status of inquiry or
applications through to resolution, and approval including the printing of licenc es.

Grants and Contributions

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, as shown on
page C -21, the Ministry Headquarters has an alloc ation of $30,000 dollars for grants and contributions.
This fund is to support local environmental projects.

Output Measures

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the department’s performance measures are outlined on page
B-303. For the Administration business unit, the r evised forecast for the outcomes for the fiscal year
2021/22 are:
• decisions on planning appeals all communi-cated within the target 30 days from receipt of
the Independent Inspector’s report;
• submissions for annual planning, monthly performance monitoring, and fiscal end- of-year
accounting documents all met or surpassing
the timelines;
• 80 per cent of all planning appeals acknow ledged within five working days; and
• 50 per cent of independent reviews of planning appeals arranged within 30 days. IndeBermuda House of Assembly pendent planning inspectors are brought in
from overseas and thus it is sometimes diff icult to arrange all reviews within the 30 days,
as this depends on the availability of the i nspectors.
Mr. Chairman, t he Consumer Affairs Admi nistration business unit is responsible for preserving,
protecting, and enforcing consumers’ rights when purchasing goods and services. Consumer Affairs also
licenses debt collectors and provides complete oversight on how debt is managed and pursued to ensure
fairness and consistency within this industry. Consumer Affairs is also responsible for r ent control and
vacation rentals. Rent control ensures that the rental
market provides affordable units for Bermudians
through the control of rental increases, whilst also
providing security of tenure. Vacation rentals are also
approved and given oversight by the inspections of
properties carried out to ensure that properties are fit
for purpose and provide security of tenure.
The revised forecast for the performance
measures outcomes for the fiscal year 2021/22 for the Consumer Affairs Administration business unit, also
found on page B -303, indicate that they will all be met,
with the exception of the number of rent inspections
which will exceed the target outcome.
Mr. Chairman, the staff in both the Administr ation business unit and the Consumer Affairs Admi nistration business unit have worked diligently and conscientiously to achieve these performance measures.
In 2021, as the global economy began to reo pen,
consumers’ demand for goods recovered more quickly
than supply could immediately meet. Some commodi-ties, components and raw materials have been hard to
source, putting pressure on global supply chains. This
has led to higher prices, shortages of consu mer
goods, and difficulties with product recalls. With the
latter, redress is negotiated with the manufacturer ;
however many businesses, both local and overseas, were not fully functioning in the past fiscal year, further exacerbating and frustrating consumer protection
and satisfaction.

Major Policy Changes

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Debt Co llection Act 201[8] became fully operational as of 31
January 2020, with debt collectors receiving their l icenc es in October of that year.
Due to the pandemic, debt collectors were only licensed for three months in 2020. The Minister t abled the Debt Collection Amendment Act 2021 which
was passed in June. This amended section 15 (6B ) of
the Act to exempt the newly licensed debt collectors from having to pro vide an audited financial statement
for the year of 2020 only.
In March 2020 the Rent Increases (Domestic
Premises) Control Temporary Amendment Act 2021
was passed. This amended s ection 6 of the Rent I n-creases (Domestic Premises) Control Act 1978 by
granti ng an increase in the length of stay in a rent -
controlled vacation rental unit from a combined total of six months in a consecutive 12- month period to a
combined total of 12 months in a consecutive 24month period. It also provided for the increase in the
validity period of a vacation rental (rent control) certif icate from one year to two years. The temporary
amendment provided for the expiration of the Act after
a two -year period and gave the Minister the power to
make an order before the expiration of the Act, subject
to the affirmative resolution procedure, to extend the Act for an additional period should an extension be
necessary.
Mr. Chairman, additionally, we have prepared
recommendations to address both the much needed
amendments to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1974
and the Rent Increases (Domestic Premises) Control
Act 1978.

Plans for the Upcoming Year

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Ministry
Headquarters’ Administration Unit plans to complete
all of its initiatives as outlined in the 2021 S peech from
the Throne. These include undertaking a comprehensive climate change study, the first of its kind undertaken by the Bermuda Government and beginning the process of eliminating single- use plastics through
consultation and legislation.
Mr. Chairman, you would have heard my Mi nisterial Statement on Friday , 4 March of this year
[2022] titled: “Bermuda and Climate Change: A Study
to determine the Impacts from Sea Level Rise and Changing Storm Activity. ” The issue of climate change
is an existential threat to humanity. The science is
clear on the observed effects of human activities on
the planet due primarily to the burning of fossil fuels
and the increase of greenhouse gas emissions .
As I noted in the Ministerial Statement, the i nternational communit y “recognise[s] that small island
states and developing countries, while not the largest
contributors to greenhouse emissions, will be dispr oportionately affected by the impacts of climate change.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs has secured
funding from the United Kingdom Government for a
comprehensive climate change study. This follows on from a smaller, more limited coastal erosion vulner ability assessment undertaken in 2004 that will be ex-panded and updated to understand the impacts more fully from sea level rise and changing storm activity as
an urgent first step to mitigate the effects of climate
change.
Additionally, a Climate Task Force was established last year by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The
task force currently comprises representatives from: the Ministry of Home Affairs including the Depar tments of Energy, Environment and Natural R e792 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly sources, and Planning; and the Ministries of Public
Works; Finance and Transport, which includes the
Bermuda Weather Service.
Mr. Chairman, the elimination of singl e-use
plastics is an extremely important matter given the interrelated issues of plastics, climate change, ocean
pollution and human health. A draft policy recommendation was approved by Cabinet in August 2021. This
was the subject of public consultation during September and October 2021.
You will hear more about the public feedback
later this week. Further consultation will be undertak-en by the Ministry with importers, grocers, retailers,
and the hospitality industry. Analysis of that collective
feedback will be undertaken in preparation for making
recommendations and drafting the necessary legisl ation.
Mr. Chairman, t he Ministry Headquarters
plans to undertake the following initiatives in this fiscal
year:
• To update and consolidate the Landlord and Tenant Act 1974, the Rent Increases (Domestic
Premises) Control Act 1978 and the Rent I ncreases (Domestic Premises) [Control] Rules
1972 into one piece of legislation. This is because
the Consumer Affairs Administration business unit
anticipates that complaint volumes would decline if the relevant legislation was both updated to r eflect today’s market concerns and also consol idated.
• To create a Bill encompassing both boarding
houses and room rentals in private houses to afford oversight and protection under Consumer A ffairs.
Mr. Chairman, i n the next budget year the
Ministry of Home Affairs will continue to develop strategies Ministry -wide to leverage existing systems to
provide services electronically to customers, including:
the introduction of online applicat ions, and conversion
of paper files to electronic records.
Mr. Chairman, i n closing this Head, I would
like to thank the dedicated members of staff in the
Ministry Headquarters , as follows:
• In the Administration business unit: the comptroller, Ms. Denise Maughn, and her finance team;
the policy analyst, David Northcott; and the exec utive assistant to the Permanent Secretary and
myself, Tresa Robinson.
• In the Consumer Affairs Administration business unit, Ms. Karen Marshall, and her very dedicated
and har d-working team.
• And, of course, my Permanent Secretary, Ms. R ozy Azhar, who ably and effectively leads the whole
team and this whole Ministry.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This concludes my
presentation for the Ministry of Home Affairs, Head
93. And I will mo ve on to the next head, Mr. Chai rman, Head 29, which is the Department of the Regi stry General. The Chairman: Proceed Minister. Thank you.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you very much, Mr.
Chairman.

HEAD 29 —DEPARTMENT OF THE REGISTRY
GENERAL

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, It gives me
great pleasure to present the budget for Head 29, the Department of Registry General, found on pages B -
304 to B-307 of the Budget Book. The Registry General is responsible for maintaining civil registrations
and providing public access to such records. Under
the general direction and control of the Minister of
Home Affairs, the Registrar General exercises his
statutory functions and is assisted by such public of-ficers as may from time to time be authori sed by the
Legislatur e.

Mission

Hon. Walter H. Roban: The Department of Registry
General ensures the preservation of vital and general
records, and the protection of intellectual property
rights. This is achieved via the maintenance of a reli able system for the storage of public records, access to those records and providing an efficient registry ser-vice which supports the registration of every birth,
death, adoption, domestic partnership and marriage in
Bermuda.
The Registry General also facilitates the regi stration of chat tel mortgages; the registration of trade
unions, professionals and charitable organi sations;
the granting of intellectual property rights such as
trade and service marks, patents and designs, and
advising on copyright and related rights; and assumes
all administrative responsibilities with respect to the
registration of Country Code Top Level domain names for Bermuda ( that is, Bermuda. bm).
To meet these objectives, the d epartment has
four business unit s as shown on page B -304 and are,
as follows:
• Business u nit 39000— Administration ;
• Business unit 39010—Intellectual Property
Registration;
• Business unit 39020— Property, Professional
and Organi sation Registration;
• Business unit 39030— Births, Marriages and
Deaths .

Expenditure Overview

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. C hairman, the current
account estimates for Head 29, Registry General, can be found on page B -304.
The Registry General has been allocated a t otal of $1,649,000. This represents a net increase of
$602,000, or 57 per cent f rom the amount allocated in


Bermuda House of Assembly the or iginal budget for the financial year 2021/22,
which was $1,047,000.
The increase consists of $4,000, or 1 per cent
[increase] in the Administration Section; a $587,000 or
a 100 per cent increase for the Intellectual Property
Registration Section as this unit is transferring back to
the Registry General from the Cabinet Office; a
$2,000, or 3 per cent increase in the Property, Professional and Organi sation Registration Section; and a
$9.000, or 4 per cent increase in the Birth, Marriages
and Deaths Section.
Mr. Chairman, the budget estimates of
$1,649,000, allocated to the Registry General, will allow the Registry to provide the core services mandated by the law. The allocation of $ 741,000 to the
Administration business unit 39000 as found on page
B-304 will ensure that the proper resources are made
available to facilitate the efficient and timely registr ation of all professional bodies, organi sations, vital and
general events occurring in Bermuda during this fiscal period.
The $587,000 allocated to the Intellectual
Property Unit 39010 will allow that section to register
or renew the registration of domain names, trademarks, patents, and designs; and maintain the exis ting registration systems for intellectual property and
.bm domain names.
The department will continue to meet its output measures as it registers documents relating to charities, professional bodies, chattel mortgages and
other legal transactions with the $61,000 allocated to
the Property, Professional and Organi sation , business
unit 39020.
The $260,000 allocated to the Births, Deaths
and Marriages , business unit 39030 will ensure that all
of these vital events occurring in Bermuda will be registered
Mr. Chairman, the most significant variances
in the estimated budget are further explained on pag e
B-305 as follows:
• An increase of $500,000 , or 51 per cent in Salaries, which is listed on page B-305, line item one.
The increase is largely attributed to the Intellectual
Property Section being moved back to the Regi stry General from the Economic Develo pment D epartment in the Cabinet Office.
• A decrease of $1,000, or 50 per cent in Training,
line item two . This represents a decrease in the
amount of money allocated for overseas training, as most training courses and seminars are now conducted virtually due to the COVID -19 pandemic.
• A decrease of $3,000, or 100 per cent in Travel,
[line item four ]. This represents a decrease in the
amount of money allocated for business travel, as attendance to these overseas conferences have
been suspended due to the COVI D-19 pandemic
and meetings are now conducted virtually. • An increase of $4,000, or 400 per cent in Adverti sing and Promotion, line item six. This can be attributed to funds allotted to the IP Section (for ad-vertisement use) which has moved back to the Registry General.
• An increase of $2,000 in Professional services,
line item seven. This increase is a result of the
Registry General ’s need to consult someone with
counter terrorist financing experience with the
Non- Profit Organi sation (NPO) sector to identify
any gaps or issues with our current framework, as
required by Caribbean Financial Action Task
Force ( known as CFATF) to maintain an effective
Anti-Money Laundering/Anti -Terrorist Financing
(AML/ATF) regime for NPOs. One such task is to
ensure our supervis ory manuals and procedures
are fit for purpose as per CFATF standards.
• An increase of $94,000 for Repairs and Maint enance, line item eight. This is due to the funds a pportioned for the maintenance of the Intellectual Property registration system are now being all ocated back to the Registry General Department.
• An increase of $1,000 for Other Expenses, line
item eleven. This represents funds apportioned to
the Intellectual Property Section for other oper ational costs that are now allocated back to the
Regist ry General Department.

Revenue

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, on the revenue
side, page B -306, the Registry General expects to
realise $1,502,000 in revenue during 2022/23 . [The]
most significant amounts are explained below:
• $148,000 is expected from trademark registr ations ;
• $296,000 is expected from tradem ark renewals ;
• $154,000 is expected from the .bm domain name
registrations ;
• $62,000 is expected from c harity registrations ;
• $165,000 is expected from applications for b irth
certificates ;
• $138,000 i s expected from marriage licences ;
• $53,000 is expected from marriage certificates ;
• $35,000 is expected from marriage ceremonies ;
• $84,000 is expected from d eath certificates .

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the capital expenditure budget can be found on page C -16. Howe ver, there is no capital budgeted for the department for
the upcoming fiscal year.

Manpower

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the manpower
estimates for the Registry General as outlined on page B-306 are 18 full -time posts. Within t he department all posts are filled except three. It is anticipated
794 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly that the vacant posts Assistant Registrar General, L egal and Compliance Officer and Charities Administr ator will be filled by the beginning of the upcoming fi scal year. The Registry General consists of the follo wing four s ections:
• 39000 Administration, 7 staff;
• 39010 Intellectual Property, 6 staff;
• 39020 Property, Professional and Organisation Registration, 1 staff; and
• 39030 Births, Marriages and Deaths, 4
staff

Performance Measures

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the department’s performance measures are outlined on page
B-307. In spite of the fact that the department is operating under strength with three key posts currently
vacant, the staff members of the Registry General
continue to work hard and are dedicated to achieving
these goals.
The department is responsible for discharging
duties conferred under a total of 36 Acts and Regul ations which govern the operations of the Registry General. The main function of the department is to
ensure the efficient and timely registration of all inte llectual property rights, vital and general events occurring in Bermuda. The department continues to meet
these measures and diligently delivers on core services, and all sections have met their dead lines for
projects assigned.

Major Policy Changes

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the policies
initiative to be drafted and implemented, which have carried forward from the 2021/22 fiscal year, are as
follows:
The Registry General has oversight of the l ocal non- profit organisations (NPO) sector which is
subject to assessment by the Caribbean Financial
Action Task Force [ CFATF ]. The last assessment was
conducted in September 2018, which was critical to the Government of Bermuda to demonstrate that monies received/distributed by local charities are not being
laundered or used to support terrorist activities. Bermuda was extremely successful and received high
ratings for its AML/ATF regime. However, ongoing
maintenance is required to ensure that effective polices and an AML/ATF framework for charities remains
in place. Bermuda is assessed every five years from
the date of the last assessment to ensure that an ef-fective AML/ATF regime is or remains in place.
One recommendation highlighted, Mr. Chai rman, in the initial draft report from the CFATF assessors was the need for Countering Terrorist Financing training with respect to charities. Specifically, the services/work that the Registry General provides to the Non- Profit Organi sation sector can be greatly i m-proved if staff were more aware of global trends and
red flag indicators that could possibly point to an entity being misused for terrorist financing.
The enhancement of both policies and proc edures for terrorist financing detection and prevention specifi c for the non- profit sector (via Countering Terrorist Financing training for charities) is an ongoing
initiative for the Registry General as global risk trends
can change annually. A consultant, who was highly
recommended, had been selected to provide staf f with
the relevant training to identify risk trends regarding the NPO sector and assist with developing polices to
address these risk s. However, due to unforeseen ci rcumstances, he was unable to provide the training as
need ed and we have not been able to find a suitable
replacement.
Also, following the 2020 update to Bermuda’s
national assessment of terrorist financing risks in the
[local] Non- Profit Organi sation sector, it was determined that one aspect of the exemption granted to Privately Funded Chariti es [PFC], that are supervised
by either a licensed trust business or corporate service provider, does not achieve the intended policy
purpose of addressing the gap in the oversight and
supervision regime for NPOs. During this current fiscal
year the Regist ry General has worked closely with the
BMA to assess the PFC , Privately Funded Charities ,
sector and to determine which procedures to adopt to
ensure that PFC s supervised or managed by a corporate service provider qualify for an exemption from
registration.
A questionnaire has been prepared for submission to the PFCs by March 2022 to assist with
evaluating the level of involvement of CSPs with the
day-to-day operations of PFCs. The information ascertained will assist with determining whether an exemption f rom registration is appropriate and allow the
Registry General to ensure the required controls and oversight are in place. It is anticipated that a consult ation paper on the Registry General’s findings and any
proposed legislative amendments will be drafted and
circulated to the PFC sector for input during the first
quarter of the 2022/23 fiscal year. After an asses sment of the feedback and a recommendation is made as to which approach will be taken, a Bill will be draf ted to make the necessary amendments t o the charity
legislation during the second quarter of the 2022/23
fiscal year.

Plans for the Upcoming Year

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Admi nistration Section will ensure that the legislative r equirements are enacted during the 2022/ 23 fiscal year
which will empower the Registrar to provide for a voluntary register of vital events for Bermuda’s citizens
that occur outside our jurisdiction. Currently, relevant
Bermuda legislation ( for example, the Adoption of
Children Act 2006; Registration (Bi rths and Deaths)


Bermuda House of Assembly Act 1949; Marriage Act 1944; Registry -General (Recording of Documents ) Act 1955) only require the re gistration of adoptions, births, deaths, name changes
and marriages that occur in Bermuda. However,
[when] Bermudians migrate to other countries, info rmation related to vital events that occur outside of Bermuda is lost.
Vital statistics captured in Bermuda provide
continuous data on births, maternal, and foetal deaths
collected at the local level. The registers that are
maintained for each r elevant vital event contain a
wealth of data that are important for national survei llance, research, and directing public health preventions and intervention strategies in Bermuda. For e xample, mortality statistics compiled from the death
register (i.e. , circumstance or cause of death) are
used to measure health quality, set public health goals and policy, and to direct research and resources in
Bermuda. When persons born in Bermuda migrate
overseas and later die, the data regarding their death
is not retur ned to Bermuda. Therefore, the opportunity
to utili se data which could contribute to public health
prevention and intervention strategies is also lost.
The voluntary registration of vital events for
people born in Bermuda or closely related to Bermuda
represents an invaluable opportunity to extend and/or
return each person’s footprint back home. In its si mplest terms, voluntary registration will allow the Regi stry General to advance its records of vital registration
by allowing opportunity for generations t o not only
record vital events that occur outside of Bermuda but
will also provide an opportunity for the research of
vital events of generations past.
The introduction of a voluntary registration
system provides an opportunity, on payment of a
nominal fee, for persons to inspect and examine any
document recorded and copy or make extracts from any document register or index associated with the
Voluntary Register.
Mr. Chairman, the Administration Section will
continue in the upcoming year with the preparation for
digitis ation of key office documents and records. The
Registry General continues to work with the Paperless
Working Group to convert public -facing forms into a
digital format. This includes the Vital and General
Registration Section with regard to local and maritime
registrations for Births, Deaths, Marriages and D omestic Partnerships. In addition, this will capture the
Professional and Organi sation Section with regard to
registration for Trade Unions, Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Surveyors and Apprentic eships.
The Charity Section will focus on registrations
pertaining to general registrations, Temporary Fund-raising Licences, Privately Funded Charities and
Char itable Trusts. The ability to capture and generate
statistical reports f or all areas is included.
The objective is to implement online ordering,
search functionality, as well as e- payments. This will be introduced in phases. The Registry General is currently in the final stages of Phase 1 of this project with
a focus on the ordering and online payment for Births,
Deaths, Marriages and Domestic Partnerships. It is
anticipated that this phase will be completed by March 31, 2022.
Mr. Chairman, the Property, Professional and
Organi sation Registration Section will continue efforts
to update the existing data management systems to
moderni se the charity registration system during the
2022/23 fiscal year. The first phase of the project has
been completed during the 2020 /21 fiscal year, which
made available electronic records of charity data and
information held by the Registry General. Charity records include new applications and re- registrations;
charity financials; new registrations approved or de-ferred; re- registrations approved and deferred; new
registrations denied, and re- registrations denied;
names of directors and trustees; and Charity Commissioner Decisions. The availability of electronic records shortens search times and increases the reliabi lity of access to available charitable resources.
Phase two of the project will allow prospective
charities to apply electronically for a temporary licence and apply to register as a charity. Further, charities
desirous of re- registration will be able to pay the annual registration fee electronically and submit their records such as: annual report, update charity trustee
declarations, financials, and make amendments to
their charity file online and in real time to ensure all
charity records remain current. Potential donors and
persons seeking charitable resources will experience
shorter searc h times with greater efficiency and enhanced search results specific to defined charity cat egories. The second phase was scheduled to commence during the 2021/22 fiscal year, but due to the
untimely death of the system vendor, the project is on
hold until a suitable system vendor is selected.
Mr. Chairman, the Intellectual Property [IP]
Section will continue with the key initiatives and pr ojects that are identified for this fiscal year. The completion of these initiatives will not only be a benefit to
the IP registration regime in Bermuda, but an added
value to the IP registration system globally.
At the forefront of the IP Section’s agenda is
to continue with application to the UK Government for
the provisions of the Paris Convention, Patent Cooperation Tr eaty, and the Hague Agreement to be extended to Bermuda; and amend the local intellectual
property legislations to bring in line with the relevant
Treaty requirements and global best practices. Legi slative and policy oversight of the IP Unit was assigned
to the Minister of the Cabinet Office and the legislative
amendment initiative has commenced this fiscal year
under his remit.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to express my gratitude to the team and dedicated staff members of the Registry General Department, led by Mr. Aubrey Pennyman, as they continue to take a proactive approach
796 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly to ensure Bermuda remains relevant and comparable
with its global partners.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This concludes my
presentation of Head 29. I now move onto Head 32 —

Minister, please proceed.

HEAD 32 —DEPART MENT OF PLANNING

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, Mr. Chairman, I will now
continue with Head 32, the Department of Planning.
Mr. Chairman, it gives me great pleasure to
present the budget for Head 32, t he Department of
Planning, found on pages B-308 to B-312, [and pa ges] C-16 and C -21 of the Approved Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure.

Mission

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, I am pleased
to present the budget brief for the Department of Planning , a department that has performed exceptionally well over t he past year to meet the current
development needs of the I sland.
Mr. Chairman, the mission of the Department
of Planning is to ensure the sustainable management
of the natural and built environment . The department’s
objectives comprise the following:
• balancing the need for development with pr otecting the natural and historic environment;
• managing the development of land to ensure
its efficient use;
• ensuring policies and processes are streamlined, transparent and consistently impl emented;
• ensuring developments are constructed in
compliance with required standards to protect
the health, safety, and welfare of our comm unities; and
• engaging with, educating and being respon-sive to the needs of the public. To meet these objectives, the d epartment has
seven business unit s as shown on p age B -309 and
are as follows:
1. Business unit 42000—General Administration;
2. Business unit 42020—Front Desk ;
3. Business unit 42050— Enforcement and
Searches ;
4. Business unit 42060—Forward Planning;
5. Business unit 42070—Development Applic ations;
6. Business unit 42080— Building Permits ;
7. Business unit 42090—Inspections .

Expenditure Overview

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Depar tment of Planning’s total budget allocation is
$3,349,000 for the 2022 /23 fiscal year. This repr esents a decrease by $ 41,000 when compared to the
previous year. Due to the necessary budget reduc-tions, this decrease primarily represented the funds to
support the Building Code R eview Panel. Additional
cuts were made for professional services, training,
office supplies and other sundries. Further, a planned
move for the d epartment to a new location has been
delayed.

Revenue Summary

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the department ’s revenue is found on page B -310 for the
2022 /23 fiscal year and is estimated to be $ 1,648,000.
This estimate represents an increase of approximately
$190,000 when compared to the estimate of the
2021/22 fiscal year.
With respect to planning application fees,
found on page B -310, an increased figure is forecas ted based on the increased numbers seen over the
course of the current fiscal year. Projections are ther efore based on the expected number of home renov ation projects, new residential home construction and
the anticipated major project involving the Ariel Sands
re-development. As such , the revenue in this area will
result in an increase of approximately $102,000.
It is expected that there will be a continued
demand of residential construction projects in this next
fiscal year retaining the steady revenue projection for
building permit fees. Albeit building permit application
numbers are rising, a slight decrease in revenue is
projected as application fees for renewable energy
projects will be significantly reduced for the fiscal year
2022/23.
The department continues to observe a
steady increase of real estate sales and as such, rev-enue from searches is expected to continue to rise
within the next fiscal period.
Honourable Members will note that revenue
from penalties was originally forecasted for this fiscal
year to be $80,000. These penalties are those that


Bermuda House of Assembly may be imposed for unauthori sed works in accor dance with an amendment made to the e nforcement
regulations under the Development and Planning Act
1974. The amendments were originally anticipated to
be brought into force this fiscal year.
The figure was reduced subsequently to nil
due to the intricacies of the legislative changes r equired to introduce penalties. Any penalties for en-forcement violations must be assured to be fair and
commensurate with the offense committed, and this
takes time and consultation. Now that we are settling
into a new phase of the COVID -19 pandemic , of a
new normality, the department is committed to redoubling its efforts to not just ensure that the department
is conducting its business as close to usual as poss ible, but to forge ahead with initiatives like this one.
Mr. Chairman, despite the continued economic challenges faced by the I sland, the d epartment continues to see confidence in the construction sector.
Both planning application and building permit submi ssions continue on an upward trend. I will provide some
statistics which support this indication. It is important
to recogni se the value of the services the Department
of Planning provides. Specifically, the work of this department directly feeds the construction sector , a vital
and significant pillar of the local economy.

Manpower

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Depar tment of Planning employee numbers are outlined on page B- 310 of the Budget Book. There are 32 full -
time employees of which four posts are currently v acant. All postholders with the exception of two are Bermudian. The total budget for staff salaries is
$3,160,000 and represents 94 per cent of the department’s budget.
The vacant posts include planner (Development Management), assistant planner (Development
Management), applications information clerk and heritage officer. The recruitment process has begun for
the planner post thus far. Recruitment is projected to
commence for the remaining vacant posts in the 2022/23 fiscal year. In particular, the d epartment is
keen to recruit the assistant planner post , a key post
within the d epartment that supports the training and
development of Bermudians entering the field of Planning. Additionally, it bears mentioning that a trainee
heritage officer hired during the last fiscal year is expected to move into the heritage officer post after successfully training for the role.

Output Measures

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the performance measures for the department are presented on
pages B -311 to B -312 of the Budget Book. These performance measures remain largely unchanged from
when they were introduced last year. Two new measures were added to the Forward Planning b usiness unit : a Community Plan and the City of Hamilton
Plan—two key pl anning policy projects for the coming
year of which work has already commenced. It should be noted that the department will be focusing on one
community plan at a time and as such, not all parish
councils will be consulted this upcoming fiscal year.
Mr. Chairman, this past year has seen a si gnificant uptick in development interest and com-mencement of construction for many projects. The
department has worked tirelessly to process both
planning applications and building permits to service
the construction ind ustry, a key pillar of the economy.
For the information of Honourable Members, I would
like to provide statistics that may be of particular interest.
For the business unit 42070 during the period
of April 1, 2021, to February 28, 2022, Mr. Chairman,
407 p lanning approvals for development were granted. This represents an increase by 100 approvals , or
32 per cent when compared to the same period for the
prior fiscal year.
For the business unit 42080, the statistics for
both the submission of building permit s as well as the
issuance of building permits has held steady over the
course of the 2020/21 and current fiscal cycles. A
breakdown reveals the following with data included from the 2019/ 20 year as a helpful comparison.
• For the 2019/20 fiscal year a total 921 permits
were submitted; and a total of 759 permits were
issued. Of the 759 permits issued, 23 per cent
were for commercial developments, 31 per cent
comprised residential developments and 45 per
cent represented the minor works form of development.
• For the 2020/21 fiscal year a total of 968 permits
submitted; a total of 887 permits issued. Of the
887 permits issued, 18 per cent were for commercial developments, 31 per cent comprised res idential developments and 51 per cent [represented the] minor works form of development.
• For the 2021/22 fiscal year with projections to
March 31 based on current trends a projected t otal of 1,144 permits submitted; a projected total of
868 permits issued. Of the projected total of 868
permits to be issued, 18 per cent are for commercial developments, 30 per cent comprise residential developments and 52 per cent represented the
minor works form of development.
Honourable Members, these numbers speak
for themselves. It demonstrates hope for our economy
but most of all, the great effort put forth by the d epartment’s employees to meet the demand.
Mr. Chairman, the department continues to
experience an upsurge in property transactions as
evidenced by the number of planning searches performed under business unit 42050. Compar ing the
figures for the same time period used for reviewing
planning approvals and permits, this fiscal year thus
798 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly far yields 328 planning searches. This reflects an i ncrease of 106, or 67 per cent from last year.
Mr. Chairman, w hen considering that the I sland has undergone significant upheaval and interruption in commercial activity due to the COVID -19 pandemic, it is quite remarkable and extremely encouraging to see these increases. The Department of Planning should certainly be commended for their hard
work during this fiscal year in playing their part to su pport the economy.

Major Achievements

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, aside from the
general processing of planning applications and iss uing of building permits, the department has completed
a number of other key projects. Firstly, a major
achievement for the department involved the approval
and adoption of the Bermuda Plan 2018 by the Legi slature. The Bermuda Plan 2018 is a development plan prepared to guide development for the I sland for many
years to come. The Plan, which covers the entire I sland with the exception of the City of Hamilton, com-prises a policy document and zoning maps and the
Tribunal report and can be accessed online directly
from the d epartment’s website: www.planning.gov.bm
.
Mr. Chairman, a nother significant project for
the department comprised the preparation of the Draft
Northeast Hamilton Local Plan. This draft plan repr esents a wholesale change to how planning policy is
applied in Bermuda. It involves a flexible planning po licy framework —a framework that is utili sed to encourage investment and innovative design.
The draft p lan was officially released to the
general public this past July with the public consult ation phase running for two months. Honourable Members, I am pleased to report that the public consult ation period generated the submission of only three
representations. A Tribunal has been appointed to
opine on the representations and in the coming weeks, I expect a report on their recommendations. It
is within the next fiscal year that I expect this exciting
new Plan to be formally adopted and made operative.
Mr. Chairman, a lso, in respect of plan making,
the department has eagerly embarked on a new initi ative: community pla nning. In partnering with the Bermuda Land Development Company [BLDC ] as a key
stakeholder, the department commenced extensive
research to prepare a community plan for St. David’s.
The area of St. David’s is recogni sed for its expanse
of open spaces, a wide mix of uses and valued historical landmarks. The need for St. David’s to have its own plan is vital to ensure, firstly, a continued compatibility of land uses but most importantly, that future
economic growth and sustainability is in alignment
with the n eeds of the community that reside there.
Thus far, the community have been engaged through
surveys and various meetings in a means to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current strengths
and challenges experienced.
Mr. Chairman, I am also pleased t o confirm
that the d epartment’s efforts continue to increase
awareness of functions and processes along with a
desire to clearly understand the concerns of the construction industry continues with stakeholder engagement. Meetings are routinely held with ke y groups in
the industry such as the Institute of Bermuda Arch itects, the Construction Association of Bermuda, the
Chamber of Commerce (Energy Division), the Berm uda Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) and
Non- Government Organi sations (NGOs) such as the
Bermuda Audubon Society, BEST and the Bermuda
National Trust. This engagement proves to be key in
ensuring the department are acutely aware of the
challenges and needs that the industry and community are facing.

Plans for the Upcoming Year

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Depar tment of Planning will be continuing with a number of
initiatives that are already in train which are expected
to be delivered this financial year , some of which have
already been mentioned. These initiatives are for the
purposes of streamlining the overall planning process
in order to support individual landowners as well as
the construction industry and also to become more open and transparent.
Mr. Chairman, the next significant development plan review scheduled is that of the City of Hamilton. Following on the heels of the positive response of the Draft Northeast Hamilton Local Plan 2021, the
department is currently conducting extensive data
gathering and analysis of the City of Hamilton. Focusing on a theme of Placemaking, the d epartment i ntends to release a City Plan Consultative Draft. This
reflects a new style of local plan designed to front load public consultation. Further, it is intended to maximi se
the influence of the public and key stakeholders in
shaping the nex t City Plan.
Mr. Chairman, t urning to the historic enviro nment, the department has begun to explore the feas ibility of reviewing the Listed Building Register. A cknowledging that buildings and monuments were first
listed in 1991 in Bermuda, it has been det ermined that
an audit must take place given the extent of change
that has occurred over the last 30 years. This review will ensure the listed building register is fit for purpose
and ultimately aimed at protecting and preserving the very best buildings in Bermuda.
Mr. Chairman, you will note that I discussed
the climate change study under Head 93. This study is
being project managed by the Director of Planning under the direction of the Ministry Headquarters. As I
mentioned previously, climate change is one of the
most severe threats facing our I sland nation and in
order to adequately assess the risks involved and


Bermuda House of Assembly prepare appropriately for the future from a policy
standpoint, the findings of this study will be critical.
Mr. Chairman, with respect to legislative
change, amendments to the Development and Planning Act 1974 were tabled (1) to amend the Special
Development Order process to require public consu ltation and relevant studies such as an Environmental
Impact Statement ; (2) to protect specific areas giv en
their natural environment value; and (3) to enable
emergency approvals to be granted during times of a
national crisis. With approval received from both Houses of the Legislature this past fiscal year, the
department has been working diligently with Chambers to draft the required regulations to guide the pr ocess for these amendments.
Mr. Chairman, another item which I anticipate
tabling this year includes an amendment to the Deve lopment and Planning (General Development) Order 2015 in order to increase the scope of what is consi dered “permitted development. ” In my continued efforts
to encourage renewable and green technologies,
changes to increase the scope of solar PV will be one
of the key features of this amendment.
Mr. Chairman, i n amplification of the amendment I just described, in order to incentivi se renew able energy and development for the purposes of local food production, I will be working with the Minister of Finance to table amendments to reduce planning application and building permit fees associated with applications to install renewable energy and construct
buildings for local food production. The d epartment
recogni ses the role it plays in order for the I sland to
adapt to a rapidly changing climate, rising energy
costs and in supporting loc al food security.
Mr. Chairman, can you give me one moment?
I have an emergency to deal with. Just one second.

I will take this opportunity to again
remind Members and the listening audience that we
are now in Committee of Supply [ for the debate] of the
Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year
2022/23. The Minister has already done Heads 93
and 29. He is completing Head 32. This is a four -hour
debate and should end at about 4:40. We are close to
the approaching lunch [break] so I w ill ask the Minister
what stage he is at.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, I am about to
come to the conclusion of the Planning Head, and at
that point we can perhaps conclude for lunch. This will
be in a very organised fashion then I will start with
Head 49, the Department of Land Valuations, when
we return. So I will just conclude here and I will just
finish it right now. It should take us close to 12:30 and
then we can conclude there.

Okay.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: I will continue. Mr. Chairman, in amplification of the amendment I just described, in order to incentivi se renew able energy and development for the purposes of food
production, I will be working with the Minister of F inance to table amendments to reduce planning appl ication and [building] permit fees associated with applications to install renewable energy and construct
buildings for local food production. The d epartment
recogni ses the role it plays in order for the I sland to
adapt to a rapidly changing climate, rising energy
costs and in supporting local food security.
Mr. Chairman, t he department will be executing
the following initiatives:
• Following my review of the Tribunal report, I will
be tabling the Northeast Hamilton Local Plan 2021
in the House of the Legislature for final approval
and adoption.
• Work with the Ministry of Public Works and Corporation of St. George’s to support the preparation of
a Strategic Plan. This work is to align with the
goals and objectives of the draft World Heritage Site Management Plan 2021, of which the department has also recently prepared, for public
consultation. The d epartment is working with the
Ministry responsible for municipalities, specifically
the Corporation of St. George ’s to formulate a
new governance structure to manage and impl ement the Plan going forward.
• Continue with the review of the Bermuda Building
Code, despite the budget challenges, to incorporate changes in order to align with best practice
and advancing construction building methods especially with respect to energy efficiency and pr ovision of infrastructure to support telecommunic ations.
Mr. Chairman, last year I introduced the co ncept of a Competent Persons Scheme to enable com-petent tradespersons to perform minor works without the required inspection process. In par tnership with
the Department of Energy, a draft policy focusing on a pilot programme for PV solar installers has been completed. This is a key initiative specifically aimed to
support the renewable industry whilst also further rei nforcing my goal of stream lining the planning process.
Consultation with such entities as the PV installers
and Energy Division of the Chamber of Commerce will
follow before implementation.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, despite the var ious challenges that have been presented this y ear
with the advent of a global pandemic, I am extremely
proud of the significant effort made by the Department
of Planning in their role to support the construction
industry. I am confident this progress will continue. I
would like to thank the dedicated members of staff in
the Department of Planning, most particularly, Ms.
Victoria Pereira, Director ; Mr. Larry Williams, Assistant
Director ; Mr. Aidan Stones, Acting Building Control
Officer ; and their respective teams in that department.
800 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly They deserve my unl imited gratitude. It has been i ndeed a pleasure working with them.
Mr. Chairman, w ith this overview of the D epartment of Planning and its activities, I will then move
to the next head as I discussed, which will be Head
49. With that, we can adjourn for lunch, Mr. Chairman,
and I will resume at 2:00 pm.

Good afternoon, Members, and the
listening radio audience. We are continuing now in
Committee of Supply for further consideration of the
Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year
2022/23.
The Ministry we are doing now is the Ministry
of Home Affairs. The Minister has already completed
Heads 93, 29 and 32. This is a four -hour debate and it
will conclude at 4:40.
Minister, continue.

Hon. Walter H . Roban: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
It gives me great pleasure to present the
budget for Head 49, the Department of Land Valuation, found on pages B -313 through B -315.

HEAD 49 —DEPARTMENT OF LAND VALUATION

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the mission of
the Department of Land Valuation is to proactively
maintain an accurate and fair Valuation List for land
tax purposes.
The department’s work ethic, principles and
expertise are aptly summarised in their maxim We
value Bermuda, as the department strives to be a
model of appraisal and assessment administration
with a reputation for delivering impartial, accurate and
understandable assessments that exceed statutory
requirements, guidelines, and international best practices.
To this end, the department’s objectives comprise the following: • maintain an accurate and current Valuation
List for Bermuda under the authority of the
Land Valuation and Tax Act 1967;
• undertak e Island- wide quinquennial or fiveyear revaluations for land tax purposes as r equired by th e Act;
• provide prompt and accurate valuation advice
to the Tax Commissioner and the Registrar of
the Supreme Court on voluntary conveyances
and probate matters; and
• provide valuation and policy advice to other
government departments as requested.
To meet t hese objectives, the department has
the single valuation business unit, as shown on page
B-313.

Expenditure Overview

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the depar tment of Land Valuation’s total budget allocation is
$1,008,000 for the 2022/23 fiscal year. This repr esents a small increase of $14,000, or 1 per cent when
compared to the original budget of the previous year.
The only increase in expenditure is related to
salaries which now reflect pre- austerity levels. Ho wever, the increase in salaries has been significantly
offset by reductions in travel, repair and maintenance
and materials and supplies as outlined in the subjective analysis found on page B -314 in the 2022/23 E stimates and are explained as follows:
• 40 per cent decrease in travel, line item t hree,
due to funds not being allocated to visit the overseas trainee valuer;
• 21 per cent decrease in repair and maint enance, line item five, because of reduced funds requested for enhancements to the department’s IT database; and
• 25 per cent decrease in materials and supplies, line item six, because of reduced funding for office supplies.

Revenue Summary

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Depar tment of Land Valuation’s estimated revenue is found
on page B -314 for the 2022/23 fiscal year and is for ecasted at $6,000. This is revenue in respect of fees
that are paid by objectors to have their objections heard before the Land Valuation Appeal Tribunal
when an objection is not resolved during negotiations
with the department.
Whilst it is unknown the number of objections
the department might receive during the 2022/23 fi scal year and how many, if any, will go before the tr ibunal for a hearing, the estimated revenue is based
on an estimate of 10 tribunal hearings.





Bermuda House of Assembly Manpower

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairm an, the Depar tment of Land Valuation’s employee numbers are outlined on page B -314 of the Budget Book. The number
of full -time positions has not changed when compared
to the original budget of the preceding fiscal year.
With a total of 10 full -time positio ns budgeted for in
2022/23 fiscal year, the Department of Land Valuation
continues to be one of the smallest departments in the
whole of government.
The budget for salaries is $943,000 and represents 94 per cent of the department’s total budget.

Output Measures

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the work of the
Land Valuation team should never be minimised as
this small cohesive team is directly responsible for
maintaining the annual rental values (ARVs) in the
Valuation List for Bermuda and also providing ap-praisal advice to multiple government departments, all
of which underpins the collection of some $88 million
in government revenue from land tax, stamp duty fees
and property licenc e fees.
Mr. Chairman, the performance measures for
the department are presented on page B -315 of the
Budget Book. Despite the continued operational cha llenges presented by the COVID -19 pandemic, the
output measures of the Department of Land Valuation still outperformed those from the prior fiscal year. For
the information of Honourable Members, I would like
to highlight these achievements by providing additio nal statistics to add context.
Maintenance of the Valuation List ( page B315, Line 1): The statutory function of maintaining the
entries in the Valuation List utili ses the greater part of
the department’s resources. This work entails inspec ting, reassessing, and making a corresponding alter ation to the Valuation List on any residential, commercial or tourist property that is built, altered, or demolished.
As of December 2021 there were a total of
36,466 units in the Valuation List with a combined assessed annual rental value of approximately $1.3 bi llion.
The department makes every effort to amend
the Valuation List for property alterations within 20 working days of case c reation. However, the pandemic had a negative impact on the department’s ability to undertake onsite inspections during the year and the
turnaround target was revised to a realistic level of 50
per cent. I am pleased to report that as of December
2021, the department exceeded this target and completed 58 per cent of the maintenance of the List cases within the 20 working day turnaround target.
A total of 577 maintenance list cases were
completed by December 2021, resulting in 650 pr oposals to amend the Valuation List in respect of prop-erty alterations. This represents a 57 per cent i ncrease in completed cases and a 40 per cent increase
in proposals served, compared to the preceding year.
Appraisal Services: The Department of Land
Valuation provides accurate and timely valuation advice to numerous other government departments, upon request, including
I. The provision of valuations to the Tax Commissioner (B -315, line 4) and Registrar of the
Supreme Court (B -315, line 3) for voluntary
conveyances of property, fi rst time homeow ner purchases and probate purposes respectively, to ensure that the correct amount of
stamp duty is levied.
II. Valuation advice to the Economic Development Department (B -315, line 5) in relation to
sales of properties to restricted persons. The
Department reviews the purchase price on
which the Government licenc e fee is calculated, to determine if the price is an “arm’s length” transaction and thus, a fair reflection
of the open market value of the property.
III. Appraisal advice to other government departments, (B -315, line 6) when requested, such
as the Insolvency Unit of the Registrar of Companies and the Estates sections of the
Department of Public Lands and Buildings,
Ministry of Public Works, for the disposal or acquisition of properties.
As of December 2021the department provided
293 open market valuations to other government de-partments and remarkably met or exceeded all turna-round targets for this section. This included
• Completing 149 stamp duty cases for the Tax
Commissioner, with 92 per cent completed within
20 working days of receipt. This exceeds the r evised forecast of 65 per cent listed on page B -315,
line 4).
• Completing 38 probate cases for the Registrar of the Supreme Court, all within 10 working days of
receipt . This exceeds the revis ed forecast of
85 per cent listed on page B -315, line 4.
• Completing 105 land acquisition cases for the
Economic Development Department, all within five
working days of receipt, exceeding the revised
forecast of 85 per cent listed on page B -315, line
4.
• Completing one request for an open market valuation for the Estates section, Ministry of Public Works, completed within 10 working days of r eceipt, listed on page B -315, line 6.

Plans for the Upcoming Year

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, over the next
financial year, the priority and focus of the Department
of Land Valuation will continue to be the provision of
expert valuations which meet the demands of professionalism, independence, impartiality and objectivity
802 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly and the provision of career opportunities to Bermuda’s
“best and brightest” in the specialist and expert field of
statutory valuations. Business process improvements
will continue with the goal of further streamlining and
improving workflows, thereby increasing operational efficiencies, and impr oving customer service delivery.
The assessed annual rental values in the Va luation List will continue to be utilised by the Tax Commissioner to collect land tax revenues of $80 mi llion, which represent 7.4 per cent of government’s
estimated revenue for t he 2022/23 fiscal year. Add itionally, the department’s appraisal advice to other
government departments is expected to generate si gnificant revenues in the sale of land to nonBermudians and stamp duty fees.
Mr. Chairman, as leaders we recognise the
need f or and importance of digital transformation wit hin the public sector. With the growth in demand for
digital public services, the department will continue its
work with the Reform Digiti sation Team as part of
government’s paperless initiative. To this end, the d epartment is committed to transitioning to the online
submission of the survey forms for the next Islandwide revaluation.
Mr. Chairman, in keeping with this Gover nment’s commitment to encourage Bermudians to pur-sue “difficult -to-fill” positions within the public service, I
am pleased to update this Honourable House on the
progress of the department’s trainee valuer, Ms. A ndesha Busby.
Ms. Busby successfully advanced from a bursary student to the trainee valuer position in August
2019 and is currently on secondment with the Valua-tion Office Agency (VOA) in Southampton, England,
where she is part of the VOA’s graduate scheme. This
scheme is specifically designed to provide university
graduate students with structured work experience in
preparation for the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) as part of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) requirements for membership.
Ms. Busby recently sat her APC in January 2022, and
I am pleased to report that she has successfully attained the loft y professional designation of Chartered
Surveyor, specialising in valuations.
Following this accomplishment and as part of
the department’s long- term strategy and succession
planning, Ms. Busby continues to be trained and developed. Accordingly, she is soon to be promoted to
that of valuer designate as she is groomed to assume
the role of valuer upon gaining the requisite post qual ification work experience.
Mr. Chairman, before I conclude, I would be
remiss if I did not address comments that were made
in this House of Assembly in the [Reply to the] Budget
Statement 2022/23 delivered by the Honourable
Member, the Opposition Leader and Shadow Minister of Finance, where he state d, and I quote: “Mr. Speaker, the people of this country should also pay close atten tion to their land tax bills. I have been advised that there is an all -out assault on the increase of annual rental values of our homes and commercial buil dings by our land valuation team members. This is
concerning because if our ARVs are adjusted u pwards , land tax bills will increase, even if the land tax
rates are not adjusted. This again is a money grab by stealth.”
That is quoting the Opposition Leader, the
Shadow Minister of Finance, from his Reply to the Budget Statement .
Mr. Chairman, I must state that this was a
wholly irresponsible statement without any factual b asis or evidence. I am, quite frankly, incredulous that
the Honourable Member would cast such dispersions
on the actions of these professional hard- working civil
servants in order to make a political point.
I can categorically state, Mr. Chairman, that
there is no (and I quote from the Opposition Leader’s
Reply to the Budget) “all -out assault on the increase
of annual rental values.”
Do I have to say it again, Mr. Chairman?

I can listen to it again.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: I can categorically state, Mr.
Chairman, that there is no (and I quote from their [R eply]) “all -out assault on the increase of annual rental
values.”
Mr. Chairman, annual rental values (ARVs)
are both increased for additions and decreased, such
as deletions or splits, as a result of physical changes
to properties. The department does not target people, property types or property groups.
I must remind Honourable Members that the
[Land Valuation and Tax (Speci al Provisions and
Postponement of Preparation of Draft Valuation List)
Act 2020] was passed to provide that the 2015 Valuation List “shall continue in full force and effect as the
valuation list for Bermuda until 31 December 2025.” And the 2025 list was the list created under the prev ious OBA administration, just as a matter of fact because it seemed as if the Opposition, particularly the
Opposition Leader, was riding very loose with facts
and truth that day when he made that statement.
And I could not conclude my presentation on
Land Valuation without addressing that. This was a besmirch and a deliberate attack on civil servants by
the Opposition Leader, Shadow Minister of Finance.
And I am here to stand by the professionals and their
integrity in doing th eir job. No one should face an attack, especially since they were not able to face their
accuser to address what was raised. I, as the Minister,
have to do that for them.
Just to continue, Mr. Chairman, daily oper ations have not changed for the Department of Land
Valuation, and inspections occur specifically as a r esult of (a) completion certificates received from Planning; (b) enquiries from taxpayers themselves; and (c)

B ermuda House of Assembly proactive case generation from the outstanding buil ding permits at Planning.
Having said that, Mr. Chairman, I would like to
thank the members of staff in the Department of Land
Valuation for their resolute commitment and continued dedication (even in the face of such blatantly inappr opriate accusations) including Ms. Diane Elliott, Director; Ms. Rachel Hall, Assistant Director, Revaluation;
Mr. James Needham, Assistant Director, Stamp Duty; and their respective teams. It has indeed been a pleasure working with them.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I conclude
Head 49, and I would like to go on to the next Head,
which is Head 79, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
May I continue, Mr. Chairman?

Please do, Minister. Proceed.
HEAD 79—D EPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT
AND N ATURAL RE SOURCES
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, it gives me
great pleasure to present the budget for Head 79, the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR), found on pages B -316 through B -324, pages
C-8, C16 and C -21 of the Approved Estimates of
Revenue and Expenditure.
Mr. Chairman, the mission of the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources is to protect
Bermuda’s environment and responsibly manage its natural resources. The department’s objectives are to
1.provide strategic direction and management i
n
t
he formulation and implementation of legisl ation, policy, and standards to protect Berm uda's environment;
2.reduce negative impacts to Bermuda's naturalenvironment, biodiversity, natural resources, and marine heritage;
3.increase the Island ’s food security and local
food production;
4.better ensure the survival of threatened spe-cies and habitats;
5.improve humane care and protection of ani-mals;
6.improve the quality of Bermuda's ambient airand water quality;
7.improve care and appreciation of Bermuda'snatural environment and marine cultural heri tage.
To meet these objectives, the department has
14 business units as shown on page B -317, each of
which comprise a varied complement of skilled offi cers. The b usiness u nits are as follows:
•89000 Administrati
on
•8901
0 Marine Resources
•89020 Mari ne Conservation
•89030 Marine Heritage and Health
•89040 Marine Enforcement•89050 Terrestrial Conservation
•89060 Veterinary Services
•89070 Animal Control
•89080 Plant Protecti on
•8909
0 Agronomy
•89100 Pollution Control
•89110 BAMZ Administratio n
•8912
0 Aquarium and Zoo
•89130 Museum
Expenditure Overview
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the depar tment’s total budget allocation is approximately $8,084,000 for the 2022/23 fiscal year. This repr esents an increase by $46,000, or 1 per cent when
compared to the original budget of the previous year.
Mr. Chairman, as you are aware, salary and
wages found on page B -318 were reduced by 10 per
cent for six months of last fiscal year. These reduc-tions have come to an end, hence the increase. Ho wever, to offset this increase the budget has been r educed through the removal of three grants to organi-sations including the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sc ience, the Bermuda Zoological Society, and the Soci ety for the Protection of Animals.
Revenue Summary
Hon. Walter H. Rob an: Mr. Chairman, the depar tment generates revenue from a variety of licenc es,
permits, services and entrance fees including licens-ing of dogs , lobster and fishing activities, water rights,
crop storage fees and visitor admissions to the Ber-muda Aquarium Museum and Zoo (BAMZ).
The department’s estimated revenue is found
on page B -319 for the 2022/23 [fiscal year] and is estimated to be $1,140,000. This estimate represents an increase of $39,000, or 4 per cent, when compared to
the original estimate of the 2021/22 [fiscal year]. This increase is anticipated with revenue expected from an upward trend with continued increases in fishing vessel licensing, import permitting and Bermuda Custom Declarations (BCD) verification, as well as the sale of
boxes at the Agriculture Services Centre.
Capital Development Expenditure
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the capital expenditure budget for the department can be found on page C -8. A capital minor works budget of $100,000
will provide for the general maintenance and upgra ding of the headquarters facility and plant protection
laboratory located in the Botanical Gardens, the C oney Island Facility (for marine resources management and enforcement), the government Agriculture Service
Centre in Prospect, the government kennels, and i mprovements in the 200 acres of government owned
nature reserves managed by the department.
804 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Due to the need for specialised facilities and
educational displays $100,000 has been allocated to
the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo, for repairs
to exhibits and life support systems.

Grants and Contributions

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the depar tment has traditionally engaged several local entities to
undertake specialised studies specifically Ambient
Air/Water Quality and the Amphibian Research Pr oject; as well as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Unfortunately, the funds for the
above grants could not be accommodated in the d epartment’s 2022/23 budget.
However, the funds for both the Amphibian
and SPCA grant wi ll be provided out of the Ministry
grant on page C -21, Contribution to Environmental
Projects, which the Ministry will vire to the department for distribution. Similarly, the Ministry will look for further cost savings in the coming year in order to vire t o
the department for distribution for key elements of the
Ambient Air/Water Quality monitoring program. Until
such time the department will not be able to independently monitor Bermuda’s air quality but will have
to rely on industry for that data.

Manpow er

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the depar tment has 78 full -time equivalent posts as shown on
page B -320. This is the same as the 2021/22 budget.
The department continues to modernise numerous job
descriptions throughout the department’s organis ational structure to accurately reflect operational need
and priorities.
The total budget for staff salaries and wages
is $6,632,000, and represents 83 per cent of the department’s budget. The priority is to fill the following funded posts this coming year including:
• two assistant animal wardens ;
• fisheries warden;
• marine resources extension officer ;
• GIS mapping analyst ;
• administrative officer ;
• agriculture services centre manager .

Output Measures

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, as with many
other depar tments the COVID -19 pandemic has had a
significant impact on the services provided by the department and, consequently , on its 2021/22 performance measures. It is anticipated that this will likely continue into the first half of the upcoming year 2022/23, hopefully with lessening effect. These i mpacts can be attributed to necessary restrictions i mpacting public activity, the department’s field work, scuba diving, and patron visits to its offices and the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo. However , the
departm ent has continued to see increased activity in
key areas such as food security including food storage, enforcement, plant inspections and importations.
Mr. Chairman, while a complete tabulation of
the Output Measures for the Department of Environ-ment and Natural Resources can be found on pages
B-321 through B -324 of the Budget Book for 2022/23 ,
I will endeavour to highlight some of the measures of
note.

Business Unit 89000, Administration
(page B -321)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, 10 biodivers ity-related protected species licenc es were issued to
local and international researchers within five working
days during fiscal year 2020/21. It should be noted
that the original forecast and revised permits for
2021/22 include marine conservation- related permits.
These will be extricated from this measure and reassigned to Marine Conser vation to form their own
measure in 2023/24.
Research topics included seahorse breeding,
coral assessments, mangrove tree propagation, an eco-toxicological assessment of Bermuda cahows and
how it relates to breeding success; and genetic s equencing of seven critically endangered species from Bermuda. It is expected that this general level of bi odiversity interest will continue with some 12 licenc es
and permits being received in 2022/23 with 100 per
cent being processed within five working days.
A number of invasive pest species continue to
have a tremendous impact on Bermuda’s ecology and farming sector. In fiscal year 2020/21, the department
attempted to address this problem resulting in the cul ling of approximately 10,000 pest birds, predominantly feral chickens, pigeons, and crows. The culling effort s
were increased on behalf of local farmers who were
experiencing major crop damage from feral chickens ,
as well as efforts to control pigeons within the City of
Hamilton and flocks found at local dairy farms.
Unfortunately, due to unexpected challenges
pertaining to staffing and procuring specialised
equipment the forecast for 202 1/22 was revised down
to 3,916 pest birds culled. H owever , the issues have
now been resolved and the target outcome for
2022/23 is now 7,500.

Business Unit 89010, Marine Resources
(page B -321)
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Sustaining our local fisheries
is paramount. In addition to successfully managing the
licensing of numerous fisheries (e.g. , commercial finfish fishery, recreational lobster fishery , et cetera .) and
providing support to the Marine Resources Board and the Commercial Fisheries Council, the Marine R esources Section carried out work on several specia lBermuda House of Assembly ised projects including the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity
Programme (BOPP), and more data was collected for
the spiny lobster, Guinea chick, red hind, and black
grouper research programmes.
The section also maintained compliance with
our membership to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), as well
as provided support to the Sargasso Sea Commi ssion. Additionally, the section provided input and a dvice to the Bermuda Economic Development Corpor ation with regard to the Fisheries Development Centre
business plan/feasibility study.

Business Unit 89020, Marine Conservation
(page B -321)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: In addition to its many other
duties the Marine Conservation Section reviewed 30
planning applications pertaining to t he marine env ironment , presenting them to the Marine Resources
Board within four weeks of receiving the application. It
is expected that in 2022/23 that the numbers, which
appear under Marine Conservation consultations, will
remain about the same, dependen t on development
interest, with 30 applications being received and
100 per cent being responded to within 20 working
days.

Business Unit 89030, Marine Heritage and Health
(pages B -321)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: In 2020/21 the revised for ecast of seven marine heritage consultations were
conducted by the section within 20 working days. It is
expected that in 2022/23, dependent on development
interest, the numbers will remain about the same as
the original forecast, with 10 applications being r eceived, and 100 per cent being responded to within 20
working days.
The percentage of protected dive site moorings in place for the summer of 2021 dive season was 90 per cent. Two dive sites are no longer being
buoyed for functional reasons and mooring resources
have been redirected to dive sites that are heavily
used by commercial operators and the diving public.
The limitations on travel have seen a significant i ncrease in resident’s enjoyment and use of the ocean
around Bermuda. Visits to protected dive sites and
use of the moorings by residents increased dramat ically.
In 2022/23 it is expected that there will be 40
dive site moorings in place and 100 per cent will be
assessed within 60 days and repairs made in readiness for the season.

Minister, can I pause you there for a
moment?
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, Mr. Chairman. The Chairman: I am thoroughly enjoying your presentation. However, I see that my relief has shown up. I
am about to hand over to MP Kim Swan. And I will just
remind listeners that we are on Head 79.
MP Swan, I will hand over to you.

[Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan, Chairman]

Thank you, Mr. Outgoing Chairman.
Thank you for your service.
Minister, I have been following you. You are in
good flow. This debate has another two ho urs remai ning, and I will be in the Chair during that period of time, sir. We are debating Heads 93, 29, 32, 49, and
you are on 79, 82 and 97.
Minister, you have the floor.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you.
This summer season is expected to be especially active as both commercial and recreational m arine users take advantage of this unique natural r esource. The department and the Ministry are most grateful to the Stempel Foundation for its support of
this important project.

Business Unit 89040, Marine Enf orcement
(page B -322)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: In budget year 2020/21, 350
vessels were stopped and checked with particular at-tention to daily bag limits, size, and species r estrictions. This was a decrease of 100 vessel checks
or 22 per cent on the number f orecast for 2021/22.
This decrease can be attributed to a combination of reduced vessel traffic due to COVID -19 regul ations , efforts being made by the Coast Guard and,
unfortunately, the primary fisheries patrol vessel being
out of commission awaiting rep lacement engines.
While the replacement engines were a victim of supply chain issues I am happy to report that the required
repairs have now been made to the vessel. Also efforts to synergise with the Coast Guard continue. As
such the targets for boarding and enforcement actions
are anticipated to increase substantially this year and
in the coming year.

Business Unit 89050, Terrestrial Conservation
(page B -322)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, an important
part of the Terrestrial Conservation Section’ s mission
is to provide environmental and habitat assessment
advice to the Department of Planning and members of
the public for all matters related to terrestrial conservation zones. In fiscal year 2020/21 the section undertook 156 consultations on planning applications, Env ironmental Impact Assessment Scoping Reports, Conservation Management Plans, and proposed landscape schemes.
806 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly During 2021/22 it was expected that there
would be a decrease of activity in this area, due pr imarily to COVID -19-related issues . But, in fact, activity
is expected to remain slightly above the 2020/21 levels. It is expected that activity will likely level off in 2022/23; however , the section is ready to assist as
needed.
The Terrestrial Conservation Crew, despite
difficulties related to COVID -19, has continued their
important job maintaining the Bermuda’s Gover nment’s nature reserves, especially those used fr equently by the public and visitors, such as, Coopers
Island Nature Reserve and Spittal Pond Nature R eserve. This work includes trail maintenance and control of invasive species such as Casuarina and Brazil Pepper, as well as replanting with native and endemic
species.
The number of guided tours and talks provi ded by this section, especially to school and educational groups, has also been substantially affected by the
effects of COVID -19, and it is hoped that this service
will be able to return to more normal levels as these
effects diminish.

Business Unit 89060, Veterinary Services
(page B -322)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Activiti es of the Veterinary
Services Section were primarily customer focused,
with animal imports, and re- visiting the conditions of
entry for various species occupying much of the section’s time. Additionally , the section has been working
diligently to enact the new provisions of the recently
approved Dogs Act 2008, particularly those sections of the Act pertaining to ticketing and civil penalties.
These provisions will bring more efficiency to the enforcement of the lesser dog offences greatly.
The section cont inued its efforts to monitor
farm production and animal welfare on farms. Matters
related to the pandemic have led to fewer on- farm
visits than anticipated, but there has been no indic ation of declined farm animal welfare standards.
Additionally, this sect ion has completed legi slated amendments to the Endangered Animals and
Plants Act 2006, which is expected to be presented to
the Legislature imminently for consideration. And it has been presented, Mr. Chairman, I believe at our
last sitting. These amendments will improve Berm uda’s legislation to protect endangered species of animals and plants, and have it more closely aligned with
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Business Unit 89070, Animal Cont rol
(page B -322)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: During 2020/21, the percentage of dogs believed to be eligible for licensure, which were actually licensed, was at 36 per cent. This low percentage is likely due to challenges being felt in the
community, which have continued from the previous
year. Given this the forecast for 2021/22 was revised
down to 40 per cent from an expected 60 per cent.
Also of note were the total number of incident and
complaints investigated at 646 incidents and the initial
response to complaints was 1.5 days.
In response to the foregoing, I can assure this
Honourable House that the department has been sending out its regular reminders to dog owners,
which are sent out on a monthly basis, and no other procedures have otherwise changed to warrant such a
large drop in dog licensing. Further, the response rate
issue is directly related to the animal warden team of
four being reduced to half strength due to a resignation and a retirement.
Recognising that there is a need to address
this as a pri ority, the department will implement a public education campaign reminding dog owners of their
obligations under the law, hire two replacement assi stant animal wardens to bring the team back up to full
strength and will develop an online payment system for dog licensing.

Business Unit 89080, Plant Protection
(page B -322)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: There were 1,087,831 incoming items inspected for plant pests and diseases in
2020/21, with 11 per cent of those being found to be
infested. It is forecast that the trend for plant imports
will likely decrease slightly in 2022/23 due to the easing of travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.
However , it is projected that plant infestations will i ncrease slightly from 11 per cent to 12 per cent due to
global, seasonal, and emerging infestations and the
corresponding movement of plant products.
With travel restrictions imposed by various j urisdictions, pre -inspection services usually conducted
by the department staff overseas did not take place
during this current bud get year, 2021/22, and the
Plant Protection Laboratory continued to address i nspections at the border. In the absence of the overseas pre- inspection of Christmas trees, a full -scale
inspection was conducted locally.
To compound the angst associated with t he
local Christmas tree inspections, the majority of i mporters were tasked with finding alternative suppliers
because the main Christmas tree supplier closed his
doors. As a consequence, some of the regular
Christmas tree importers did not import trees in 2021,
which created an opportunity for new importers to emerge.
For the second year in a row, through a combined effort of DENR, overseas suppliers, HM Customs, local importers, and Stevedoring Services, all
trees were inspected with minimal losses. For t he
second consecutive year of inspecting full containers
of Christmas trees, of particular note were several


Bermuda House of Assembly interceptions of unidentified caterpillar infestations
inside four containers and multiple sightings of spiders, insects, witches broom and bird nests inside the
trees and containers which were quickly destroyed,
proving the importance of constant vigilance and those inspections.
Another challenge that was addressed in
2021/22 was the importation of clean banana shi pments. Since November 2018, when the problem was
first identified, this fruit has unfortunately been found to be consistently infested with mealybugs in all life stages, as well as interceptions of scale insect.
The mealybug interceptions are not an isolated phenomenon for Bermuda. It was reported to the Plant Protection Laboratory that one of the main USA exporters that supplied the Island has begun to regularly find mealy bug on all its main brands of bananas.
Mealybugs are of particular concern to Bermuda as
they can cause problems for over 250 host species,
including crops as well as important ornamental
plants.
The Plant Protection Laboratory continues to
work with the stakeholders to identify practical sol utions to allow for the import of this important food st aple, lower the cost t o the consumer, while protecting
the Island’s agriculture sector and its fragile environ-ment.
The combined efforts have proven to be pos itive as the Plant Protection Laboratory reports that incoming shipments are consistently trending towards
being much c leaner as a result of the efforts of an i mporter and supplier who have nearly perfected the o perational procedures in the production of mealy bugfree bananas.

Business Unit 89090, Agronomy
(page B -323)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Improving the Island’s food
security has taken on added importance since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. The Agriculture Service
Centre is one of the main means by which the government can provide direct assistance to our local farmers. The Centre provides cold storage for local
crops, ice for farmers and fishermen, packaging mat erials, banana ripening services, seeds, and chemicals.
At this time I would like to extend a big thank
you to all of our local farmers for all of their efforts over the last year providing local produce, when we
needed it the most. Much of what they produced was in high demand and went quickly to the consumer r ather than to storage. As such, the value of produce,
goods and services handled by the Agriculture Service Centre remained within the same range of
$216,000 in 2020/21 to $215,000 in 2021/22. The
trend is expected to continue in 2022/23.
Similarly , I note that the economic embargoes
for locally grown vegetables are expected to remain consistent, ranging between 128 issued in 2020/21 to 125 in 2021/2022. This tells us that our farmers are
able to supply local demand of certain crops, for the
entire Island, for periods of time.
We want to see this trend increase and the
Government will play its part to assist our farmers produce more good quality food for our Island, thereby
increasing the Island’s food security. I will be working
with the Minister of Finance to table amendments to
reduce planning application and building permit fees
associated with buildings for local food production. We
will be also working with the Board of Agriculture to
review potential methods of farming that could help to
reduce production costs and reduce the negative i mpact caused by hurricanes.

Business Unit 89100, Pollution Control
(page B -323)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: The Isl and’s four main fres hwater lenses remain at full capacity and continue to be
under -utilised with the excess rainwater captured
overflowing to the sea. Processes to fairly reallocate
water rights to companies who will abstract fully the
fresh groundwater that is available to them are being
developed.
All reported spills of oil and fuel were monitored and cleaned up according to the government
guidelines. Working closely with the Bermuda Shi pping and Maritime Authority (BSMA) and Marine and
Ports Services (M &PS), new regulations to address
abandoned and derelict vessels are being drafted that
will help to address associated pollution and aesthetic issues.
As an interim measure the Pollution Control
Section has facilitated an MOU between the Minister
of Trans port and Keep Bermuda Beautiful (KBB). The
MOU builds upon the process established in 2018 between DENR , the Department of Marine & Ports
Services [ M&PS] and the Attorney General’s Chambers for government to take possession of derelict vessels prior to the ir removal, remediation, and di sposal to the Airport Waste Management Facility. Currently KBB has secured significant funding from donors for marine contractors to remove 54 abandoned
and derelict vessels under the memorandum of understanding ( MOU ) on a lo west quotation per vessel
basis.
All stakeholder responses to the Department
of Planning were provided within the required 10
working day period. It is expected that in fiscal year
2022/23 all applications will be reviewed by the Poll ution Control Section and 100 per cent of these will be
responded to within 10 working days. This section
continues to manage 4,050 water rights for wells and
boreholes under the Water Resources Act 1975 and
the 685 operating licences for controlled plant polluting equipment un der the Clean Air Act 1991.
This section has also provided many update
meetings with Bermuda College and the Ministry of
808 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Public Works’ Waste Management Section to over
125 refrigerant handlers as part of the process of r enewing their five- year permits under the Clean Air
Regulations 1993.

Business Unit 89110, BAMZ Administration
(page B -323)
Hon. Walter H. Roban: The global pandemic and lack
of overseas visitors continues to have a significant
effect on the visitation to BAMZ. The facility had 18,025 vis itors in 2020/21. Our revised forecast for
2021/22 total is 22,000 visitors and it is hoped that the
2022/23 year will bring at least 32,000 visitors as borders reopen with limited restrictions and people begin to travel again.

Business Unit 89120 , Aquar ium and Zoo
(page B -324)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: The Aquarium and Zoo continued to operate continuously throughout 2021/22,
albeit with a number of Zoo closures to the public during pandemic waves to protect both our husbandry
staff and by extension the ani mals that they care for.
We are still receiving and reviewing the science on the
effect of the different S ARS CoV-2 variants on exotic
animals in zoos but are pleased to report no adverse
events to date despite numerous other zoos reporting
significant mor bidity in a number of species we have
in the collection.
Onsite veterinary examinations continued on
a fairly normal schedule with over 300 animals in the government collection receiving preventative veter inary care, as well as some 220 wildlife strandings b eing attended to in 2021/22. These numbers are in line
with previous years.

Business Unit 89130, Natural History Museum
(page B -324)

Hon. Walter H. Roban: The number of specimens,
images and research papers added to the natural hi story collection was 830 in 2020/21 as the curator and
his team were able to tackle a backlog of entries. It is
expected that the entries will continue at a target level of 500 in the upcoming fiscal year.

Major Policy Changes

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, as mentioned
throughout my brief, the ongoing pandemic has had a
major impact on the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources and its intended outcomes for
2021/22 and unfortunately it has not been operations
as normal. Notwithstanding the foregoing, I would l ike
to highlight the following that were made during this
fiscal year including: • Developing our offshore pelagic fishery: Work
continues to develop a regime for the pelagic fisheries
(offshore) similar to the economic embargo system in
place for local agri cultural crops that will allow our
fishermen to better capitalise on their fish catches
when they have sufficient supply. As part of the BOPP
(Bermuda Ocean Prosperity programme) a new Fis heries Aggregation Devices (FADs) programme was
piloted in consultat ion with stakeholders with a goal of
providing more economical harvesting of important
pelagic fish species such as yellowfin tuna. Additiona lly, we continue to provide input to the Bermuda Ec onomic Development Corporation (BEDC) in regard to their feasibi lity study for a Shoreside fish processing
facility.
• Better marine [resources] enforcement: A cknowledging that effective enforcement is one of the most critical elements of effective management, the
department completed the draft Marine Resources
Enforcement Strategy. The Government also entered
into a partnership with the United Kingdom (UK) in its
Blue Shield Progra mme and an action plan has been
developed in conjunction from feedback from the department and the Marine Resources Enforcement
Strategy, the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coast Guard
and the Department of Marine and Ports. Going forward 2022 promises to be an exciting year as new
tools and expertise are brought to bear on better pr otecting the marine resources in our exclusive econom-ic zone.
• The Berm uda Ocean Prosperity Programme: I
wish to take a moment to update this Honourable
House on BOPP. In June 2019, the Government, in
partnership with the not -for-profit Waitt Institute and
the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science (BIOS), embarked on an exciting new programme that will result
in the creation of an integrated marine spatial plan for
the entirety of Bermuda’s 200 nautical -mile Economic
Exclusive Zone (EEZ).
Also included in this initiative is the Blue
Economy Strategy, which will look to identify ways to
capitalis e on numerous opportunities in our waters
such as fisheries, blue tourism, and ocean renewable
energy.
The ambitious timeline for the completion of
the draft plan is still on track for March 2022 and the
background for the State of Bermuda Waters 2021
report was recently released, which as the title sug-gests provides a “snapshot” of the conditions as they
are existing in our EEZ today. I look forward to bringing the draft plan forward for public consultation in
short order.
At this junctur e I would like to extend my si ncere thanks to the Waitt Foundation for its support to the steering committee, made up of key personnel
from numerous government departments and organ isations with a mandate to manage our marine env ironment.



Bermuda House of Assembly Tackling pest s pecies

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, work has continued in the monitoring and management of local pests, diseases and invasive species that threaten the Island’s economy, human health, and fragile enviro nment. Recognising the very real risk that ali en inv asive species can have on our Island’s biosecurity we
passed the Invasive Alien Species Act 2021 aimed at
preventing the introduction of invasive species and
mechanisms to control a pest should it somehow es-tablish itself. Work is currently underway on completing the regulations and the species list as a priority.

Better protection for
the world’s most threatened species
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, amendments
to the Endangered Plants and Animals Act 2006 will be debated in this Chamber in order to ensure the
Island’s compliance with the International Convention on International Trade in Endangered species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES). Further the protection of
Sharks and the Giant Manta Ray has been greatly
augmented via amendments to the Fisheries (Protec ted Species) Amendment Order 2022, Fisheries
Amendment Regulations 2022, and Protected Species Amendment Order 2022. These will afford these globally threatened species, the protection they need to
hopefully rebound and for sharks help rebalance our
marine ecosystem, which is currently without its apex
predators.
At this time I would like to thank the generos ity of private individuals and businesses for their don ation of materials to the Seagrass Restoration [Project].
As a result , the Marine Conservation Section was able
to increase the area of remnant seagrass habitat pr otected by turtle excluder cages from 225 square m eters in 2020/21 to 1,980 square meters in 2021/22,
which is over 800 per cent.
The Cahow Recovery Project, for Bermuda’s
unique and critically endangered National Bird, con-tinues to be a prime success story with the breeding population on the Castle Harbour Island’s Nature R eserve increasing to a new record number of 155 pairs in 2022. This project continues to attract international attention, with a cover story in the US National Audubon Society’s Audubon magazine, one of the largest
environmentally themed publications in the United States, with over 400,000 readers.
Other notable projects include a grant from
the UK Joi nt Nature Conservation Committee to rei nstate a water quality monitoring programme on the
Bermuda Platform in January 2022 for three months
and the Mammal’s Passive Acoustic Observatory pr oject to help detect and identify any whale species in
Bermuda’s wat ers. This is a collaborative effort between 20 islands in the wider Caribbean and the Uni-versity of Toulon, France. In addition, the department received a grant
from the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee to conduct coral reef surveys, enabling it to hire four
part-time Bermudian assistants. The department r eports that coral populations appear healthy, with no
occurrence of the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease,
which is plaguing reefs throughout the Caribbean.
Reef fish populations appear healthy, with many
young red hinds, coneys and a few juvenile black
groupers observed on our patch reefs.

Tackling climate change with nature- based solutions

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, while Bermuda
may have a relatively small impact in terms of causing
clima te change, unfortunately we will likely have to
bear the brunt of its effects, especially in relation to
any sea level rise. To this end, the department has
drafted an Island- wide tree planting strategy and action plan that will look at opportunities for r eintroducing shade trees lost to storms, removing invasive sp ecies, and improving good quality woodland and for eshore vegetation, such as mangroves and button-woods, that provide protection from storm surge. This
is currently at consultation stage with Government
stakeholders.

IMO [Triple] III Audit

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the UK, Bermuda, and other Overseas Territories (OTs) fared well
under a mandatory audit by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in November 2021 to assess how
well the various IMO legislative instruments that address ship safety and pollution from ships are being followed. The Pollution Control Section of the DENR
has a major role in the maintenance and training of
the National Oil Pollution Contingency Plan in addit ion
to ensuring that the local oil spill emergency plans of
Bermuda’s licensed ports are aligned to this National
Plan.
This section also manages the spill response
equipment in addition to maintaining links with various organisations that can offer overs eas assistance in
the event of a large spill.
The UK Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA)
recognises this effort and, in addition to the $206,000 ,
provided over 2019/20 for Bermuda to run on Island
oil spill response courses and to purchase oil spill equipment it has committed to providing an additional
$293,000 in 2022 for Bermuda to purchase more equipment specifically to address a major off shore
spill, such as from a tanker running aground on the
reefs off N orth Shore.

BELCO monitoring
Hon. Walter H. Rob an: Coinciding with the commi ssioning of the new BELCO North Power Station e n810 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly gines in February 2020 the Pollution Control Section
has continued to see many complaints by the public
related to air quality issues from fumes and soot
emissions in addition to concern of these impacts to
residential water tanks. The Pollution Control Section has advised the Environmental Authority which has
required BELCO to (i) install a new portable monitoring station at Ocean Lane, an area affected by the
downdraughting of fu mes from the tall stacks; (ii) f acilitate BIOS to conduct sampling and analyses overseas of water from affected water tanks; (iii) reconfi gure the new dual -fuel engines fully to operate on
heavy fuel oil in an attempt to reduce soot emissions;
and (iv) ret rofit activated carbon filters to remove the
fumes of hot oils from the smaller tanks located along
St. John’s Road.
The Pollution Control Section has contracted
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) to oversee this monitoring station on Ocean Lane a nd data is
being compared to the Bermuda Clean Air Regul ations in addition to that of overseas UK/EU jurisdi ctions. It is noted that although the air quality meets the limit values of both local and overseas statutes it does
periodically fail a UK Air Qual ity Objective target value
for sulphur dioxide which is based on latest health and
safety data.
BELCO has recently been using measur ements [from] the Ocean Lane monitoring station, when the winds are greater than 15 knots from a southsouthwest direction, to switch fuels from heavy fuel oil
to road diesel in order to reduce the levels of sulphur
dioxide in the ambient air, a process known as partial
primary abatement. It is noted that the limit and target values of the UK Air Quality Objectives feature in the
proposed Clean Air Act Amendment Bill for 2022.
The residential and school water tank data
from the vicinity of BELCO that was assessed by B IOS demonstrated that the water quality meets the
chemical standards of the most stringent UK and US
drinking w ater standards in addition to the guidelines
of the World Health Organization (WHO). The signature of the chemical contaminants that can be measured in the sediments at the base of the tanks indicate a road/ vehicle source, which may be expected to diminish once electric vehicles become predominant.
Further work will concentrate on determining
what scenarios could lead to mixing of the sediment in
Bermuda’s water tanks. The air quality and water
quality data and progress being made has continued
to be shared with the public.

It is probably a very good time to
share that we are on Heads 93, 29, 32, 49, 79 and 89
(of which you are doing now), and 97 to follow. There
are 80 minut es remaining. This debate concludes at 4:40, and you are in good form. Thank you, Minister.
Continue on, you have the floor.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Plans for the upcoming year
Increased food security and reduced cost of living

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, this year the
department will continue to focus its efforts on i ncreas ing local food production and assisting industry
in reducing production costs, which will translate into
increased food security for the Island and reduced
cost of living for our residents.
The department and the Board of Agriculture
will review of the National Crop Strategy 2016 to 2021
and the draft Dairy Strategy, amending legislation to regulate and encourage aquaculture and develop
measures to assis t farmers to reduce night -time far ming (commonly known as “night farming”) of their crops through better surveillance of their fields and
improved enforcement.

Planning for long term sustainable use, conservation
of our marine resources in Exclusive Economic Zones

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, as I mentioned
previously the draft Marine Spatial Plan and Blue Economy Strategy will be put out for public consult ation very shortly. I would encourage as much public
feedback as possible as these important strategies
will play an important part of our economy and overall environmental health of our Island.
As part of the BOPP, data collection and
analysis of important commercial species such as
Spiny Lobster, Black Grouper and Red Hind, will be
conducted to update management plans for these
species.
Recognising the need for better integrated
management for fisheries, consultation will begin on
the licensing of recreational fishing from vessels. The
goals of a recreational licensing system are to provide
fisheries managers with more quantitative information
from which to make management decisions and to improve sustainability of our reef fish stocks.
Efforts will continue to protect our critical
seagrass and mangrove habitats through better management of exi sting groves and through new plantings.

Integrated and effective marine
enforcement of the EEZ

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, it is realised
that there is little point in developing a marine spatial
plan for our EEZ without effective enforcement. With
this in mind the department will focus on finalising and
implementing its draft Marine Resources Enforcement
Strategy 2021. This strategy will be integrated with the


Bermuda House of Assembly UK Blue Shield Programme to enhance the Island’s
marine domain awareness, as well as its capacity and
capability to effectively address offenses in the entir ety of our EEZ.
Good work has already started on this, and I
look forward to reporting on our progress in due
course.

Tackling pest species

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, work will co ntinue in the monitoring and management of local
pests, diseases and invasive species that threaten the
Island’s economy, human health, and fragile enviro nment. The completion of the invasive alien species
regulations and schedules will allow the recently
passed Invasive Alien Species Act to be brought into
force.

Ensuring clean air and good ground water

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Depar tment and the Environmental Authority will amend the
Clean Air Act 1991 to align with the better manage
pollution and to include nuisance events to advance
higher standards and penalties for infractions.

Better management of dogs

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Animal
Control section will continue to implement the Dogs
Act 2008 with a view to im prove the keeping of an imals and promote the prevention of bites and injury.
This year the department will continue its work to i mplement the new ticketing and citations regulations
that will provide more efficient enforcement , and mandatory bite reports f or better data collection and i nformed management. As noted, the department will
also be implementing a campaign to increase public
awareness of the Dogs Act and responsibilities of
owners.
Increased Environmental Education

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chai rman, a new exhibit
focusing on conservation and research on Nonsuch
Island will be opened at the BAMZ in the near future.
Numerous smaller jobs are also in process to ensure
the safety of the animals and enhance the enjoyment
of our visitors to the facili ty.
Additionally, as part of the Marine Resources
Enforcement Strategy, the department will develop a
new campaign to raise awareness of the rules and regulations governing use and interaction with threa tened marine resources.
Mr. Chairman, in closing, I would like to thank
the hard- working and dedicated members of staff in
the Department of Environment and Natural R esources, including Director, Andrew Pettit, Dr. Tammy Warren, Dr. Sarah Manuel, Dr. Philippe Rouja, Dr. Jonathan Nisbett, Dr. Mark Outerbridge, Dr. Ian Wal ker, Dr. Geoff Smith, Mr. John Edmunds, Ms. Terry Lynn Thompson, and Mr. Jeremy Madeiros, Ms. Maria
Trott and their very able teams. It has been indeed a
pleasure working with them.
And, Mr. Chairman, I am very proud. This department has probably one of the largest continge ncies of PhDs in the whole Island who work solely for the benefit of this country. So I am very proud of that
badge of honour for that department

Continue on, Minister.
We are going to Energy which is found on
page B -325 of the Budget Book . The Minister, Deputy
Premier, has the floor at 3:27. This debate ends at 4:40. Continue, Minister. You have the floor.

HEAD 89 —DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, it gives me
great pleasure to present the budget for Head 32, The Department of Energy, found on pages B -325 through
B-327, C -8 and C -16.
Mr. Chairman, the mission of the Department
of Energy is to promote, advocate, and develop policy
and legislation for the Space, Energy and Telecommunications industries. To accomplish t his mission,
the department holds the following broad objectives:
• reduce reliance on fossil fuel imports while
balancing the security, sustainability, and affordability of energy in Bermuda;
• provide education, advice and guidance on
policy and regulation f or the energy and tel ecommunications sectors, including space and
satellite matters; and
• facilitate the growth of industry and busines ses in Bermuda through supporting the devel-opment and maintenance of robust space,
satellite, telecommunications, and ener gy infrastructure.
To meet the objectives, the department’s work
is supported by one b usiness unit as noted on p age
B-325, implemented by four officers under the heading of Administration, 89000.
Expenditure Overview

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Depar tment of Energy’s total budget allocation is $484,000 for the 2022/23 fiscal year. This represents a d e812 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly crease of $306,000, or 39 per cent when compared to
the original estimates of previous year.
The savings are primarily attributed to the
elimin ation of its consulting budgets, for both local and
overseas consultants, and no overseas training. Furthermore, there is no funding this year for advertising
or marketing, which the department has historically
relied on for outreach and education.

Revenue Summary
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Depar tment of Energy’s estimated revenue is found on page B-326 and is estimated to be $16,940,000. This est imate represents an increase of $1,279,000, or approximately 8 per cent when compared to the ori ginal
estimate of the 2021/22 fiscal year. This increase is mainly due to a projected increase in telecommunic ations and electricity revenues after the unfortunate
slowdown because of the pandemic.

Capital Expenditure
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the capital expenditure budget for the Department of Energy can be
found on pages C -8 and C -16. This capital expend iture was used in the last fiscal year to allow for the
continuation of the solar rebate programme, which
encourages the uptake of solar phot ovoltaic install ations by homeowners with properties’ annual rental
value under $120,000.
I must announce today, Mr. Chairman, that
this rebate is not funded in this coming fiscal year,
which will have an impact on those homeowners who
have not otherwise been able to afford solar on their
homes.

Manpower

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the Depar tment of Energy’s staffing numbers are outlined on page B –326 of the Budget Book. There are four full -
time positions within the department, all of which are
staffed by Bermudians, with no vacancies at the m oment. The full staff comprises the director, a research and development officer, an energy policy analyst, and a telecommunications officer . The total budget for
staff salaries is $467,000 and represents 96 per cent
of the department’s budget.

Output Measures

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the performance measures for the department are presented on
pages B -327 of the Budget Book. In line with public
service reform, these new measures were developed
in alignment with the specific services that are provi ded. The main outward facing focus of the department has been in the administration of the rebates, and en-suring residents are aware of important energy and
telecommunications matters. This year there was no
Energy Summit due to the restrictions of the pandemic, and so not a performance issue as such. This year,
the Minister appeared as the public face of Energy, for which the department provided support, in two radio
talk shows, public service announcements, and, most
notably, at COP26.

Major Achievements
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, among the
day-to-day operations of the department is the admi nistration of the Solar Rebate Initiative. In this year
alone, even with the delays caused by COVID -19 repercussions, there were 53 rebates, constituting a pproximately 260 kWh to the grid. These customers might not have invested in solar technologies had the
rebate not been offered, and over the lifetime of this
tranche of the initiative, over 400 kWh have b een i nstalled on homes throughout Bermuda.
The Department of Energy is evolving to pr ovide an increasingly wide range of services to the public and to other departments. This year, the depar tment provided support to the Ministry of Public Works
in their r ole as landlords to the solar farm adjacent to
the L. F. Wade International Airport. The solar farm was commissioned on November 17, 2021, and is
Bermuda’s first utility -scale renewable energy development. I look forward to reporting more about pr oduction in the coming months. This project had a long
trajectory, beginning with the procurement process in 2016, and construction taking about two years. We
are proud to have helped bring this project to compl etion at no net cost to Government.
Mr. Chairman, the department has also pr ovided support to the Ministry of Transport in several of their ongoing initiatives, with manpower and expertise
held within the Department of Energy. The most noteworthy of these initiatives has been publicised
recently with the arr ival of the new electric buses. The
support the department has provided has taken place
over the past two years, with the procurement of the
new buses, and with the infrastructure preparations at
the main depot to ensure that they can be efficiently charged and ready to serve Bermuda.
In September 2021 the department collaborated with the Ministry of Transport again to help plan, organise, and facilitate the E -Mobility Summit, which
is part of a larger body of work to develop a strategy to increase the ado ption of electric vehicles throughout both the public and private sectors.
The department continues to work with the
Department of Public Lands and Buildings within the Ministry of Public Works on the procurement of aggregated solar photovoltaic installat ions throughout
the Government estates, beginning with the Gover nment Post Office and the Government Administration Building. This work is essential to reducing the operatBermuda House of Assembly ing costs of the government’s portfolio and is a clear
and visible step towards fulfi lling our commitment to a
cleaner and more cost -effective public facilities.
The department is also working on building
capacity within the community to facilitate Bermuda’s
transition to a clean energy future. In recognition that
increased uptake of solar technologies will translate to
an increased need for trained installers, the depar tment hosted a training programme for prospective
installers in August 2021. There were 20 students with
varying levels of experience and knowledge, and 5 have already pass ed the rigorous qualification exam ination to become a Certified Level One installer. This
is a challenging and difficult exam, and some will need
more than one sitting to pass, which attests to the r igor of the programme.
Working again in close collaborat ion with the
Ministry of Public Works, the department has provided
support and guidance for the government’s transition
to electric vehicles outside of transportation, namely
the procurement strategy for the government’s motor fleet. One might argue that electrification of the motor
fleet only shifts the emissions from the roads to the
power plants, but it is not comparable. Electric vehicles are efficient and remove emissions from the
roadsides, as well as reduce the workload on the
maintenance depots. Electric vehicles require far less maintenance than traditional internal combustion v ehicles, and with modern battery life, they are practical, real solutions for reducing costs over the lifetime of
the vehicles.
Mr. Chairman, in August 2021 the department
co-hosted the third summer Space Camp in collabor ation with the award- winning team of educators from
the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska. Eight st udents participated in a virtual setting with an equal cohort from the Kenai region of Alaska, to learn lessons that ran deeper than space travel. The students
learned critical thinking skills, logic, organisational
skills, teamwork, and problem -solving —all essential
skills for success, regardless of their areas of applic ation. The students were 11 to 14 years of age and
were asked to make video submissions on why they were interested in being part of this year’s pr ogramme. They were each compelling in their own ways and included students from both public and pr ivate schools.
Mr. Chairman, the department has also forged
a relationship with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, through the Space Enabled
group of the MIT Media Labs, led by Dr. Danielle
Wood. Her team was investigating the use of beeswax as a potential fuel for small satellites and wa nted to
use materials from different geographical locations to
assess the effects of pollution and environmental factors on the performance of the beeswax. The depar tment organised, with the support of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources, a collection and
shipment of local bees wax to MIT’s labs. Beeswax is stable, sustainable and easy to handle which could
make it ideal for use in repositioning of [small ] satellites. I might also add, Mr. Chairman, that Dr. Danielle
Wood is one of the advisors to the Bermuda Gover nment on my Space Advisory Group which includes
many international persons who are experts in this
industry. So we have great advice on the work that we
are doing in the area of space as well, from her and
others.
Mr. Chairman, in J une 2021 the implement ation plan for the National Space Strategy was com-pleted. This document provides the guideposts for the
development of Bermuda’s space and satellite sector,
outlining the actions to take in the coming year.
Mr. Chairman, the department is also part of
the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme’s steering
committee, in an effort to help arrive at a marine spa-tial plan, so that prospective energy developers using
ocean- sited technologies can be better guided in their
planning. The department has also been a regional presence in the development of resiliency measures
for island states, participating in the development of the regions first Resiliency Scorecard, to signal to i nvestors the priorities Bermuda holds in the energy
sector.

Plans f or the upcoming year
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the depar tment of Energy will continue to provide support to other Ministries and departments, in part through the
continued working relationship with the Rocky Mou ntain Institute, who provide advic e and guidance free of
charge to the government. Leveraging this relationship, we have made strides in renewable energy and
electric vehicles and look forward to reporting more
progress next year.
Mr. Chairman, environmental justice has garnered worldwide attention. Those who are more likely
to suffer from the damages of climate change are
those of least means. Wealth will always provide at
least some cushion to the effects of severe weather
events, droughts, and rising energy costs. The ordinary working c lass and the less advantaged will suffer
more.
With the support of consultants, namely Energy Infrastructure Partners, the department examined
ways in which solar technologies could reach a
broader spectrum of the population, providing some
resilience to those who have the most to lose in the
face of increasingly severe climate events. Through these investigations it became apparent that land
ownership was the key to the uptake of renewable
energy technologies, thereby excluding almost half of
Bermuda’s residents from participation in a renewable
energy future. Therefore, the department is working
on establishing self -sustaining approaches to pr ogrammes where there can be carveouts to serve
those most in need.
814 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Chairman, support to other Ministries this
year will include carrying on with the transition to electric vehicles, but also supporting the Department of
Planning in their work to review and revise the Buil ding Code to incorporate more energy efficiency into
the design and construction of new buildings and m ajor renovations. Measures will include emissivity r equirements for windows, insulation for structures to minimise heat gains and renewable energy technol ogies built into the projects.
Another element of progress will be the Competent Persons Sc heme, in which qualified contractors
will be allowed to participate in a much- abbreviated
Planning process for certain kinds of work, starting with rooftop solar installations. Improving efficiency to allow for a more streamlined process will help reduce
not only the time a solar project takes but should also
reduce some of the soft costs of solar.
Mr. Chairman, the department continues to do
its part to encourage inward investment in energy,
space, and telecommunications. On the near horizon will be the i ntroduction of a regulatory sandbox,
providing space both figuratively and literally for ener-gy innovators to research, develop and commercialise
cutting -edge technologies in Bermuda.
Further on in the legislative year will be the i ntroduction of a Fuels Bill, to allow for a more formal
approach toward the regulation of the fuels market,
with transparent pricing and safeguards to consumers
beyond those in place at the moment.
The department will be introducing, later in the
legislative year, a suite of am endments to the Regul atory Authority Act 2011, the Electronic Communic ations Act 2011, and the Electricity Act 2016 to allow
the Regulatory Authority to respond to market forces
with greater agility and speed, without sacrificing
transparency and public engagement. These amendments will also further broaden the energy market, to
allow innovators and other participants in different
segments of the market.
Mr. Chairman, the department hopes to host
another Space Camp in the summer for the fourth time, suppor ted by the Challenger Learning Center of
Alaska . This year’s focus will be on ensuring more
participation from public school students. The camp will again be free of charge to qualifying students, al-lowing an opportunity to learn more about space with
an element of cultural exchange with their Alaskan
counterparts.
Mr. Chairman, in the coming year the depar tment will continue to work with MIT’s Space Enabled
Group to allow for greater exchange of expertise, i nformation and inspiration for our students and innov ators in the space and satellite sector. The department
will continue to work with the Space Advisory Panel to
build its capacity in the space and satellite sector. Among the elements of this will be the introduction of
Earth Station Regulations, to ensure Bermuda r emains a jurisdiction of best practice as it relates to the services currently offered to NASA and the European
Space Agency.
Mr. Chairman, in closing, I would like to thank
the dedicated members of staff in our very small department, led b y Mrs. Jeane Nikolai, the Director, and
her very able team. Their consistent diligence to the
work at hand has meant that we are making progress
in advancing Bermuda’s reputation as a clean, pr ogressive, forward- thinking jurisdiction for energy and
satelli tes.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to move on to my final head, page
Head 97.

Yes Minister.
It is 3:48, you may proceed. This debate goes
on until 4:40.

HEAD 97 — LAND TITLE
AND REGISTRATION DEPARTMENT
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, it gives me
great pleasure to present the budget for Head 97, the
Land Title and Registration Department (LTRO),
found on pages B -328 through B -331, and C -16.
Mr. Chairman, the Title and Registration D epartment mandate is to guarantee land titles , simplify
property transactions, and us e digital technology to
maintain data security. Additionally, the department's
objectives are:
• to create and maintain an electronic register
of legal estates and interests in land so
provi ding security for homeowners and third
parties;
• to maximise the use of its data for the benefit
of wider society and drive innovation in the
digital technology ;
• to use digital technology to reduce the time
needed to receive, process, and deliver services to our customers.
• to create and maintain the Index Map; and
• to maintain the Deeds Registry.
Mr. Chairman, to meet these objectives, the
department has a single registration programme,
9702, with the business unit 107030, which is found on page B -328. The single registration program me
comprises one primary area, Land Title Management.

Expenditure Overview

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the LTRO's
total budget allocation is $1,392,000 for the 2022/23
fiscal year. This represents an increase of $4,000
when compared to the previous year. The increase is
primarily attributed to the temporary salary scale r eturning to their normal levels. The bulk of LTRO’s ex-penditure represents salaries and the cost of emplo ying four consultants to assist the department. The next
biggest expenditure derives from the administration


Bermuda House of Assembly running cost of leasing the LTRO's office in Milner
Place.

Revenue Summary
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the LTRO's
estimated revenue is found on page B -329 for the
2022/23 fiscal year. The LTRO's projected estimate is
$424,000. This estimate represents an increase of
$17,000, or 4 per cent on the original estimated rev enue for the fiscal year 2021/22. The property market
has been active over the last 12 months. It is forecast
to remain very active, with single- family homes under
three million being the highest in demand.

Capital Expenditure

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the capital expenditure budget for the LTRO can be found on page C-16 of the Budget Book. The capital expenditure allows for the purchase of a smartboard which will aid in
the voluntary registration process and enable the d epartment to provide continued training to its stak eholders. The estimated cost of purchasing the smar tboard is $11,000.

Manpower

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the LTRO e mployee numbers are outlined on page B -330 of the
Budget Book. The LTRO is a small multi -skilled d epartment. Under its organisational structure, it has
seven full -time employees, of which two are currently
vacant. All postholders, with the exception of one, are
Bermudian. The vacant posts are the Land Title O fficer and the Land Title Legal Officer. The recruitment
process has begun for these two positions. A Berm udian is engaged as a temporary relief for the Land
Title Officer’s position while the rec ruitment process is
underway. The department also has four consultants.
Mr. Chairman, the department will also be
looking at ways to support staff in their continued pr ofessional development and training. The department’s
Land Title Legal Trainee, Kemilah Swan, is presently
working in the UK to obtain experience in conveyanc-ing and land registration law and practice, which will assist in her development plan towards assuming the
Land Title Legal Officer’s position here in Bermuda.

Performance Measures
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the performance measures for the department are presented on page B -331 of the Budget Book. The measures are
specific to the services that are provided. Each measure articulates the expected outcome to demonstrate the publi c value gained from the service while ensuring accountability. Major Achievements

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, land is one of
Bermuda‘s greatest assets. Clarity and security of
land ownership is essential to a functioning property market. I would therefore like to provide statistics that
may be of interest to the Honourable Members. In the
fiscal year 2021/22, the office has received 1,107 applications thus far. A further breakdown reveals some
of the more essential statistics they are as follows:
• There were 455 applications for conveyances
on sale received. Of the 455 applications, 183
of the sales were properties above million do llars. The statistics show more sales in the
higher value properties for 2021.
• There were 71 applications for registration
from non- Bermudians received.
• There were 27 applications for voluntary registration received. The p andemic has caused
disruptions to the office services throughout
the previous year. This has led to a reduction
in the applications that were received.
• There were 172 applications also received
under the D eeds Registry.
Mr. Chairman, the LTRO continues to assist
the government in its efforts to investigate complaints
of land fraud. One of the LTRO’s primary duties is to
provide search facilities and mai ntain the old property
records. Throughout the year, the office has assisted
the public and the Commission of Inquiry (COI) in the
Historic Loss of Land in researching and finding hi storical documents.
This financial year the office processed 778
search applications. The request for searches and
documents by the Commission of Inquiry has seen an
increase of 36 per cent since the previous year. The
office successfully processed over 90 searches for the
Commission of Inquiry and an estimate of over 200
searc hes and document locations for the general public. Without the assistance of the office, many of these
cases would not have been able to produce sufficient evidence to enable them to appear before the Commission.

Plans for the coming year

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, technology is
the primary driver of the LTRO processes. As such,
they remain committed to upgrading their IT infrastructure and capacity in order to accommodate the var ious initiatives needed to move the office forward in
achieving its objectives. This includes technological
improvements and training. It will transform the customer experience through its digital services and i mprove use of technology, making transactions instantaneous where possible and simplifying the applic ation process.
It aims to meet the need of its customers,
which is about delivering services faster but maintai n816 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly ing quality. This includes optimising its operations, as
well as accelerating the digitisation and automation of
its services to enable more real -time ser vices and to
look ahead at how it can best enable change in the conveyancing market in the future.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I would like to
thank the dedicated members of staff in the Depar tment of Land Title and Registration, led by Land Title Registr ar, Ms. Debbie Reid, and her very capable
team.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That concludes my
presentation on the Ministry of Home Affairs and all
the related h eads. I invite further comment from the
floor. Thank you.

Excellent. Thank you so much.
Right. I understand that we have about 40
minutes left in the debate. And I would obviously like
to afford the Honourable Minister and D eputy Premier
the opportunity to address any questions that I raise.
So, I will try to truncate my observations and keep
them as focus ed as possible and then leave the Honourable Minster hopefully about 20 minutes at least for
him to respond. Thank you, Mr . Chairman.
I would like to start by thanking all of those
working at the Ministry and related departments and indeed quangos, including places like the aquarium, et
cetera. I know that they are working hard in difficult
times , like so many of us in Bermuda.
I would start, Mr. Chairman, with a brief observation in terms of the Ministry as a whole. At page
B-299 of the Budget Book , for those who are follo wing, and just a very high- level observation is that there
is an upward trend in spending. Spending is up about
$2.6 million in the last two years against actuals two
years ago. So, one question I would direct to the Ho nourable Minister is: What steps are proposed to bring
government spending under control at this particular
Ministry? In terms of the other side of the coin, this is
a Ministry that brings in a considerable amount of revenue, about $21.6 million estimated for the coming
year. And the revenue has been holding relatively
firm. It is down about $300,000, but I think against that large figure of $21.5 million, that is really just a small
downtick.
Energy is the main revenue generator for the
Ministry at about $17 million of that $21.5 million total.
So, that is the driving engine from a revenue perspec-tive. However, there is one that is notably do wn. I am
at page B -299, looking at revenue and looking then at
the revenue that is down for Head 29, the Registry General. I think the answer for that is the movement of
the intellectual property registrations that were in this
Ministry two years ago over to the Ministry of Econom-ic Development last year and then hav ing moved
back. And I will just ask a few questions about that
when I get specifically to the Registry General head.
And those are just my original observations, Mr.
Chairman, before going on no w to the specific heads.
I will take the heads in the same order that the Mini ster covered them.
And the first head of seven is Head 93, which
is the Headquarters for the Ministry of Home Affairs. Now, the spending here . . . this is page B -301 in the
Budget Book. And we see that the expenditure here is
up by about $230,000, give or take, and a large chunk
of that looks to be an increase in salaries. In addition,
as we can see from the box at page B -301, there is an
increase in professional services . And i t is quite a
large increase. And so, a question I would direct to the
Honourable Minister is: Can he please perhaps give a little more reason for the increase in professional services at the Headquarters themselves? I note that it is
$1 million more when c ompared with the figure of
$271,000 only two years ago in the Budget Book. So,
that is a rough increase of about $750,000 in professional services cost for the Headquarters. So, if he
could perhaps explain why that may be.
Also, page B -301 in the Budget B ook under
business unit 103010 is the Consumer Affairs depar tment. Now, I am just wondering why that is going up and if there is any specific reason why that is up from last year. It is not up a lot, I appreciate.
The other observation on this page, Mr.
Chairman, is that in the expenditure, notwithstanding
the vast majority of expenditures are going up in this
Ministry and indeed in this particular Headquarters head, we see that training is going down. And that can be seen from the third line item down. So, I am just
wondering why, when everything else is going up,
training is going down. And I would just question the
Minister’s thinking in that regard, and I would like to
hear what response he has there.
Still under this head but over to page B -302,
which is where the revenues are for this particular
Head 93, the Headquarters. And the line item that is
relevant here is line item 8457, the Licence General.
And I see that last year, that was revised down to nil.
And it is predicted to go back up to seven thi s year.
And I am just curious why that was a zero line item
last year. I am sure there is an explanation for that,
but I just don’t think that it was addressed in the brief.


Bermuda House of Assembly And likewise, if it was nil last year and that is not a
typo, why is it going to g o back up this year?
Just still under this head, the Minister spoke of
some major policy changes in this Headquarters. And
he spoke to debt collectors. And the question I would have for the Minister is: How do you determine when
an entity is a licens ed debt collector versus a consul tant? And I am just wondering what sort of criteria the
Ministry applies to tell the difference between them.
Because I know that this was a contentious issue earlier in the year, and I am sure the Minister will know that to whi ch I am referring.
Also, under major policy changes, the Honourable Minister identified the climate change study that is proposed by the Ministry. And I believe I heard him correctly to say that this was to be funded by the
UK. And I would just like to cl arify that I heard that
correctly.
Another third policy change—major policy
change —that the Minister identified was his policy
change on single- use plastics. Now, the Minister
would be well aware, although the general public may not, that the Opposition s ubmitted a draft B ill for the
reduction and elimination of single- use plastics. We
gave that to the Minister in June 2021 as part of the consultation. The Minister has told the Honourable
House today that the Cabinet approved the Minister’s plan in August 2021 after we submitted our draft Bill.
So, I would be grateful to hear from the Minister what his thinking was on the OBA’s proposed Bill and
whether that will form part of his legislative plans.
Another question I have, also still under the
heading of major policy changes which the Minister
identified for Head 93, is that he addressed issues
with landlord and tenant law and rent increases and,
indeed, identified certain specific Acts that he was
going to merge into one Bill. I think he identified three
different Acts into one Bill. And I think I am quoting
him correctly to say that the reason for this was “updated to reflect today’s market’s concerns.” Given that
this would be quite an important updating and conso lidation, I would be grateful if the Mini ster could elaborate a little bit on what he sees as the “market con-cerns .” And if he perhaps could be a little bit more
specific.
So those a re the series of questions that I
have in relation to the Home Affairs Headquarters.
And I would now . . . unless the Minister wants to address those questions and then we move on, I am
happy to be guided by him, and I can move on to the
next head. Mr. Chairman, do you have a view?

Grateful. Thank you, Honourable
Minister. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Moving, then, to the second of seven heads
addressed by the Minister. This is the H ead 29, rela ting to the Registry General (which is, for those to follow along, in the Budget Book, page B -304). I had
alluded to this earlier in the whole section relating to
intellectual property , which more specifically can be
seen at page B -306, under r evenue source. And there
are a number of line items that appear there—
trademarks, intellectual property (IP), et cetera. They
all moved to [the Department of] E conomic Develo pment only two years ago and they have all moved
back. And so, I would be grateful for clarification from
the Minister as to why that happened.
Also, just drilling down on the intellectual
property (IP) revenues for a moment. If we could kind of keep a finger there at page B -306 in the Budget
Book and compare to page B -194 of the Budget Book,
which was the Economic Development section, where
they used to be, I see there at page B -196 the bus iness unit relating to domain names, which is business
unit 8336, which previously subdivided into two bus iness units —one, for new registration of domain
names and one for renewals of domain names. And
again, just looking at the numbers at page B -196,
which are the numbers that then migrate over into this head, Head 29, we can see that the original numbers
show $30,000 and $160,000 for those two business
units. And then we see the revised being a collective
$190,000. So 30 plus 160 equals 190, and then a zero
below that for renewals. So, I am just curious. The
Minster clarified (and thank you for the clarification)
that this business unit is the registr y of .bm domain
names, Internet domain names. And I would have
thought it very helpful to keep a distinction between
new registrations and renewals. And I just wonder why that is not happening anymore.
And also, I note that if we leave page B -196,
showing the picture last year of $190,000 and we go
back to our Ministry and our Head 29 where they now
appear (it is page B -306) that the $190,000 number is
down to $154,000 in revenue . So that suggests that
there is a decline in domain names. And I am just wondering if that is a decline in renewals or a decline
in new registrations or a decline in both.
In terms of the employee numbers, which are
at the bottom of page B -306, I noted that in the Hansard from last year’s debate, the Honourable Minister
informed this Honourable House that all of the posts
had been filled except for two. And I would be grateful
818 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly for an update from the Honourable Minister as to
whether or not those two posts have now been filled
and, indeed, where they fall on those four business
units that we see at the bottom of page B -306.
Of course, there is an increase in employee
numbers at page B -306, and that is an increase of six
people because, as I understand it, the intellectual
property business unit has come back . So it is not actually a net growth or even a gross growth; it is just
moving from one hand to the other. And there is a
note at the bottom that explains that.
In terms of IP registration, one would think
that this is quite an important thing for our Island to be
focused on. Inte llectual property is something that hi storically has been something that international financial centres have focused on. And I, given the i mportance of trying to grow this area or at least mai ntain this area, was curious about the performance
measure at page B -307 under that specific business
unit. So, it is business unit 39010, the intellectual
property registration, where we set a target of ensur-ing that applications are processed within four to six
months from the date of receipt. To my mind, in the
world of international business processing something
within four to six months sounds like an awfully long
time. I do not know whether the Honourable Minister
would agree with me. I do not know if that is som ething that the Honourable Minister would want to f ocus
on trying to reduce. But if we are trying globally for this business, is the Honourable Minister satisfied that four
to six months is really good enough?
In this same area, the Minister referred to developments during his brief and referred to charit ies.
And I did not quite catch him, but what I understood
him to be saying is that there would be a proposed
change where any CSP (which stands for corporate
service provider) who was monitoring a PFC (which
stands for privately funded charity), that there would
be an exemption there in terms of the amount of detail that needed to be provided. So, in simple terms, if
there is a privately funded charity, if it is being managed by a registered corporate service provider, then
the regime would be slightly less onerous. I think that
is what he said . But I would be grateful if he could
confirm that, as it was not something strictly that was in the Budget Book, but really from his brief, which I do not have.
Turning then, Mr. Chairman, to the third of the
seven h eads, which is Head 32. This is the D epartment of P lanning, and the numbers are set out at
page B -309. And it is also up a tick, but only a tick.
And a question I had related to the next page, page B -
310, and there we see the revenue summary and we
see two largish increases in revenue, one under bus iness unit 8123, the Planning Application Fees. And
so, perhaps the Minister could speak as to why that is increasing, to his understanding. I would imagine,
without knowing, that it might have something to do
with people not building as much during COVID -19 and people now coming out of COVID -19 and wishing
to build. But I do not have his insight on that.
Also, curiously, I see an increase at line item
8517, relating to Elevator Licences. We see quite a significa nt increase there. And I don’t know. Have fees
been put up on that? Or is it just that people were not
using buildings with elevators in them during COVID -
19 and now they are? Could we perhaps have a practical explanation for that increase in the revenue
source for that line item?
Looking below that, still at page B -310, we
see employee numbers and there is an increase here of five new employees, three of whom are an increase
against two years ago, in business unit 42060, Forward Planning. And the Minister spoke to some of
what they would be doing, and indeed the perfor-mance measures at page B -311 shows some of the
measures for the group in Forward Planning, now a
group of six people. But perhaps the Minister could
explain why we are seeing the growth in that section. I
ask because obviously the Draft Bermuda Plan 2018
is now done.
Also, at the performance measures there
seems to be a reference to them dealing with Parish
Councils. And I had understood, perhaps mistakenly,
but I had understood that the responsibility for Parish
Councils had transferred out of this Ministry to Works and Engineering. But maybe there is a liaison function that still exists. Anyway, it seemed like a more minor
role for them. And then really, so what is it that those
six are doin g? Is it merely that the draft City of Hami lton planned . . . not merely , is it that specifically? I am
not wishing to suggest it is not an onerous task. I am
sure it is and an important one as well.
Then, the Minister in his comments talked
about the com munity plan for St. David’s. And I did
read with interest the initial feedback from that plan. I think almost a third of those who responded to the
initial round of consultation were looking for a return of a supermarket in the east end in St. David’s. So, we
will see how that develops. And the Minister had ind icated that this would be something of a partnership with the BLDC . So perhaps the Minister could kindly
elaborate a bit on how the BLDC is going to be i nvolved in that partnership. What would they be doing
as opposed to the Ministry?
The Minister then dealt with a few topics that
were not necessarily in the Budget Book. But one of the ones that he touched on, and obviously it has a
financial underpinning, but he spoke quite a considerable amount about climate change. And it is som ething that the Minister has spoken about for some time
now and with great authenticity. And I am pleased to
see that. And my questions, I guess since his comments were slightly general, would be these: What
does the Minister feel can be done now about climate
change? What should we be doing next practically? Is
there something he has in mind there? I note what is


Bermuda House of Assembly going on and what has been going on. But I would just
like to hear sort of next steps.
Turning then to the fourth of the seven heads,
Mr. Chairman. And I note that I am running short of
time, so I will try to speed it up. This is on land valu ation. And there is not all that much going on here.
Again, it is an uptick. It is about $88,000 more versus
the revised number s and about $188,000 versus two
years ago. And it looks to be if one looks at . . . Sorry.
Those numbers that I was looking at are at page B -
313. Over the page, Mr. Chairman, to page B -314, it
looks like the reason for that increase is largely salary -
drive n. And I anticipate it is because if one looks at
the employee numbers we now have two extra posts
above the revised posts. And that is probably the a nswer, but if the Honourable Minister can confirm.
Turning then to the fifth of seven heads, this is
the environment and natural resources, Head 79. It is
at page B -317 of the Budget Book. And it will not surprise the Minister that the point that I would like to hear more about is the decision to cut the grants un-der that head. The grants are set out at page C-21 of
the bundle and there are four specific grants there. They are business units 6970, 7006, 7007, 7098
which are the SPCA, BIOS Air/Water Quality Study,
the Bermuda Amphibian Research and then the
Summer Student Programme. The Minister said that he wo uld seek to vire payment of these grant cuts,
and I would be interested to hear a little bit more about that —whether he has already sought that, how
likely he thinks it is that this will be given. But obviously on the face of it, it is disappointing news t o hear
about these grant cuts in this important area.
The Minister then spoke to the capital deve lopment at page C -8 of the Budget Book where he di scussed the aquarium refurbishment. And I will declare
my interest. My wife sits on the board of the charit able
organisation, BAMZ. So, I am sure they will be delighted by this news. I know that the aquarium is a
very expensive thing to run, but it really does bring
great benefit to our Island, not only as a tourist dest ination, but as a living educational faci lity.
The Minister then hit two separate line items
under this head, one was 89090 and one was 89100. And I would just like to know in terms of the farmer
community . . . he referred to the farmer community
(this is page B -323). What are the farmers’ stat ed
views on the proposal on vertical farming? Are they
for? Are they against? What is the feedback that has
been received? Because I know that they have pr ovided feedback.
And the second question is that under line
item 89100 the Minister said that regulations were
being drafted to address abandoned and derelict vessels. He said this in the context of the Keep Bermuda
Beautiful (KDB) plan, to try to remove some of the eyesores that dot our waters and bays. And I am just
curious, what regulations are needed? We heard last
year, and the Hansard can be seen from last year, on page 1212 of last year’s Hansard, that regs were b eing drafted then. I am curious what the status of those are and really what the purposes of the regs are. It
would be a great shame that legal foot -dragging is
preventing us from getting the job done, particularly
when a third- party charitable organisation has stepped
forward to do this or to assist with this or to drive the
project.
The Honourable Minister then spoke about
the vets and w ork they are doing. And I would just like
to praise their efforts.
He went on then to talk about the Shoreside
project. And he mentioned that it was a BEDC project. Perhaps the error is mine, but I had not noted that it
was going to be a BEDC -sponsored pr oject. Is that in
full or in part? Is that no longer going to be a gover nment grant? Is it only going to be through BEDC? Perhaps the Honourable Minister could clarify.
Still under Head 79, the Honourable Minister
mentioned the Blue Economy [Draft] Strategy, and he
said that this was still coming in March 2022. I mean,
obviously it is March 2022. And so, we hope to see something on that soon.
One of the grant cuts was the BIOS study on
water and air quality. It is the business case number
7006 ; it is page C-21 in the Budget Book. The Minister
referred to a potential UK study. Will that be water quality only or will it be on water quality and air quality, or will it be both?
The Minister then spoke about [night -time]
farming, still under Head 79. I would j ust like to share
that in my own constituency I heard that half a field was taken from someone overnight quite recently.
And I just would observe that this , to me, is not theft
for survival. It is theft for profit ; and it is entirely wrong.
So, I am gratef ul to hear that the Honourable Minister
and his Ministry are focusing on that.
Turing to the second to last head, this is now
the head on energy. And I am sorry to not be able to
give it more time as I would wish. Energy obviously is
focused on space ener gy and telecoms as well. We
see at page B -325 of the Budget Book that there is a
reduction of $320,000- odd. And I understood the Mi nister to explain that this is because an energy consul tant has been terminated. Perhaps the Minister could
explain a little bit more. Who is the consultant who
was terminated and was that a $320,000 contract?
Additionally, on page B -326 we see under the
revenue section, line item 8434, the Spectrum band fees which were considerably up from last year’s r evised numbers to $11.7 million look to fall in our est imated amounts by some $2.7 million to $9 million. So, they were $11.7 million last year on the revised numbers. They are projected to fall by $2.7 million down to
$9 million. And obviously that is a very considerable
loss of revenue. And I would be grateful to hear from
the Honourable Minister about why that is happening
and what, if anything, will be done about it.
820 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Turning then, Mr. Chairman, to the last head,
which is land title and registration, Head 97. The Mi nister spok e of his desire to have clarity and security on
land ownership. And that is something I very much
agree with. Bermuda has been making the move to
registered land over the last half decade to a decade.
And that is good and that is to be commended. What I
am just wondering is if perhaps the Minister could
conclude with just a high- level overview as to how that
transition is working, how satisfied he is with the regi stration percentage against the overall percentage of
land and also how it is staffed.
I know that there were some staffing difficulties in identifying people of sufficient legal expertise. That was a problem identified perhaps two years ago or perhaps last year. I forget which ; I apologise. Has
that now been resolved? Or is that still an issue? An d
if it is an issue, what are the plans to address it?
I am afraid I am only leaving the Minister
about 12 minutes to answer those questions. But I would be grateful for such answers as he can give. And I would conclude by observing that I know this
particular Minister to be vigorous in his efforts to answer questions when posed. And perhaps if he cannot
answer them all now, he would be good enough to get
me some answers in due course. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.

Thank you, Shadow Minister.
Minister, you have the floor with some 11
minutes and change remaining.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for the Honourable Member’s questions in relation to the Ministry in the time that was available.
He raised a number of questions. I want to try
to be very systematic and start with the Headquarters
with some of the questions he raised. He raised a
question about private funded charities under . . . I’m
sorry , that was the Registry General. Let me go back
to the Ministry of Home A ffairs Headquarters, Head
93. The Honourable Member made reference to a
significant reduction made in another Ministry of $306,000. That is because actually that amount will be
allocated under the Ministry. And the Ministry will actually be paying all the consultants. Much of the consultants’ budgets we will be taken care of. Let me just
give perhaps some more clarity. That was one that
was in relation to the Ministry, so the lion’s share of
many of the consultancy budgets will be shifted to un-der the Minis try.
I know there were some questions that were
asked under consumer protection, under the Ministry
head. And I think the Honourable Member made [reference] to an increase in the costs under consumer
affairs. But that has to do with . . . if the Honourable
Member would recall, I spoke on page 6 about the
case management system, and how there is a need to
upgrade that system. It is more than 20 years old. And the issues in relation to consumer protection and the
engagement have become more complicated. But at
the same time, we are on a process throughout the
Ministry and throughout Government generally of digitisation of our processes. So, that increase in expenditure is going to be towards the case manage-ment system.
The Honourable Member did ask some other
questions in relation to the Landlord and Tenant Act. Those Acts are quite old. They go back to the 1970s
and there have not been significant amendments to
them other than very recent amendments that we
might have made, smaller ones. But also, the ones
that we intend to make are going to modernise and
also consolidate them , because there are about three
or four different pieces of legislations under landlord tenant right now. So, our process is going to be a modernisation process of all that legislation.
I also believe the Honourable Member asked
a question about the climate study. I can confirm that
this is being paid for by the UK Government, as is the
Blue Shield P rogramme, as well. And the works that
we benefit from . . . We benefit very heavily from par tnerships, whether it be with the UK Government but
also with Waitt Foundation and with the Rocky Mou ntain Institute. So, there were considerable partnerships that we get funding support from.
The other question had to do more about the
Landlord and Tenant Act. These Acts do not speak to
the issue of returns of deposits on leases. They do not speak to the issues of maintenance. They do not even
speak to issues from where the laws don’t speak to about violent behaviour due to non- payment. So,
there are a number of different issues that we need to make sure that we incorporate into the framework for
Landlord and Tenant that will be very important.
I think the Honourable Member had a question in relation to debt collection. Honourable Member,
did you have a question in relation to debt collection?

Yes, I did. It was: How does one
define who is a debt collector versus who is a consul tant to the Government?

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Okay. Speaking to the legisl ation, there is a process upon which an application
must be made under the new Debt Collection Act that
we put in place, of which a specific type of application
process made. We have about six or so of those actual debt collection agencies that do exist that are either licens ed or provisi onally licen sed. Like the Debt
Collection Act 2018, you cannot carry out a debt collection business on behalf of another without a l icence. The exemption is law firms whose debt collection is 50 per cent or less of their revenues and those
businesses that collect their own debt. So, those are some of the categories that specifically are under the Debt Collection Act as to who is and who is not a debt
collector.


Bermuda House of Assembly I am going to move on with the time that I
have. I think I have already said that the climate st udy
is being funded by the UK Government.
I am going to move on to some of the pla nning matters of which the Member raised about rev enue. Why the increase . . . why the increase in planning fees ? I’m sorry . . . You said that there was an
increase in revenue? Okay. Oh. Yes, there is an i ncrease in the planning fees for the elevators. That is
why you see that increase.
Another question was asked about planning
application numbers. Okay, also planning application numbers . Statistics have shown that applicat ion submissions continue to rise significantly. I made that
statement in my brief, in that even through the last couple of years we have seen a pretty steady . . . and
I went into great detail on those statistics, that there has been pretty much a steady i ncrease in the amount
of planning applications going back to 2019. So, that
accounts for uplift there.
As it relates to elevators with the department’s
new system [INAUDIBLE 5:10:52] has been enabled
and an audit of all deliveries on Island is to identify
outstanding fees expired by licences. It is expected to bring these into compliance within this new fiscal year.
I think you made reference to Forward Planning, the section. Why the increase in staff? That is
because (I think this was also mentioned in m y brief)
we are looking to formally put in place the new Heri tage Officer who is now a trainee, and also there were
posts frozen in 2020, of which we are seeking to fill.
There are about three posts. One of them is the Heri tage Officer. One of them is a pl anner, as well. So, we
are looking to fill those.
I think you asked something about the St. D avid’s Plan. That is a part of a wider emphasis in the
new Bermuda Plan, which relates to community. One
of the efforts, obviously COVID -19 would have limited
it, is to go out and identify areas of the community that
need more special attention and need to have their
own planning needs properly addressed, which is why
there is an effort to create a St. David’s Plan. Part of
that process will be consulting with the councils. The councils no longer come out of the Home and Affairs
Ministry, but we will be consulting with them as it r elates to some of the community needs from a planning
standpoint that they feel are specific to their particular
parishes. So that is goi ng to be a part of the actual
process. And of course, BLDC is a huge constituent
stakeholder of St. David’s, so it is important to work
with them as it relates to the St David’s Plan going
forward, as well as with the residents, of which you have already had the benefit of some of the consult ation.
Some of the other answers on H ead 79: What
regulations are needed to address the abandoned vessels and why did it take so long? That is really the
remit of Marine and Ports when it comes to vessels. So, I would ask that he actually discuss that or arrange it with the Minister of Transport.

One minute remaining, Minister.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: As it relates to vertical far ming, the vertical farming initiative is actually under the responsibility of the Bermuda Economic Development
Corporation as a business development opportunity.
So, questions related to vertical farming . . . we are
only providing certain advisory support to BEDC on
that. It is not a project the same way as the Shoreside
facility . Those projects do not sit within my Ministry.
They may relate to responsibilities around fisheries
and farming, but they are business development pr ojects that sit in the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation boat. So, I would suggest that you go to that Minister for any more detailed answers.
[In] r egard to the decision to cut grants with
the SPCA, the Amphibian Research and BIOS Air
Quality —

It ha s been moved that H eads 93, 29,
32, 49, 79, 89, 97 be approved as read.
Any objections?
No objections, Minister.
Thank you. And that concludes Home Affairs.

[Motion carried: The Ministry of Home Affairs, Heads
93, 29, 32, 49, 79, 89, and 97 were approved and
stand part of the Estimates of Revenue and Expend iture for 2022/23.]

Thank you, Honourable Member Kim
Swan.
Good afternoon, Honourable Members. We
are now in Committee of Supply for further consider ation of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for
[the year 2022/23] for the Min istry of Social Develo p822 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly ment and Seniors. This is a four -hour debate. And the
Minister will be doing Heads 86 and 23.
Minister Furbert, you have the floor.

MINISTRY OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
AND SENIORS

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman.
I mo ve that the following Heads: Head 86—
Ministry of Social Development and Seniors Headquarters, and Head 23— Child and Family Services be
now taken under consideration.

Continue, Minister.
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chai rman, I am pleased to present the fi scal year 2022/23 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Ministry of Social Development and Se niors by providing a brief overview of the Ministry as a
whole. Mr. Chairman, as the Minister of Social Development and Seniors I have the responsibility for the
following portfolios: Department of Child and Family
Services; Social Services; A geing and Disability Services; Charities; and The Human Rights Comm ission.
Mr. Chairman, currently the Ministry is comprised of two heads. I will provide detailed information
on Head 86, the Ministry Headquarters (inclusive of
Ageing and Disability Services and the K. Margaret
Carter Centre) followed by the Department of Child
and Family Services, Head 23.
Mr. Chairman, in the face of t he fiscal constraints and the austere measures, the Ministry of S ocial Development and Seniors continues to strive to support Bermuda’s residents and the most vulnerable
populations, specifically our children, our persons with
disabilities, and our seniors . To this end Mr. Chai rman, for Bermuda to be successful, the optimal phys ical, social, emotional and psychological well -being of
our residents is paramount.

COVID -19 and the Budget
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, as a result of the
global pandemic, i t was necessary to reprioriti se our
resources and to adjust our focus to deliver sound programmes and services. This entailed ongoing di scussion and collaborative efforts , for example, being
aware of the technical challenges that were faced by
Bermuda’s seniors during this time. And it was imperative that the Ministry Headquarters staff provide assistance to seniors and other vulnerable persons. We
were sensitive to certain needs and acted proactively .
Therefore, the Ministry Headquarters staff supported
seniors and our vulnerable population in accessing
and printing their SafeKey certificates.
Furthermore Mr. Chairman, the COVID -19
pandemic has exacerbated the myriad of ongoing s ocial and medical issues that plague those ageing in the community. Many of our seniors have fewer connections due to ongoing medical issues such as
chronic illness, dementia, et cetera. Social isolation
amongst the elderly is very topical, both locally and globally. In a report published by the National Council
on Aging (Vol.24, Is sue 4, 2017), a study undertaken
by the Global Council on Brain Health was highlighted. This study indicated that the elderly, who are is olated, are at an increased risk for depression, cognitive decline and dementia.
Mr. Chairman, the Ministry has recogn ised the
significance of memory care services required by this
sector of our community, and as a first step in assis ting this portion of the population, the Ministry created
help cards for people with dementia to assist them
with providing vital informatio n if they become overwhelmed or lost. I would like to take this opportunity to
thank Inspector Scott Devine and the p arish constables in their role in distributing these cards to persons
within our community who have been impacted by
dementia. In the 2022/ 23 Budget, the Ministry intends
to strengthen services in this area of concern.
Mr. Chairman, like other countries in the
world, Bermuda has not escaped the financial and
social impacts of the COVID -19 pandemic. Our res idents are struggling now more than e ver to meet their
fundamental basic needs. Consequently, Mr. Chai rman, the Ministry of Social Development and Seniors
hosts monthly meetings with third sector organi sations
such as Age Concern, Bermuda Diabetes Association,
Centre Against Abuse, Dementia A lliance, Vision
Bermuda, Pathways, the Family Centre, and Women’s
Resource Centre, and the Transformational Living Centre.
The Ministry held continuous meetings with a
working group on food security that included various
social partners such as the Eliza DoLittle Society, St.
Vincent de Paul Society and the Salvation Army.
There is ongoing dialogue with churches and religious
groups such as the Salvation Army and Peace Lutheran Church to name a few. These meetings aim to
keep the Ministry current on gaps w ithin service prov isions in our community.
Mr. Chairman, during the various spikes in the
COVID -19 pandemic during fiscal year 2021/22, the
Ministry undertook to ensure that our homeless population was tested for COVID -19 virus. Also, a plan of
action was developed to provide accommodation,
food and services (that may have been required) in
case anyone tested positive. Many will not have been
aware that this population was not overlooked, and plans were made in advance of needs being ident ified.

National P riorities

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I would like to
inform this Honourable House of the status of the Mi nBermuda House of Assembly istry’s ongoing priorities that commenced in fiscal year
2021/22.
Mr. Chairman, we are pleased that the Mini stry of Social Development and Sen iors will continue to
advance the Children In- Care Advisory Council. The
Council has been moderni sed to ensure that those
children in care who are able to form their views and
freely express them on matters concerning their social
development and well -being are given the opportunity
to do so. The proposed Bill will now allow for chi ldren’s voices to be heard with respect to such topics as education, their religious/spiritual beliefs, and their
safety. This allows the child’s voice to be heard, and
considere d, in order to uphold Articles 12 and 13 of
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child [UNCRC] . Mr. Chairman, the Bill is due to be
tabled in the House very shortly.
Mr. Chairman, the Ministry in conjunction with
the Department of Child and F amily Services, will co ntinue to advance the Independent Living Transition Programme that has been developed to ensure that
children ageing out of the care of the Director of Child
and Family Services receive adequate levels of sup-port while they transitio n.
Mr. Chairman, this programme is the first of its
kind in Bermuda. It will provid e ongoing assistance to
in-care leavers with such matters as housing, contin uing education, career guidance, access to physical
and mental healthcare, life skills counselli ng and opportunities intended to assist them in becoming self -
sufficient and productive citizens of Bermuda.
I am pleased to inform this Honourable
House, that a programming and procedure manual,
and related programming documents have been developed. A su itable location has been identified for
this programme and operations are expected to commence within the next two months. I want to thank the
team of Department Child and Family Services who have worked diligently to see this project come to fruition.
Mr. Chairman, t he litigation guardians, when
appointed by the courts, are individuals who seek to
ensure the best interests and safety of children in court proceedings. This is a provision within the Bermuda Children Act 1998. The Ministry has been wor king c ollaboratively with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Office of the Governor, two exper ienced family court professionals ; namely, Mr. Anthony
Douglas and Mr. Cyrus Larizadeh, the Executive Team of the Department of Child and Family Services,
the Judiciary, community and non- profit organi sations
and Bar members to strengthen the l itigation guardian
framework in Bermuda.
This project has taken an inclusive approach
with all those professional groups whose focus is chi ldren. Therefore, systems are in place in order to holi stically and effectively move forward.
I am pleased to report that in November 2021,
a series of meetings and training sessions were held with a wide spectrum of professional and interested
parties across the I sland. The focus was to ensure
that the family court process achieves the best poss ible outcomes for children and young people in Bermuda who need care, support, and protection.
In these past few months, Mr. Chairman, a
training manual was finali sed, recruitment of new lit igation guardians is nearing completion, and an intensive week -long training programme was conducted in
February 2022 that was overwhelmingly subscribed.
Participants included the current litigation guardians, potential litigation guardians, members of the Depar tment of Child and Family Services, members of the
Judiciary, members of the Bar Association, clinicians,
and members of Bermuda’s third sector community.
Mr. Chairman, further training and programming work is to be carried out to ensure the embed-ding of the litigation guardian service in Bermuda.
Mr. Chairman, t he Government of Bermuda
has recogni sed that the country’s fastest growing d emographic population is the older citizen. This dem ographic shift presents both challenges and opportun ities to improve the social, economic and healthcare
systems for our seniors. A National Senior Strategy
will require a holistic approach that will ensure that the
Government will play a key role as the standard setter
and launch meaningful change in this arena.
In this cur rent fiscal year, the Ministry set
about a procurement process to move this initiative
forward. The risk and volatility that has been intr oduced into the landscape as a result of the pandemic,
has meant that progress in this component of the Mi nistry’s age nda has been delayed. The Ministry intends
to progress this initiative forward with a very robust integrated and sustained approach.

Communications

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, messaging is a
key to community outreach. In an attempt to keep the
public informed, the Ministry has established two f orums during this fiscal year. The forums include the
following :
1. Let’s Get Social , which is a community chat
forum, live from Zoom and visible on the Go vernment of Bermuda’s Facebook and
YouTube channel, CITV , WOW and Digicel,
provides an opportunity for the public to understand the Ministry’s purpose and exchange
ideas about ways to enhance the conditions of
the Island’s citizens. As shared previously, a country’s success is contingent on its citizens’
overal l well- being.
2. The Golden Hour is a radio talk show on Magic 102.7FM that connects our seniors to topics that impact them. This allows the Minister and
Community Stakeholders to engage with se niors, virtually, in the comfort of their homes.
824 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Chairman, i n this year the Ministry has
been firmly associated with social protection efforts
such as:
• International Day of Persons with Disabilities;
• Teen Dating Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month;
• International Day for the Elimination of Vi olence Against Women;
• Human Rights Day 2021;
• World Braille Day 2022; and
• International Women’s Day 2022

Mr. Chairman, before proceeding with the
specific details of the Ministry’s budget, I would like to take this opportunity to inform this Honourable House about some of the Ministry’s priorities for fiscal year
2022/23. Due to the growing increase of financial
abuse against our seniors as stated in the Throne Speech 2022, the Ministry will review the Senior
Abuse Register Act 2008. This review aims to intr oduce amendments to t he legislation that ensures seniors have the necessary legislative protections against
financial abuse.
Mr. Chairman, currently, there is no official
register of persons with disabilities in Bermuda. In order to ensure that this vulnerable population rece ives
the support and services needed to enhance their
lives, the Ministry will develop a Formal Register of
Persons with Disabilities. The purpose of the register
is:
1. To enhance the lives of children, men, and women with disabilities by reducing or elim inating the existing barriers they face daily. For
example, when applying for benefits, specialised services, learning resources or the extra
assistance they need because of their disabi lity. The register will be beneficial in that aspect.
2. To provide a method to record all persons
with disabilities in our community in a centra lised location.
3. To improve statistical data collection on persons with disabilities in Bermuda.
Mr. Chairman, the summary of the fiscal year
2022/23 current account budget estimate for the Mi nistry of Social Development and Seniors is found on page B -286 of the a pproved Estimates of Revenue
and Expenditure for the year 2022/23 (Estimates
Book). The Ministry’s total budget estimate for the fi scal year 2022/23 is $24,591,000. Mr. Chairman, t his
represents an increase of $858,000, or 4 per cent
compared to the original estimate of $23,733,000 for fiscal year 2021/22, page B -286 of the Estimates
Book .
Mr. Chairman, the breakdown of the Ministry’s
current account budget estimate for 2022/23 by head
as shown on page B -286 is as follows:

HEAD
Department 2022/23
Estimate
($M) %
Increase
(Decrease)
86 Ministry
Headquarters $6.925 14
23 Child and Family
Services $17.666 0
Ministry Total $24.591 4

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the summary
shows that the fiscal year 2022/23 budgetary alloc ations for Head 86 have increased while allocations for
Head 23 remain the same. I will explain these chan ges in the budget further in this brief.

HEAD 86 —MINISTRY OF SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT AND SENIORS
HEADQU ARTERS
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the current account expenditure for Head 86—Ministry Headqua rters, will now be presented and can be found on pa ges B-286 to B -291 of the Estimates Book.
The financial year of 2022/23 Estimates of
Expenditure and R evenue for Head 86, the Ministry
Headquarters , can be found on page B -286 of the E stimates Book. Ministry Headquarters is responsible for
the budget of five business units : 96000—
Administration; 96040—Ageing and Disability Se rvices; 96050 —K. Margaret Carter Centre; 96060—
Policy Development; and 96070 —Grants to the Third
Sector.
Mr. Chairman, the mission of the Ministry of
Social Development and Seniors Headquarters found on page B -287 of the Estimates Book is the protection
of all individuals during their l ifetime and facilitation of
well-being. The objectives of the Ministry Headquarters are to
• collaborate with Ministry departments in order
to ensure overall policy objectives are met;
• create partnerships that will allow for better
coordinated services that are more synergistic
with Government’s social initiatives;
• help facilitate or improve social supports for
Bermuda’s at -risk populations; and
• advance Government’s social policy initiatives
with an emphasis on social cohesion.
Mr. Chairman, page B -288 shows that the t otal budget allocation for the Ministry Headquarters for fiscal year 2022/23 is $6,925,000, split between the
following business units:
• 96000—Administration, $1,535,000
• 96040—Ageing and Disability Services,
$809,000
• 96050—K. Margaret Carter Centr e, $1,749,000
• 96060—Policy Development, $159,000
• 96070—Grants to the Third Sector, $2,673,000
Mr. Chairman, the total budget allocation re presents a net increase of 14 per cent or $841,000


Bermuda House of Assembly more than fiscal year 2021/22 original budget of
$6,084,000.
Mr. Chairman, I will now present the budget
for business unit 96000, Administration , which can be
found on page B –288 of the Estimates Book.

Business Unit 96000 —Administration

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the Ministry
Headquarters , Administration, business unit 96000
has an increase in budgetary allocation for fiscal year
2022/23 of $923,000, or 151 per cent compared to the
original budget for fiscal year 2021/22 of $612,000 as
shown on page B -288.
Mr. Chairman, the number of full -time equiv alent posit ions, as shown on page B -289 of the Est imates Book, is three for business unit 96000 of the
Administrati on Section of Ministry Headquarters. Mr.
Chairman, this increase in budget allocation for bus iness unit 96000 includes the following:
• $300,000 for the payment of services provi ded by the Litigation Guardians Regime;
• $280,000 to assist in the introduction of the
community intellectual disability regime and corollary mental health services;
• $188,000 for overseas treatment to vulnerable
adults as all treatment options available in
Bermuda have been exhausted;
• $90,000 for the National Seniors Regime,
which is inclusive of the National Seniors
Strategy;
• $50,000 to bolster the community -based dementia care service that aims to optimise cl ient outcomes and reduce the burden on car egivers; and
• $20,000 for the creation and implementation
of a disability register to better assist persons
with disabilities and their families.
Mr. Chairman, the following grant allocations
will be provided from this business unit for t he follo wing third sector organi sations that assist the community:
• Centre Against Abuse that provides crisis
support services to male and female adult vi ctims of domestic and sexual assault and ed ucates our community about healthy relationships; and
• “home,” a new charity that was formed in O ctober 2021, to help solve and end homeles sness in Bermuda.
Mr. Chairman, the balance of the funds i ncludes the operational cost of the Ministry Headquarters.

Business Unit 96060 —Policy Development
Hon. Tinee Furber t: Mr. Chairman, for fiscal year
2022/23 [a full] $159,000 has been allocated to bus iness unit 96060, policy development. This is an i n-crease of $142,00 0, or 835 per cent compared to
$17,000 allocated in fiscal year 2021/22.
Mr. Chairman, the policy devel opment section
has one full-time staff as shown on page B -289 of the
Estimates Book.
Mr. Chairman, this policy resource is used to
assist the Ministry departments in their policy com-mitments throughout the year. This includes the
Throne Speech initiatives, and the Government’s platform promises.

Business Unit —96040 Ageing and
Disability Services

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I will now present
the budget for business unit 96040, Ageing and Dis ability Services , or ADS , can be found on page B –288
of the Estimates Book.
Mr. Chairman, the mission of ADS is t o protect seniors and persons with disabilities, who are at
risk of abuse, neglect or self -neglect through providing
compliance, programme delivery, education and
stakeholder collaboration. ADS has a b udget alloc ation of $809,000, for fiscal year 2022/23. This alloc ation is 20 per cent less than fiscal year 2021/22.
Mr. Chairman, the focus of the O ffice of Ageing and Disability Services is on public education and
awareness , accessibility , and case management. It is
important to note that ADS is undergoing a management services review. This is vital, based on fast
growing ageing population and the projected popul ations in the very near future.

Accessibility

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr Chairman, one function of
ADS is to provide guidance to community individuals
and government partners to ensure accessible buil ding and environmental design. The ADS Accessibility
Officer completed 28 assessments/consultations prior
to the end of 2021 and is on track for the targeted performance measure of 40.
The total number is again less than previous
years due to the impact of COVID -19. Under this r emit, ADS is also responsible for processing duty relief
exemption requests for materials to facilitate persons ageing at home. To that end, ADS has received and
approved three duty relief exemptions this past fiscal year.

Education and Awareness

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, education and
awareness is an important component to ADS’s mandate that has been limited in recent ye ars due to r esource challenges the office has faced, including the
increased demand from case management due to the
pandemic. Key achievements and work completed
over the last year include:
826 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly 1. The celebration of UN International Day of
Persons with Disabiliti es on December 3,
2021, in collaboration with other service pr oviders. This awareness campaign touched our
community in a very direct way. The ADS partners highlighted this day with a motorcade
that included clients from Mid- Atlantic Wellness Institute [MA WI] and KMCC [K. Margaret
Carter Centre] day services and the second
annual Common Ground conference hosted
by WindReach, which focused on advocacy.
2. ADS participated in nine information sessions.
These included presentations on
o abuse and how to report it;
o the services that are provided by ADS;
o dementia care in Bermuda;
o accessibility and sensitivity training; and
o a virtual town hall meeting on Disabi lity, Equity & Equality.
Mr. Chairman, ADS continues to engage with
partners on key issues impacting our seniors, such as
cybercrime.

Case Management

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, case management continues to represent the largest staffing component and primary progra mme of ADS. The current
team is committed to supporting our seniors and persons with disabilities in the community. This is done
through adult protection and support case management services, which includes receiving senior abuse
reports, which are mandated under the Senior Abuse
Register Act 2008.
Mr. Chairman, over the last year, the cas e
management section was hit hard by COVID -19 and
staffing changes. For a small team with high cas eloads, any loss or change in staffing can result in un-sustainable caseload increases. I would like to commend the team for making it through some challen ging times and transitions this year, while still maintai ning a high level of client support and continuing to engage in programme development.
Mr. Chairman, case management clients
range from seniors to persons over 18 years old with
a disability and who may be experiencing or at risk of
abuse, neglect or self -neglect. As a result, the primary
focus of the programme , is to address immediate
needs and to mitigate risk to client welfare. It should
be noted that there are cases that require a longer
term of support then the standard individual.
Over the fiscal year 2021/22 nearly 200 cases
have been managed by this section of ADS . Approx imately 80 per cent of clients are seniors and 20 per
cent are under 65 years old with a disability . ADS r eceived 77 reports of alleged abuse. Financial exploit ation makes up the largest portion at 39 per cent of r e-ports received. This is followed by neglect at 22 per
cent, physical abuse at 19 per cent, and emotional
abuse at 14 per cent.
There were two reports of sexual abuse.
[Also,] 15 per cent of all cases had active i nterventions a year after their initial intake.
Mr. Chairman, the case management area
has three case managers, one supervisor and one
case manager assistant. The current caseloads r emain at an average of approx imately 40 clients per
worker , reaching 1 worker per 50 clients at times over
the last year. The best practice standard is 1 worker
per 25 clients.
Mr. Chairman, these statistics made it necessary to seek a Government Management Consultant
Service review.
The operational and staffing review by Ma nagement Consulting Services [MCS ] was originally
commissioned in fiscal year 2020/21, but the impl ementation and output were delayed over the last year.
This review will undoubtedly assist with defining a bet-ter resourced Ageing and Disability Service. Further, it
will strategically establish an approach that enables a
more comprehensive adult protection system designed to enhance Bermuda’s alignment with the UN
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Ministry of Social Development and Seniors is seeking to have this UN Convention extended to Ber-muda.
Mr. Chairman, despite these challenges ADS
Case Management progra mme made advances this
year. A full- time acting programme manager was r ecruited i n August 2021.
As a result , the case management software
implementation was continued and improved over the
fiscal year 2021/22. Now, Mr. Chairman, 100 per cent
of cases are logged with improvements in the quality and quantity of information input. Over f iscal year
2022/23, the use of the software system will be a dvanced to ensure more timely and efficient access to required data.
Adult protection specific (APS) training was
created and implemented. As you are aware Mr. Chairman, ongoing professional devel opment is essential to social work practice. Access to relevant
training is essential. ADS has adopted the US National Adult Protective Service Association (NAPSA) va lues and core training curriculum. ADS is engaging
with a NAPSA trainer, in addition to local professionals. Quarterly trainings have commenced, and a more
comprehensive programme is being developed within budget constraints.
Mr. Chairman, it should be emphasised that
collaborative partnerships are essential to ADS Case
Management and our seni or abuse remit. Key par tnerships were strengthened in this period with entities such as Bermuda Health Council, the Bermuda Police Service, the Mid- Atlantic Wellness Institute, KEMH,
the Sexual Assault Response Team [SART], and the


Bermuda House of Assembly Centre Against Abuse. These partnerships have afforded ADS the options to increase their arsenal of
support in the area of protection and intervention.
Mr. Chairman, another key collaborative area
for ADS is the support of clients with complex support needs due to intellectual disabilities. Often complex
cases include higher risk due to the client’s capacity to
consent, safety risks due to behaviours and minimal to
no family support. For the past three years, ADS in
conjunction with Mid- Atlantic Wellness Institute, have
supported clients overseas due to the absence of appropriate on I sland services. At present, there is one
client overseas . In time , the individual will transition
back to Bermuda. However, the appropriate structure
and resources will be required locally to meet their needs. This has been done successfully in the past
when another client returned home in 2021, and this process was co -managed with MA WI.
Mr. Chairman, this successful transition of a
client was a result of MA WI implementing the first, and
currently the only, Tier 3 residential service in Berm uda, which became operational on April 1, 2021. I am
pleased to report that this client is doing well. They
are engaging in community sports and employment,
made possible by having the appropriate support in
place.
Mr. Chairman, in order to ensure current service and support gaps for adults with disabilities, es-pecially intellectual disabilities, ADS has partnered
with the development of a National Plan for Persons
with Intellectual Disabilities, led by the Mid- Atlan tic
Wellness Institute. The Plan that is nearing completion
is anticipated to establish a more coordinated ap-proach across public and private service and will i nclude public guardianship, protections for vulnerable
adults between the ages of 18 and 64 year s of age;
capacity legislation; community engagement and awareness raising; and improved access to long- term
care services and supports, especially for more co mplex cases.
Mr. Chairman, it must be noted that the i mpact of the COVID -19 pandemic on access t o these
types of services, especially day programming, com-pounded by the pre- existing service shortages and
financing gaps, has greatly affected many in our community, so this new Plan will provide some much
needed relief for this cohort.

Business Unit 96050 —K. Margaret Carter Centre

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the K. Margaret
Carter Centre (or KMCC ) business unit 96050, pr ovides direct support for persons with intellectual dis abilities in the community through day programme services.
For the fiscal year 2022/23, K. Margaret
Carter Centre has a budget allocation of $1, 749,000 ,
which funds 16 staff in delivering direct client services to 41 service users, participating in six different pr ogrammes.
Mr. Chairman, navigating the past couple of
years of the COVID -19 pandemic has been challenging as KMCC provides day services for vulnerable
adults. It was necessary for the management of
KMCC to change the landscape of service delivery to
ensure the safety and well -being of clients and staff
alike. As a res ult, the overall programme was restric ted to reduced client numbers and onsite activities that
focus on daily living, functional skills, production of crafts and in- house contract work.
Since the onset of COVID -19, KMCC has
been operating at half its normal capacity in order to serve clients in small bubbles due to their vulnerabi lity, facility layout and overall staffing and client num-bers. As a result, clients attend the facility two days per week. Overall, there has been a reduction in cl ients served. For example, 34 per cent of KMCC’s cl ients continue on site, work -based projects, while
44 per cent engage in either production work or functional skills. Since reopening during COVID -19, [a full]
22 per cent of our clients have not returned to KMCC
as some families have kept their loved ones at home
because of their vulnerabilities.
Mr. Chairman, to address the concerns of cl ient vulnerability, in December 2021 KMCC impl emented a COVID -19 screening programme for clients
and staff. Regular screenings help protect clients, staff
and family members while facilitating client engagement.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Ministry and Department of Health
for collaborating and guiding KMCC with the succes sful implementation of this pr ogramme .
As restrictions are now loosening, clients and
their families have been offered additional days to at-tend the programme . This is essential to support fam ily caregivers as well as increase sociali sation and e ngagement opportunities for clients. It is anticipated,
KMCC will return to all clients attending five days per
week effective April 1, 2022.
Mr. Chairman, over the last year, in addition to
the COVID -19 actions, KMCC provided the following
services and improvements:
• Enhancements were made to pr ogramme development, and vocational resources were purchased for effective client engagement.
• Essential assessment tools were purchased for
vocational skills, functional living and community
participation to better determine their physical and cognitive f unctional abilities relevant to vocational
skills and community work requirements over
time.
• Two of the six client groups (14 clients in total) at
KMCC were engaged in in -house work contracts
with local businesses. A nominal fee is provided
for these servi ces. Contracts included:
828 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly o Stevens Lunch Wagon (putting labels on their
packaging);
o Ministry of Health (assembling COVID -19 test
kits); and
o Bermuda Paint (putting handles and labels on
their paint cans)
Mr. Chairman, a laundry room was created at
KMCC , and a washer and dryer were purchased as
part of a new laundry contract work programme for
clients. Overall, it is anticipated clients will re -engage
in community work progra mme s across local business
and ultimately resume normal programming while
maintaining protective measures moving forward over
fiscal year 2022/23.

Business Unit 96070 —Grants to the Third Sector
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, $2,673,000 has
been allocated for the fiscal year 2022/23 for business unit 96070, Grants to the Third Sector , as shown on
page B -288. This is a decrease of $18,000, or 1 per
cent compared to fiscal year 2021/22 original alloc ation of $2,691,000.
Mr. Chairman, the breakdown of the budget
allocation for grants can be seen on page C -21 of the
Estimates Book. In fiscal year 2022/23, the following
charities and organi sations will receive a grant from
the Ministry of Social Development and Seniors to
ensure value for money by providing our community
with the resources, support, and services it needs to
assist our residents :
• Age Concern was established in 1978. The regi stered charity's mission is T o enhance the quality
of life and promote the rights and opportunities of
older adults over the age of 50 years old in Bermuda . Age Concern’s programmes consist of i nformation, adv ice and referral services provided
through their call cent re. Other support and services are provided such as financial support for
groceries, prescription drugs, and minor home r epairs. In recognition of the vast support Age Co ncern provides to our senior s within the charity
$25,000 has been granted.
• To uphold the Ministry’s commitment to our senior population, a grant for $1,345,000 is allocated to
rest homes. These rest homes include :
o Packwood Home is capable of caring for 30
residents ;
o Matilda Smith is capable of caring for 24 res idents; and
o Lorraine Rest Home is capable for caring for
30 residents.
• [A full] $75,000 has been allocated to the Wo men’s Resource Centre, a registered charity that
was founded in 1987. The charity’s mission is to
enhance the lives of women in Bermuda and its
vision is to be the leading resource and voice for women in Bermuda. Women’s Resource Centre
aims to promote gender equality by advocating for social change that eradicates injustices, inequal ities, and sexism against women through educ ation and training.
• Care of the Blind ( now known as Vision Bermuda)
is the only organisation on the Island to provide a
full range of specialist services that supports persons within our community with low or no vision. The Ministry of Social Development and Seniors
continues to support persons with visual disabil ities through the grant allocation of $15,000 to Care of the Blind.
• A grant of $50,000 has been allocated to the registered charity Meals on Wheels, which has sup-ported vulnerable me mbers of our community
since 1975. Through this vital service Meals on
Wheels provides a nourishing lunch that is deli vered four days a week to up to 220 individuals I sland-wide.
• Salvation Army Shelters is a registered charity
and provides a 30- bed night shelter located at 5
Marsh Lane, Pembroke that is operated in par tnership with the Government. The facility not only provides accommodations between the hours of
6:00 pm and 8:00 am to our homeless population
but also provides counselling and practical support. The Government is committed to our hom eless population and to ensure they have accom-modations and services. A grant for $550,000 has been allocated to Salvation Army Shelters.
• The Summerhaven facility, located in Smith’s Parish, provides resident me mbers of our community
who have physical disabilities the opportunity to
live independently. A grant of $600,000 has been
allocated to assist Summerhaven with their oper ational costs, such as food and support services for
residents.
• Tomorrow’s Voices, regi stered charity 816, was
established in October 2017 with the mission to provide services to individuals in our community
who are diagnosed with Autism or on the Autism
Spectrum. A grant of $13,000 has been allocated to Tomorrow’s Voices to ensure different ly-abled
persons in our community continue to receive the
necessary support and services to empower them
to be the best that they can be.

Subjective Analysis of Current Account Estimates

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I will now discuss
the combined subjective analysis of current account
estimates for business units 96000, Administration;
96040, Ageing and Disability Services; 96050, K.
Margaret Carter Centre; and 96060 , Policy Develo pment, which make up Ministry Headquarters as found on page B -288 of the Estimates Book.




Bermuda House of Assembly Salaries

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the budget all ocated for salaries is $2,217,000 in fiscal year 2022/23,
an increase of $232,000, or 12 per cent for the fiscal
year 2022/23 (see page B -288). This is due in part to
the creation of positions for administrative staff such
as a comptroller, accounts officer, and administrative
assistant. In total, 25 full -time equivalents within Mini stry Headquarters (under the following sections : Administration, Ageing and Disability Services, K. Marg aret Carter Centre, and Policy Development) who are
members of the Bermuda Public Service are also r eflected under this expense.

Wages

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chai rman, the budget all ocated for wages is $124,000 in fiscal yea r 2022/23, a
decrease of $45,000, or 27 per cent under the original
budget allocation for 2021/22. The decrease in fun ding reflects the decrease in full -time equivalents to two
employed at K. Margaret Carter Centre who are
members of the Bermuda I ndustrial Union.

Training

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chai rman, $8,000 has been
allocated for training for fiscal year 2022/23, an i ncrease of 3,000, or 60 per cent over the budget alloc ation for fiscal year 2021/22. The increase in the trai ning budget reflects the additional local group training
that will be provided to staff e mployed at Ageing and
Disability Services.

Travel

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chai rman, the funds of
$24,000 allocated for travel for fiscal year 2022/23 i s a
decrease of $8,000, or 25 per cent for fiscal year
2021/22. These funds include the ex penses for both
local travel and overseas travel for the Minister and staff at Ageing and Disability Services to attend vital conferences.

Communications

Hon. Tine e Furbert: Mr. Chairman, communications,
inclusive of phones, courier and postal costs, are budgeted at $50,000 for fiscal year 2022/23, which
represents a slight increase of $2,000, or 4 per cent
over the budget allocation for 2021/22.

Advertising and P romotion

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, advertising and
promotion of $22,000 for fiscal year 2022/23 is shown
on page B -288. This budget allocation is a decrease
of $4,000, or 15 per cent below the allocated original budget for fiscal year 2021/22. This decrease is a r esult of Ministry Headquarter s, ADS and KMCC taking
advantage of using free online platforms such as F acebook to advertise and promote services.

Professional Services
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, professional services of $1,350,000 for fiscal year 2022/23, is an i ncrease of 84 per cent . This includes funds for the lit igation guardians, the Centre Against Abuse and consulting services to provide occupational and physical
therapy to clients at KMMC. This 84 per cent increase
is due to the litigation guardian scheme was previously included in the original budget of Head 23 for fiscal
year 2021/22. In fiscal year 2022/23, it will now be
funded out of the Ministry Headquarter budget.

Rentals

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, $10,000 has been
allocated to rentals for fiscal year 2022/23. This increase of $9,000 is a need for Ministry Headquarters
to acquire a photocopier when it relocates.

Repair and Maintenance

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, in fiscal year
2022/23 repair and maintenance has been allocated
$116,000, or a 2 per cent increase over the budget
allocation for 2021/22. This increase in funding is to
ensure KMCC and the offices are professionally
cleaned daily and adhere to the Department of Health
cleaning protocols.
This b udget will also provide for the procur ement of security services , when needed, should behavioural intervention deemed to be warranted at KMCC facility.

Insurance

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, insurance of
$113,000 has been allocated for fiscal year 2022/23
and there is no change in comparison to fiscal year
2021/22. The insurance is for clients who do not have
basic healthcare insurance and they are provided with Health Insurance Plan [ HIP] or FutureCare. Particularly those clients who do on- the-job work with KMCC.

Energy

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, $91,000 has been
allocated for the facilities energy cost, which is an i ncrease of $35,000 or 63 per cent . This is to be utili sed
by the Ministry Headquarters.




830 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Clothing, Uniforms and Laundry

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the allocation for
clothing, uniforms and laundry is $3,000 and there is
no change in comparison to fiscal year 2021/22. This
allocation is for the clients who attend the KMCC.

Materials and Supplies

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, $113,000 has
been allocated for materials and supplies for fiscal
year 2022/23. This represents an increase of $18,000,
or 19 per cent which includes office supplies, books,
vocational supplies and food. The 19 per cent increase in this cost centre is due, in part, to the purchasing of supplies for the client’s daily vocational
skills programming. Further, there has been an i ncrease in cost for food supplies locally due to demand, taxation and shipping costs. Three out of the six
groups at KMCC i ncorporate cooking into their regular
programming.

Equipment (Minor Capital)

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, funds allocated
for fiscal year 2022/23 is $1,000 for minor works capital and there has been no change from fiscal year to
year.

Other Expens es

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, $10 ,000 has been
allocated for other expenses and remains unchanged.

Grants and Contributions

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, grants and contr ibutions were addressed earlier in my presentation.
The allocation decreased by $18,000 or 1 per cent .
These monies were re- distributed to two entities within
the third sector, namely Dementia Care and Home.

Employee Numbers (Full -Time Equivalents)

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the full -time
equivalent positions for bus iness unit 96000, Admi nistration , is three. On page B -289, you will note that
employee numbers for the Ministry of Social Deve lopment and Seniors Headquarters includes full-time
equivalents for two programmes within the Ministry.
Business unit 96040, Ageing and Disability Services ,
full-time equivalents includes seven for fiscal year
2022/23, which is a 22 per cent reduction compared to
fiscal year 2021/22.
Additionally, 16 full-time equivalents are employed under business unit 96050, K. Margaret Carter
Centre. This is a 6 per cent reduction in full-time
equivalents at K. Margaret Carter Centre . Figures for
business unit 96000, Administration , and business unit 96060, Policy Development were provided prev iously in my presentation.


Performance Measures

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, performance
measures, for business unit 96000, General Admi nistration , are outlined on page B -290 of the Estimates
Book and shows how the Ministry strives to meet its
target for internal compliance reviews and financial guidance or compliance training during the year.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff at Ministry Headquarters who remain committed to providing services to our community.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my remarks on
Head 86.

Thank you, Minister.
We are presenting doing the Ministry of Social
Development and Seniors. It is led by Minister Tinee
Furbert. She will move on to Head 23, Child and
Family Services.
Minister Furbert, you have the floor.

HEAD 23 —DEPAR TMENT OF CHILD
AND FAMILY SERVICES

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, I now wish to present fiscal
year 2022/ 23 Estimates of E xpenditure for Head 23,
the Department of Child and Family Services, which
are found on pages B -292 to B-298 of the Estimates
Book.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Child and
Family Services mission is protecting children by
strengthening families . The objectives of the d epartment are to
• minimise and eliminate those social, psychological, or other conditions known to cause or
contribute to physical and emotional illness and sometimes socioeconomic problems ;
• promote growth and directional change in
people, and their social situation;
• assist in facilitating or improving social support for those in our populatio n who are at
risk;
• provide treatment or curative services to address dysfunction and thereby assist people
to function better in society ;
• restore individuals to a healthy condition or
useful capacity.
The department carries out its objectives by
providin g investigative services; day care services;
care and protection services for children; residential
and home- based services for families; assessment;
intervention and counselling services for children,
adolescents and families.


Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Chairman, the current account estimates
for Head 23 begin on page B -292 of the Estimates
Book. A total of $17,666,000 has been allocated for
Head 23 for fiscal year 2022/23. This represents an
increase of only $17,000.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Child and
Family Services continues to focus on developing an
integrated service that allows children, adolescents
and families to receive services that are appropriate
and coordinated and meet challenges they face.
These challenges can include but are not limited to
uninvolved parenting; limited parenting capacity; s ocial and life skills; housing; employment; budgeting;
abuse of substances; antisocial behaviour; cognitive
deficit; education; mental health conditions and anger management.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Child and
Family Services is responsible for promoting and pr otecting the best interests and social well -being of chi ldren, adolescents, and their families. In order to meet these responsibilities, Department of Child and Family Services operates four programme s:
• Progr amme 2301— Services to Children and
Young Persons ;
• Programme 2302— Services to Individuals
and Families ;
• Programme 2303—Residential Treatment
Services ;
• Programme 2304— Administration.
Mr. Chairman, in fiscal year 2021/ 22, the D epartment of Child and Family Services once again continued its efforts of providing a seamless continuum of services to children and families throughout the
pandemic. The Department of Child and Family Services did this by redeploying resources to meet
chang ing program me and client needs.
Mr. Chairman, the COVID -19 pandemic r equired the Department of Child and Family Services to
remain creative in its delivery of services as a front -
facing, community -based child protection, residential
and intervention agency to protect both clients and
staff.
Mr. Chairman, as during the previous budget
year, the Department of Child and Family Services
Administration continued to consult with the Depar tment of Health to ensure safety protocols were updated as needed to enable staff to safely perform their
duties while monitoring and investigating child safety
in the community.
Mr. Chairman, these protocols continue to be
reviewed and updated as needed to not only ensure
safety but to focus on performance quality consistent
with best practice standards and accreditation. The
US Council on Accreditation has approved the Bermuda National Standards [Committee] which is the
standard used locally for accreditation of entities i ncluding the department who manages children. The
Bermuda National Standards Committee provides that review and accreditation. Mr. Chairman, service improvements have
been achieved by the Department of Child and Family Services implementing a strategy that begins with the
enhancement of a structured decision- making tool,
designed specificall y for Bermuda taking into account
our cultural identity and social norms.
Mr. Chairman, since 2013, the use of the
Structured Decision- Making Assessment tools allow
staff to objectively determine safety and risk for all children and their families who are referred to the D epartment of Child and Family Services. This tool utili ses a comprehensive assessment that ensures clients receive the appropriate support and/or services from
the appropriate agency. This process reduces referral
duplication, closes prev iously identified gaps in service delivery and increases overall efficiency and ef-fectiveness of programs.
Utilisation of this tool has resulted in an i mproved, comprehensive service delivery system that
has increased response time to initial referrals. A lso,
this tool further enhances appropriate prioritising of
referrals according to risks , and ensures that the
highest risks are addressed f irst resulting in better
responses and positive outcomes for clients.
Mr. Chairman, I will now address each pr ogram me and business unit for the d epartment as set
out on page B -293.
Mr. Chairman, the Happy Valley Child Care
Centre is in business unit 33010 and has an estimate
for the fiscal year 2022/23 of $1,061, 000. The output
measures for the Happy Valley Child Care Centre are
found on page B -296 of the Estimates Book.
Mr. Chairman, the budget allocation repr esents an increase of $31,000 from fiscal year 2021 /22,
this increase is related to the uplift in salaries.
Mr. Chairman, Happy Valley Child Care Ce ntre, is the only government -operated child care facility
on the I sland, which provides high quality child care
for a maximum of 44 children whose ages range from
three months to four years of age. Priority is given to children referred by helping agencies such as the Department of Child and Family Services, Teen Services, the Department of Health, the Child Develo pment Programme and the Department of Financial
Assistance. These agencies along with families experiencing various challenges account for 60 per cent of
the centre’s intake.
Mr. Chairman, each year there is increased
demand for child care placement at the Happy Valley
Child Care Centre. For the school year 2021/ 22,
[there were] 167 applications received for the 23
available spaces.
• Infant Spaces —6
• Toddler Spaces —8
• Pre-schooler Spaces —9
The application process for the 2022/23
school year begins on April 4.
Mr. Chairman, Happy Valley Child Care Ce ntre monthly fee is $400 dollars for all children enrolled.
832 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly However, if a child is in the care of the Director of D epartment of Child and Family Services, they do not
qualify for the Child Day Care Allowance and as such
their costs are absorbed by Department of Child and
Family Services.
Mr. Chairman, the estimated revenue for the
fiscal year 2021/22 school year was $192,000. It is
important to note that the actual cost per child is ap-proximately $525 per month, so that subsidy is also
built into the fees which are considerably less than private child care facilities. Despite the low cost to parents, Happy Valley Child C are Centre is a first -
class facility that is specifically designed to meet the
comprehensive needs of young children, provides an extensive curriculum of high academic standards with
trained teachers who are continuously involved in pr ofessional growth and development. The centre offers
enrichment programs that encourage family and
community involvement and builds upon child development.
Mr. Chairman, comprehensive services offered at the Happy Valley Care Centre include music
and movement; creative arts; literacy; writing; science;
math; technology; community service; field trips; strider bike riding; gardening; tennis; and swim ming classes, along with other curriculum activities that are designed to assist in the overall development of the chi ldren attend ing the Centre. A full nutritional programme monitored and approved by the Department
of Health’s Public Health Nutritionist, includes a mor ning snack, lunch and afternoon snack. The c entre also
has, if needed, an intervention programme that i ncludes mandatory parenting classes.
Mr. Chairman, as with other sections of the
Department of Child and Family Services, the pandemic required Happy Valley Child Care Centre to
make major changes in the way its services were delivered. During the closure in January 20 22, teachers
once again provided online learning experiences that aligned with its HighScope curriculum. The learning
sessions were 30 minutes of fun, hands -on interactive
activities for the toddlers and preschoolers. The chi ldren enjoyed participating in the sessions and seeing
their teachers and classmates. Those families who were unable to participate in the virtual lessons did at -
home activities provided by the teachers to ensure
that these children retained skills learned.
Mr. Chairman, Happy Valley Child Care Ce ntre consistently utilises child assessment outcomes for classroom planning and individual intervention activ ities. The HighScope Curriculum and Assessment tool
reflected outstanding results that validate Happy Va lley Child Care Centre’s commitm ent to an inclusive
learning model. The results for infants, toddlers and
preschoolers mapped steady improvement in all areas of developmental growth.
Mr. Chairman, in July 2021 [a total of] 14 chi ldren graduated from the programme and were all well prepared to attend preschool. Their accomplishments were celebrated with a drive through leaving cerem ony at the National Sports Centre.
Mr. Chairman, in fiscal year 2022/23, Happy
Valley Child Care Centre will continue to uphold its commitment to partnering wi th community resources
including the Child Development Programme [CDP ],
the Department of Health and Fire and Life Safety
Associates. Happy Valley Child Care Centre will continue to serve as a community service site for public
and private schools.
Mr. Chairman, during this budget year Happy
Valley Child Care Centre hopes to resume use of
community resources that support children’s learning
on site, such as presentations from SunSmart; Dental
Care from the Department of Health; the fire and police services. Support services for speech, occupational therapy and physical therapy will continue to be provided by the Department of Health and the Child
Development Programme .
Mr. Chairman, during the last fiscal year Happy Valley Child Care Centre has had upgrades to its
outdoor play areas including the replacement of pla yground surfacing with rubber tiles, installation of add itional sunshades, additional outdoor play equipment,
and storage stations along with the addition of stepping stone pathways for muddy areas . The Depar tment of Public Works installed new flooring through-out the building and upgraded the bathroom facilities.
All of these upgrades improved the physical plant and
enhanced programme operations. Happy Valley Child
Care Centre endeavours to maintain a first -class facil ity while educating children in a safe, healthy and caring environment.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of the Department of Public
Lands and Buildings in the Ministry of Public Works
for maintain ing the physical facility of Happy Valley
Child Care Centre throughout the year.
Mr. Chairman, Happy Valley Child Care Ce ntre continues to operate at best practice standards.
This year will mark the c entre’s third re- accreditation
with the Bermuda National Standards Committee, the
local accrediting body of entities who manage chi ldren.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff at the Happy Valley Child Care Centre, the Centre’s active Parent Teacher A ssociation [PTA] , volunt eers and community partners
for their continued dedication to Bermuda’s most val-uable treasures —Our Children; Our Future.
Mr. Chairman, I will now speak to programme
2302, Services to Individuals and Families , found on
page B -293.
Mr. Chairman, the activ ities covered in p rogramme 2302 are:
• Business unit 33020, Investigating and
Screening (formally known as Family Services) ;
• Business unit 33030, Foster Care ;


Bermuda House of Assembly • Business unit 33200, Counselling and Life
Skills (formally known as Bermuda Youth
Counselling Servi ces).
Mr. Chairman, the estimate for these business
units for fiscal year 2022/23 is $6,228,000. This repr esents an increase of $146,000, or 2 per cent compared to fiscal year 2021/ 22 budget allocation.

Budget Allocation

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, the Intake, A ssessment and Investigation section of the Department
of Child and Family Services is responsible for provi ding a unified response and comprehensive safeguar ding services to the children of Bermuda. The budget estimate for business unit 33020 for the fiscal year
2022/23 is $ 2,346,000. This represents an increase of
$108,000, or 5 per cent over the original budget for
fiscal year 2021/ 22.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Child and
Family Services provide services and support for chi ldren and families in our community who have been impacted by all forms of abuse, neglect and exploit ation. Also, the department is committed to partnering
with stakeholders to promote safe and healthy families
while protecting children from abuse, neglect and exploitation. This is achieved through investigations, assessments and referrals to counselling services and
support organisations.
Mr. Chairman, when a referral to Department
of Child and Family Services meets the threshold for
abuse and/or neglect, the assess ment tools provide
designated timeframes to initiate contact with a child
and/or family. The performance measures for intake
and assessments can be found on pages B-296 to B -
297 of the Estimates Book.
Mr. Chairman, the intake and assessment
team provides care and protective services and as-sessments to children. This is achieved through three
specialised units : Screening, Investigations and A ssessments, which have a combined total of 16 staff.
The screening team is comprised of five social work
assistants w ho are on duty each day to receive new
referrals via email, fax, the Kids Line or from members
of the public or professionals who walk into the department. The Investigation team includes five social
workers who are responsible for conducting inquires
on al l cases screened in to be investigated.
The Assessment team includes three social
worker s who conduct assessments on all children who
are referred from sections within the department. In
2021 an additional staff member from Residential
Care was reassigned due to the COVID -19 pandemic
to provide additional support with the screening of
new referrals to the department.
Mr. Chairman, due to the nature of the Services provided by the Department of Child and Family Services, the department operates 24 hours a day.
Afterhours, weekend and holidays coverage is also provided on a crisis basis to ensure that assistance
can be provided to the police, the hospital and me mbers of the community. In 2021 [there were] 48 referrals received via call out, which refers to eit her afterhours, weekends and/or holidays.
Mr. Chairman, the investigation team received
918 new referrals in 2021. This is a decrease from 2020, when 930 new referrals were reported to the
Department of Child and Family Services. The d epartment has one central screening system which a llows investigations or assessment services to be pr ocessed and assigned in an expedited manner. All
screenings are reviewed to provide immediate feedback to mandated referrers on the service or invest igation and the designated response timeframe.
Mr. Chairman, the screening process can also
provide the referrer with the reason the case did not
meet the threshold for investigation. The investigation
team completed 100 per cent of the Structured Dec ision-Making screening assessm ents within the stipulated timeframes.
Out of the total number of cases screened,
156 cases were screened out to other services; 716
were screened in for investigation and 45 were
screened directly to the Counselling and Life Skills
section for substance education. Cases that were
screened out and did not meet the threshold for child protection, the Department of Child and Family Ser-vices [DCFS] ensured the children and their families
were referred to other services within the community.
Referrals received for the following types of
abuse:
• Neglect —348: [There were] 166 neglect referrals for children exposed to family violence and 44 were for inadequate food, shelter, h ygiene and 70 for lack of supervision.
• Sexual Abuse— 197: [There were] 106 sexual
abuse referrals for child- on-child inappropriate
sexual interactions or child- only matters.
• Physical Abuse —109
• Behaviour Problems —81
• Emotional Abuse— 65
• Care of Relative—1
• Teen Pregnancy —0
• Service Requests —52 (increase by 8 per
cent)
• Suicidal Ideations/Attempts —8 ( decreased by
60 per cent)
• Family In Need of Assistance—43
• N/A—10
• Other —4
Mr. Chairman, of the 918 new referrals in
2021, the total number screened in for investigation were 716. The total number of referrals represents 529 children and 481 families for 2021. The amount of
first-time referrals to Department of Child and Family
Services was 242 children. [A total of] 166 children
834 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly had multiple referrals for either the same or multiple
abuse types.
Mr. Chairman, the referral numbers by age
and sex are as follo ws: Age 0 to 4: males, 63; f emales, 72; the total is 135. Age 5 to 9: males, 89; f emales, 85; the total is 174. Age 10 to 14: males, 101;
females, 110; the total is 211. Age 15 to 18: males 48;
females, 58; the total is 106. The annual total for
males is 3 01. The annual total for females is 325. And
the annual total overall is 626.
Mr. Chairman, it should be noted that of the
716 cases that were screened in for investigation 450
children had incidents reportedly occurring in the chi ldren’s home either by a parent, guardian, or caregiver and 184 reported incidents occurred out of the home and identified as a non- caregiver. [There were] 82
referrals for behaviour problems or service request. Of the 918 referrals, mandated reporters referred 793
cases in 2021, and this was a 64- case increase from
the previous year.
Mr. Chairman, as a result of COVID -19, chi ldren were required to attend school remotely and this may have impacted the reduction of overall referrals
of abuse to the Department of Child and Family S ervices.
Educators are mandated reporters and wit hout their direct contact with children some abuse cas-es may have gone undetected. The department is r equired to respond within 24 hours, 5 days or 10 days depending on the nature of the referral and the assigned timeframe. The d epartment received 218 referrals that required a 24- hour response; 471 referrals
required a 5- day response; and 30 referrals required a
10-day response.
Mr. Chairman, social workers conduct thorough, objective investigations that involve interviewing
children, their parents and other witnesses or collateral contacts who may be relevant sources of information. Social workers must observe the child and
their living conditions, the parent/child interactions and
relationships, conduct further record checks and obtain all relevant medical and assessment reports when
applicable.
Mr. Chairman, the second purpose of the i nvestigation is to conduct an assessment of the imm ediate service needs of the child and their family. This involves asses sing the child’s immediate safety; the
future risk of neglect and/or abuse within the home;
and determining the family’s need for necessities, cr isis intervention, counselling and/or support services. Department of Child and Family Services collaborates
with the Bermuda Police Service on referrals received
for physical, sexual abuse, neglect and behaviour
problems. Through consultation it is determined if joint
investigations are needed and if forensic interviews
are required.
Mr. Chairman, the investigation team noted an
increase in some categories of abuse. Referrals for sexual abuse cases increased from 124 in 2020 to 197 in 2021. Child- on-child sexual abuse or sexualised behaviour has increased significantly from 69 in 2020 to 106 in 2021, which equals 56 per cent of the
total number of sexual abuse referrals. The number of neglect referrals decreased to 348, or 10 per cent
from 2020. [There were] 166, or 48 per cent neglect
referrals for children exposed to family violence. The
majority of these referral s were received from the
Bermuda Police Service .
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Child and
Family Services received 52 service requests, which
is an increase from 2020. Examples of such requests
received are for local welfare checks made from overseas juri sdictions, mainly the United Kingdom. These
requests require home checks for children who are
involved in child protection services outside of Berm uda. It is important to note that these home or welfare
checks may require a considerable amount of time to
liaise with the agencies and relevant parties both here
and in the overseas jurisdiction.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Child and
Family Services is also required to investigate mandated professionals such as , but not limited to, doctors, day care providers, teachers, coaches, religious
officials and youth leaders if an investigation identifies
them as an alleged perpetrator.
A total of 41 investigations were conducted,
which required the investigation social workers to conduct interviews with the child/ children, their parent
or guardian, the mandated professional and all rel evant witnesses. These investigations may also involve the Bermuda Police [Service] if it is deemed that a
criminal offense may have occurred. This is a signif icant increase in compar ison to 2020, when there were
only four investigations [by] professionals. The low
number in 2020 can be attributed to children attending
school remotely and not participating in other extr acurricular activities due to COVID -19. As a result, they
had littl e or no physical contact with teachers and ot her adult facilitators of their extracurricular activities.
The outcome of these investigations in 2021
were 23 unsubstantiated, 7 substantiated, 4 suspec ted, 6 inconclusive and 1 is still open with the police. At
the conclusion of each investigation an outcome r eport is provided to the organisation or employer of the
investigated professional. The outcome report i ncludes recommendations that are a result of the investigation findings.
Mr. Chairman, investigati ons were conducted
on 716 reports of maltreatment and response times
were met on 637, or 89 per cent of the referrals. This
performance measurement exceeded the depar tment’s 80 per cent goal for the year. During shelter in
place and [the] various COVID -19 peaks in numbers ,
workers conducted investigations by various virtual
platforms such as WhatsApp video and Zoom. In
emergencies, workers did enter the community to i nvestigate child abuse cases, conduct forensic interBermuda House of Assembly views with the police and/or place chil dren in alternative households for their safety and well -being.
Mr. Chairman, during an investigation, once
initial contact has been achieved Department of Child
and Family Services is required to complete a safety assessment to determine imminent risk on all in-home
abuse cases. The primary goal of the safety asses sment is to ensure the child/children are safe in a
household and that the parent or guardian has agreed
to the established plan. If a safety threat has been
identified, the objective of both th e safety assessment
and the plan is for the department and the family to
work together to reduce risk without seeking a court
order.
Mr. Chairman, the investigation social workers
completed 431 safety assessments. This engagement
with parents allows the D epartment of Child and Fam ily Services to ensure that the child/children are safe
while working to preserve the integrity of the family.
Risk assessments are always completed after conducting a home visit and prior to a case being trans-ferred or closed. The team completed 336 risk assessments. Investigations that are referred for abuse
outside of the home do not require the Structured D ecision -Making Assessment tool as the alleged perpetrator is not living in the home and therefore the household is deemed s afe.
Mr. Chairman, a total of 693 case reviews
were conducted on 466 children and 407 families. Upon completion of the investigations , 529 cases
were closed, and 130 cases were transferred to other
teams within the Department of Child and Family Ser-vices.
Mr. Chairman, in accordance with Council on
Accreditation standards, the Department had four performance quality indicator meetings to review all data
that was compiled to ensure that best practice accreditation standards were maintained.
Mr. Chairman, the investigation team partic ipates in multiagency team’s meetings such as the
Sexual Abuse Response Team (SART) and the Child
Protection Team (CPT) , which is done virtually.
Mr. Chairman, all the employees employed by
the Department of Child and Family Services are
deemed essential workers , and during COVID -19 they
continued to respond to reports of child abuse or neglect. Investigation workers did the following during
sheltering in place:
• conducted investigations via Zoom and
WhatsApp video;
• forensic i nterviews continued using PPE and
other COVID -19 measures ;
• emergency call -outs and SART investigations
were conducted .
Mr. Chairman, the i nvestigation coordinators
resumed providing presentations on mandatory reporting and conducted four [presentations] to staff at a
private school, public school counsellors, after school programme staff and to Bermuda College social work students. The department provided virtual forensic
interview s for all staff, Vulnerable Persons Unit [ VPU],
police, and prosecutors in the office of the Department
of Public Prosecutions [DPP] . This training was pr ovided by the National Child Advocacy Centre.
Mr. Chairman, currently the assessment team
consist s of the Clinical Supervisor who has a doctorate in Counselling Psychology and three social wor kers who have a m aster’s degree (assessors). This
team is responsible for conducting comprehensive
assessments on children and families who are exper iencing issues inclusive of cognitive challenges, domestic violence, substance abuse, behavio ural problems, and emotional concerns. The purpose of the
assessment process is to produce a comprehensive
report that outlines the various factors that need to be
addressed in order to empower the family and en-hance family functioning.
At the initial meeting with clients referred for
assessment , they are provided with an overview of the
assessment process and sign consent forms to parti cipate in services. As participation in the assessment is voluntary, clients can decline services following the
referral or can withdraw from services, at their discr etion, at any point in time during the assessment pr ocess.
Mr. Chairman, a plethora of assessment tools
are utilised when conducting assessments and reflect
the needs of the family as based on the referral questions and presenting problems. Data collection entails
conducting clinical interviews with children and fam ilies, administering assessment tools , obtaining pert inent information from collateral contacts , and acqui ring written reports from external agencies already
providing services to the clients. Throughout the
course of conducting the assessment, assessment
team members receive clinical supervision from the
clinical supervisor on a weekly basis to ensure professional standards are upheld, ethical practic e is a dhered to, and the therapeutic alliance with clients is prioritised.
Mr. Chairman, the assessment team receives
referrals from both the internal teams within the D epartment of Child and Family Services and externally,
from the Family Court and Supreme Court. Service
provision entails three main areas: (1) individual assessments (child and/or adult); (2) family asses sments; and (3) consultations.
Mr. Chairman, individual assessments encompass socio -emotional and behavioural asses sments, cognitive ass essments, and attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) evaluations. Family
assessments reflect a family systems approach to the
assessment process, which entails data collection to
identify personal and familial variables that impact
family function ing and subsequently, the role of the
assessor is to propose appropriate solutions to i mprove family relations. Consultations may be conduc ted formally, by assessors completing reports that
836 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly evaluate the various factors impacting the child and/or
the family , which provides recommendations to aid
service provision. In addition, a social worker from
another team may request guidance on beneficial i ntervention strategies to utilise with their clients.
Mr. Chairman, the assessment team conduct
individual assessm ents on all new clients who are entering into f oster care so that baseline data can be
obtained regarding the child or adolescent who has not had prior involvement with the Department of
Child and Family Services. There has been a change
in the process for Residential Treatment Services
(RTS) since there is now a programme manager and
clinical social workers who have embarked on doing
the assessments for new intake clients referred to Brangman Home and Youth Development Cent re.
Assessment referrals initiated by the Family Court or Supreme Court must be expedited according to the
court order and take precedence over non- court cases
due to the reduced time frame and expectations of the
court.
Mr. Chairman, the timeframe for the compl etion of assessments ranges from a minimum of 45 days to a maximum of several months depending on
the time required to build rapport; complexity of the
case; the degree and consistency of client engagement; receipt of requisite information from collateral sources; and the length of time it takes to administer,
score, interpret, and write the assessment report. A feedback session is held at the completion of the assessment process with parents, the child/adolescent
(as appropriate) and, if consent is given, with case
management workers from other departmental teams
as well as schools.
Mr. Chairman, as appropriate, internal referrals to other sections of the department are facilitated
post-assessment and this primarily cons ists of inte rventions and services that are deemed necessary t o
be performed by the Counselling and Life Skills team
and the family preservation team. As appropriate, i nternal referrals to other sections of the department are facilitated following the assessment and the recommended intervention and services are implemented by the respective team.
Mr. Chairman, there were 16 cases carried
over from 2020. In 2021, there were 40 new referrals received in assessment which included 29 male [ clients] and 11 female [ clients ]. This number doubled
from 2020 where there were 20 new referrals received for that year. In 2021, there were 56 clients who received services and 37 clients closed. The closures included 16 males and 21 females.
Mr. Chairman, the sources of referrals to the
assessment team from within Department of Chil d and
Family Services included:
• investigations team —19 cases;
• family preservation —16 cases;
• counselling and life skills —3 cases;
• court social work —1 case; • foster care—1 case.
Mr. Chairman, by the end of 2021, based on
the referrals received the ages of the children within
the families serviced are as follows:
• age 0 to 4—1 ;
• age 5 to 9—13 ;
• age 10 to 14—13 ; and
• age 15 to 18—12.
There were 18 assessments reports completed for the year. There were 13 clients who were ser-viced but a report was not completed due to reasons
such as the client relocated overseas after the as-sessment had commenced; the client opted not to
complete the assessment after work had already been
conducted; the client was referred to external services; or the client’s status changed from as sessments to counselling and referred to Counselling and Life Skills (CLS). There were six clients who declined
services.
Mr. Chairman, a total of 174 assessment tools
were administered collectively by the team, which comprised the following areas: cognit ive—4; academic—3; behaviour —41 ; trauma—14; substance usage— 4; biopsychosocial —18; and mental health—90.
It should be noted that the assessment tools admini stered for mental health doubled from [2020] . Based on
the tools that were administered for 2021, the data
collected showed that there were the following needs
identified: (1) behaviour ; (2) trauma; (3) mental health;
and 4) substance. These areas were assessed by
using a biopsychosocial questionnaire to narrow down families’ concerns and challenges.
Mr. Chairman, several trends were identified
as follows: Increase in (1) ADHD assessments ;
(2) clients requiring external services (i.e. , therapeutic
interventions, psycho- educational or neuropsycholog ical assessments) ; (3) referrals for assessments for
both parent and a child within the same family ; (4)
more male clients requiring services ; (5) cases invol ving complex blended families ; (6) assessments on
multiple siblings within a family ; (7) domestic violence
cases ; (8) referrals for younger children (under 10);
(9) referrals for a dults as the primary client (particularly females) ; (10) mental health assessments ; (11) clients relocating overseas and ( 12) increase in anxiety
and depression since the onset of [ COV ID]-19.
Mr. Chairman, the COVID -19 pandemic continued to impact the Department of Child and Family
Services service provision throughout 2021. The assessment team continue to use alternative methods to
perform data collection especially during the shelter in
place period when staff were working from home. Multiple technology platforms were used, which allowed
scheduling flexibility. Working from home also impac ted the ability to observe nuances in terms of assessing a client’s demeanour, facial expressions, and
other body language which can be discerned during face- to-face contact.


Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Chairman, finally, the team participated in
several training sessions during the course of the
year, which were conducted internally and externally.
The team also participated in Clinical Circle, which is
a weekly professional meeting that is composed of
team members from the Assessment Team and
Counselling and Life Skills. The aim of the group is to
promote team cohesiveness, professional support and
peer consultation.
Mr. Chairman, the F oster Care section of the
Department of Child & Family Services is responsible
for providing alternative living arrangements for chi ldren under the age of 18 years old who are in need of
out-of-home placement . The budget estimate for bus iness unit 33030 for the fiscal year 2022/23 is
$2,741,000. This represents a $107,000 increase over
the original budget for fiscal year 2021 /22 and is rela ted to salaries.
Mr. Chairman, foster care or out -of-home care
is used for children when a safety assessment dec ision results in a placement to ensure a child’s safety.
Foster care provides a safe, supportive and therapeutic environment for a child, while working towards either family reunification or an alternative permanency
option. Foster care may be provided during a child
abuse investigation, assessment or ongoing intervention phase of child protection.

Sorry, Minister. I said one hour. I
meant two hours.

[Crosstalk and laughter]

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Madam Chairman, the Foster
Care Programme has three classifications of private
home placements:
1. Traditional Foster Care Placement . These foster parents are generic and have no biological
connection to the child.
2. Kinship Foster Care Placement . These foster
parents are related to the child and may have
a significant bond and connection to the child. 3. Therapeutic Foster Care Placement . These
foster parents have an advanced level of e ither education or employment, and skill sets
and are equipped to foster children with either physiological impairments and/or emotional challenges.
Madam Chairman, when a child is placed in
foster care, the Departm ent of Child and Family Services will work with the child, their parents, foster parents, and several professionals from partnering agencies that are providing services to the children and their parents. It is important that the following occur:
• Foster children must be supported through
key transitions such as the original placement,
changes in placements, changes in schools,
and then leaving foster care.
• Foster children must have ongoing care and protection while having their developmental
needs met.
• Foster children will not be subjected to any
physical discipline, physical restraint, or
chem ical restraint.
• Foster children must be assisted with gaining
skills and an overall sense of well -being that
will allow them to realise their potential while
positi vely participating in and contributing to
the wider community.
Madam Chairman, the Department of Child
and Family Services is responsible for monitoring out -
of-home care placements to ensure that the level of
care provided by foster parents is consistent with the
Council on Accreditation Standards. Social workers
are required to visit with the child and foster parent in
the foster home a minimum of once per month in addition to monitoring the well -being of the child in school
and their involvement with other stakeholders. During
2021, the Foster Care Team continued to monitor
placements and facilitate contact using electronic pla tforms. The child’s psychiatric, psychological, and
emotional needs must be constantly evaluated to
promote optimum care. Visits w ith the foster parents
allow for information sharing, discussion regarding the
stability of the placement including discussions about
successes and concerns.
Madam Chairman, all children in foster care
have a social worker and a social work assistant assigned to them. Children in foster care have all of their
needs met. Services provided by the department to
foster children include but are not limited to medical
care; dental care; clothing; therapy; social and recreational extracurricular activities; educational activities
and tutoring. In addition to contact with the child and
foster parent, foster care workers are required to meet
with the parent(s) on a monthly basis. These meetings provide an opportunity for the foster care work and
parent(s) to work on service plans to address the child
welfare risks that placed their child in foster care.
Madam Chairman, frequency of contact is determined by their assessed risk level. The higher the
838 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly risk, the higher the level of intervention and engagement required monthly. In accordance with the Chi ldren Act 1998, parental visitation is required for all
children in foster care unless otherwise ordered by the
courts. Foster care workers are responsible for ensur-ing that supervised and unsupervised visitation occurs. Re grettably there are a number of children in
care who have no contact from their parents either by conscious decision of the parents or due to their parent’s untreated severe mental health or substance
use.
Madam Chairman, the Department of Child
and Famil y Services uphold the principle of maintai ning significant familial relationships within the biologi-cal family of the child. It is the social worker’s respon-sibility to assess the suitability of family members to
ascertain what role they can play through v isits or te lephone contact that will be beneficial to the child if a child is placed with a non- relative . The department is
always open to family members as alternatives to tr aditional placements.
Madam Chairman, the F oster Care Team
consists of one coord inator, three social workers ,
three social work assistants and one administrative
assistant.
Madam Chairman, during the 2021 calendar
year a total of 67 children occupied foster care beds.
The team was also responsible for case management
duties for the c hildren’s birth families and foster fam ilies. This represents a numerical decrease by three
from the prior year. As was stated last year, the team remains concerned about the complexity of the cases
which has magnified in terms of mental health, beha vioura l issues and school difficulties.
During the last budget year, the Foster Care
Programme serviced a total of 12 therapeutic foster
children. The children in this category have a variety
of physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural challenges. Therapeutic Foster Parents are compensated
at a higher rate than traditional foster parents. They
sign contracts that outline the level of care expected
based on the children’s needs. Out of the 12 children
one was reunited with family and two were transferred from foster care to Residential Treatment Services.
Madam Chairman, by the end of [ 2021] a total
of 14 children left the Foster Care Programme. Five children were placed into Residential Treatment Services. Three aged out of the care of the director. Six
were reunified with their birth parents.
The foster care coordinator interviewed 25 i nterested persons for foster parent recruitment. Out of
those, nine were approved. Despite the constant additions to the pool of available foster parents, the d epartment conti nues to remain hard- pressed to recruit
enough foster parents to be open, available and sui table for emergencies and for hard- to-care for children.
It should be noted that DCFS continues to feel the
impact of the loss of the Sunshine League Children’s
Home, the current home of the Family Centre. This facility was a residential option for children above the
age of eight and served our department well with r espect to keeping sibling sets together. Presently
DCFS has 16 sibling sets residing in foster care and
out of that 16 only four sets are able to reside together
in the same foster home.
Madam Chairman, May is Foster Care
Awareness Month. In May 2021, the F oster Care
Team could not put on the Annual Appreciation Tea
due to COVID -19 regulations and guidelines , but the
Department of Child and Family Services organised a drive -by/take -out dinner for all foster parents. This
event was successful and was held at St. Paul’s in
Paget and the much appreciated gesture was cove red
by the media.
Madam Chairman, the Fos ter Care Pr ogramme ended 2021 with its traditional gift giving. The pandemic once again prevented an in- person party.
Donations were extremely generous from anonymous
members of the public, the RenRe Insurance company and Mount Saint Agnes school. Each chi ld was
gifted with multiple items for the holiday season. The
organisation of gift donations was fully arranged by
the executive of the Foster Parent Association which
is a registered charity. The “Angel Tree” was publ icised and on display at Rosa’s [Canti na]. Members of
the public selected “angels” from the tree which had
the wish list items of foster children on them.
Madam Chairman, the department would like
to acknowledge the foster parents of Bermuda who
are our unsung heroes who provide loving, stable
homes to children who have experienced significant
trauma as a result of abuse and/or neglect. Every day
they make a foster child’s life better with their numerous acts of care and kindness. Appreciation and
recognition must also go out to the Foster Pare nts
Association, the registered charity who work in par tnership with the F oster Care Team to provide extra
support to foster children and foster families. This
support comes in the form of financial support for educational trips, therapeutic equipment, specialised
recreational programmes, and laptops for senior
school students and tertiary education scholarships
for foster youth post high school completion.
Madam Chairman, t he impact of COVID -19 on
the Foster Care Programme cannot be minimised. The followin g was achieved to ensure a level of service was maintained for the clients:
• The move from in- person visits with children
and their birth parents to virtual contact using
either the Zoom format or the WhatsApp video
calling feature.
• Staff had to attend virt ual court hearings and
ensure that clients were set up to do the same.
• Foster children had to participate in virtual
clinical sessions to remain emotionally and
psychologically stable.


Bermuda House of Assembly • The pressure and demands of remote lear ning was felt by the foster parents.
• The Foster Care Team held virtual team
meet ings so that matters of importance could
continue to be discussed as a group.
• Virtual/telephone contact with foster parents
took place instead of the usual in- home
monthly visits.
• The team was restricted in i ts outreach to cl ients in their respective academic domains due to an inability to conduct in- person school
visits.
• [With] e very COVID -19 protocol that was put
in place, written notification was sent to both
birth and foster parents keeping them ap-prised of all changes and expectations.
Madam Chairman, I take this opportunity to
express appreciation to the Foster Care T eam who
ensured that the needs of our foster children were met
during these challenging times. Also, I would like to
thank all the individuals and organisations who have
supported the Department of Child and Family Services in various ways in order to make a foster child’s life experiences one to remember . Thank you.
Madam Chairman, the purpose of the Cou nselling and Life Skills (CLS) busines s unit within the
Department of Child and Family Services is to ad-vance and promote the emotional well -being of youth
up to 18 years of age and their families. The budget estimate for business unit 33200 for fiscal year
2022/23 is $1,141, 000. This represents a decrease of
$69,000, or 6 per cent compared to the original bud get for fiscal year 2021 /22. This is due to a decrease in
salaries charged to the business unit.
Madam Chairman, CLS offers services that
strengthen the knowledge, skills, positive experiences, and support systems of individuals and families to
make healthy life choices. Individual and family issues
include, but are not limited to, family and relationship dynamics; co -parenting; grief and loss; communic ation; trauma; and adolescent substanc e use.
Madam Chairman, CLS provides individual,
family, and group counselling. During the COVID -19
pandemic there were three substance groups conducted for the year 2021. These groups consisted of a
substance group in one of the local senior public school s, a grief group conducted for one of our local
private schools, and a debriefing group with internal
staff. The CLS team continued to provide counselling
support services to children and their families using
various telehealth methods such as Cisco, WebEx ,
Zoom, WhatsApp, telephone and email. In order to
best serve the needs of clients CLS counsellors work
collaboratively with clients to complete specific assessments or screening tools to measure progress
and service planning that is geared towards positiv e
growth and development. Despite interruptions to services by the COVID -19 pandemic the team completed 29 socio- emotional assessments and 18 substance
assessments for the year 2021.
Madam Chairman, CLS continues to align
services and practices with other teams within D epartment of Child and Family Services in order to
maintain a client focus that promotes wellness for
families and their children. In addition, CLS continues
to collaborate with external stakeholders by providing
a holistic approach that inc orporates the whole family
and their support systems. Referrals that are received from external entities such as Department of Educ ation, Child and Adolescents Services (CAS) , and the
public are screened into the investigation/screening
section and a decis ion is determined in conjunction
with the SDM tool [as to] which intervention is required
to determine the needs of the individual child and their
family so that it can be assigned for services. There is a memorandum of understanding between Ministry of
Education and Department of Child and Family Services that all substance- related incidents that occur in
schools are referred to the d epartment for either a
substance assessment, substance education , or both.
Madam Chairman, the number of referrals
that wer e received for 2021 was 114, an increase
compared to 2020. Out of this number 106 received
services and six were denied. The referrals that were
denied were based on client ’s being too young and
requir ing developmentally appropriate intervention,
and the other clients required a higher level of care
based on needs identified for services. There were 48
females and 58 males. Based on the [ referrals ], the
top five primary reasons clients were referred to CLS
services were: 1) domestic violence, 2) trauma, 3)
substance use, 4) mental health and 5) family rel ationships/dynamics. Over the years the highest age
group for males and females were children/adolescent
between the ages of 10 and 14 years old; and 15 and
18 years old. This trend has changed slightly in 2021
with the highest age group for females remaining the
same and males ranging between the ages of 5 to 9
and 10 to 14.
Madam Chairman, the sources of referrals to
the CLS team in 2021 are as follows:
• DCFS Teams (Investigations, Foster Care, Family Preservation, RTS and Adoptions) —86
cases;
• Court Social Worker —6 cases;
• Schools —15 cases;
• Other (police, KEMH, CAS) —7 cases.
Madam Chairman, in the year 2021 the number of children/adolescents that were serviced be-cause of domestic violence exposure has increas ed.
There has also been a noticeable increase in chi ldren/adolescents experiencing anxiety and depres-sion since the onset of COVID -19 and the adjus tments that had to be made around academic delivery ,
remote learning and lack of socialisation.
The CLS team noticed that in 2021 “vaping” is
still a trend amongst the adolescents. Substances
840 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly such as marijuana and alcohol are still prevalent with
adolescent use. The adolescents that were serviced in
2021 for substance usage demonstrated stage of use
that ranges from experimental, to social, to regular
use. The clients that were serviced revealed that their intensity for use was more about coping with life
stressors, trauma and grief. Their family systems (unhealthy to dysfunctional) played a vital role as to the
reason adolescents use, how much they use, and
what they are using, ultimately , to cope.
Madam Chairman, several trends were ident ified in the year 2021, as follows: (1) lack of non- acute
psychiatric/mental health services/support for children
and adolescents, (2) affordable health, psychological,
psychiatric services externally as many families lack
insurance coverage, ( 3) increase in anxiety and depression since the onset of [COV ID]-19, (4) more
male clients requiring services that cater to their
needs, (5) increase in complexity with families (generational trauma), (6) children being exposed to domestic vi olence, (7) referrals for younger children (under
the age of 10), (8) increase referrals for parent support with their children/adolescents, ( 9) co-parenting
services, (10) counselling for mental health, ( 11) cl ients relocating overseas, and ( 12) an increase in
comorbidity and psychiatric concerns regarding substance use. These trends demonstrate that there is a growing need for resources for children and adole scents who are i mpacted by numerous stressors and
now the onset of [ COV ID]-19.

Programme 2303—Residential Treatment Services

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Madam Chairman, the activity
covered in programme 2303 is Residential Treatment
Services. These servi ces include Family Preservation,
Brangman Home, Youth Development Centre, Observatory Cottage also referred to as Oleander Cottage,
Psycho -Educational Programme and Youth Residential Treatment. For financial year [ 2022 /23] this pr ogramme has a budget allocat ion of $7,595,000. This
represents a decrease of $48,000, or 1 per cent from
the financial year 2021/ 22 budget allocation.

Business Unit 33060 —Family Preservation

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Madam Chairman, the budget
estimate for business unit 33060 for fiscal year
2021 /22 is $1,411,000. The estimate is $134,000 under the original budget for fiscal year 2021/ 22. This
decrease is related to a realignment of staff within the
organisational structure.
Madam Chairman, DCFS’s F amily Preserv ation Team operates under a sound case management
and assessment model, which comprehensively as-sesses family and child needs and develops service plans with the family, child and stakeholders to maximise intervention and positive outcomes for children
and their families. The team is responsible for provi d-ing ongoing intervention to monitor and ensure the
safety of children at risk of abuse or neglect, assist
families to improve family functioning, increase child
well-being, reduce the need for placement in out -ofhome care, and to enable children in out -of-home care
to return safely to their families. I draw your attention to the reference to out -of-home care, which refers to
children in f oster care, Residential Treatment Services
and Psycho- Ed Services.
Madam Chairman, the ultimat e goal is to r educe or eliminate the circumstances in the family that
have been or are causing abuse or risk of abuse
(emotional and/or physical) to the child, and to mai ntain the child in the home environment. The Family
Preservation Team receives referrals from the department’s Intake Team and from DCFS out -of-home
services (Foster Care, Psycho- Ed, or Residential
Treatment Services).
Madam Chairman, Family Preservation Services are provided to clients of the Department of
Child and Family Services, either via consent of the
parents or under the authority of a c ourt order. If a
child’s safety is an assessed concern as per the Chi ldren Act 1998 and its revisions, Family Preservation
Services will be mandated if deemed so via the
courts. Upon consent, the Fam ily Preservation Services is also provided for a young person transitioning from care at the age of 18. The purpose of this service
is to reduce the likelihood of future harm and to pr ovide support and assistance to the young person as
they transition into independent living.
Madam Chairman, in order to achieve its goal,
Family Preservation Services requires its social wor kers and social work assistants to manage cases in
compliance with the Council on Accreditation Family
Preservation standards, in accordance with the pol icies and procedures of the department and the Struc-tured Decision- Making tool assessment system for
child protective services. The social worker’s frequency of contact with a family is determined by the fam ily’s assessed risk level. The higher the assessed risk
for future abuse or neglect, the higher the level of i ntervention and engagement required monthly.
Madam Chairman, a household assessed as
high risk requires a minimum of four face- to-face visits
per month. Moderate risk requires a minimum of two
face- to-face visits per month with parents/caregivers
and children in addition to collateral contacts , for example, schools, therapists, doctors, mentors . Low risk
requires a minimum of one face- to-face visit per
month with parents/caregivers and children in addition
to collateral contacts. Contact with collaterals is an
additional monitoring measure to safeguard the well -
being of children.
Madam Chairman, the Family Preservation
Team currently consists of two c oordinators, seven
social workers, seven social work assistants and one
administrative assistant.


Bermuda House of Assembly Madam Chairman, I will now highlight the performance of the Family Preservation Team and the
client outcomes for the calendar year January through
December 202 1.
As with other sections of DCFS, significant
and frequent procedural adaptations continued to oc-cur through 2021 based on the country’s COVID -19
status and public health guidance. Adaptation has
been necessary in order for the department to fulfil its
legislative mandates of chil d abuse investigation,
safety monitoring and providing necessary intervention in order to safeguard the safety and well -being of
children, parallel to ensuring occupationally safe wor king conditions for workers when engaging clients and
the public in the f ield and in the office.
Even during the highest peaks of community
spread and restrictions, monitoring of clients for safety was required at a frequency based on their assessed
risk for abuse or neglect. Procedures were adapted
similar to other jurisdictions allowing for a combination
of in person contacts and video conferencing.
Madam Chairman, in general video conferencing or any similar form of technology between the
child and the s ocial worker for the purposes of meeting the requirements of face- to-face contact, does not
meet the standard of best practice to ensure the saf ety, permanency and well -being of a child. However ,
under circumstances of “shelter in place” or mandated
Island- wide restrictions due to high COVID -19 community spread, in- person cont act was approved to be
waived in most circumstances, and most visits were
approved and this would be accomplished through
video conferencing. This recommendation also stood
when there were orders restricting or strongly di scouraging person- to-person contac t for public health
reasons.
Madam Chairman, during these periods of r estrictions, face -to-face contact was only to be used if a
forensic interview was required with the police, if there was a callout to the hospital, clinic, police station, a
safety welfa re check or when a worker was delivering
items to a client (most often food or medication necessities). We are pleased to say that all operations at DCFS are now fully operational, in office and in the
community.
Madam Chairman, I will now present the data
that provides an overview of the statistical outputs and
outcomes for the F amily Preservation Team.
• For the calendar year January through December
2021, the F amily Preservation Team has served a
combined total of 181 families and 286 children.
This is a 9 per cent increase in families and chi ldren from the prior year 2020 when the team
served totalled 165 families and 265 children.
Caseload complexities and risk levels r emained high throughout 2021, thus requiring a high
number of face- to-face contact s, multiple court appearances, family conferences and consultations with
community and government stakeholders. • During 2021, 52 new cases were referred to Fam ily Preservation. Throughout the year a total of 88
cases were closed.
All closed cases were void of child safety or
child protection issues at closure. Seven cases were
transferred to out -of-home services (Foster Care and
Psycho -Ed) due to increased safety risk in the home.
• To summarise:
o Achieved service plan goals/no child pr otection issues at closure —43 ;
o Declined Services . Assessment indicated
family would benefit from services ho wever they wished to decline. There were
no child protection safety issues at cl osure to warrant an application to court to
mandate services —33;
o Relocated overseas —2;
o Aged put and declined further services —
3;
o Transferred to Foster Care —6;
o Transferred to Residential Treatment Services —1.
Madam Chairman, Family Preservation wor kers attended 113 court hearings over the year. This is
an increase of 23 hearings over 2020. The court appearances were for Domestic Violence Protection O rders, Protection Intervention or Emergency Protection
Orders, Custody/Access matters, Juvenile Court, S upervision Order Applications and Reviews, Interim Supervision Order Reviews and Care Order Applic ations and Reviews.
Madam Chairman, during 2021 there were 72
re-referrals of parents/guardians for abuse or neglect
of children on open cases to Family Preservation. This
involves an investigation for abuse or neglect on cas-es already open with the department. This is an i ncrease from 2020, which saw 53 re- referrals. The
abuse types were as follows :
• Physical abuse—5;
• Sexual abuse— 2;
• Emotional abuse— 10;
• Neglect —44 ;
• Behaviour beyond parental control —6;
• Service request for preventative support —5.
We note t hat neglect remains as the highest cat egory of referrals on open cases at 61 per cent of the
[re-]referrals on open cases. The neglect referral
abuse types are as follows : general neglect (hygiene,
personal care and insufficient food) 50 per cent; D omestic Violence , 25 per cent ; Lack of supervision,
20 per cent ; medical neglect, housing and moral danger 5 per cent .
The high incidences of neglect also correlates
with the areas of need identified in the needs asses sments conducted on each family : parenting s kills, co ping skills/mental health, insufficient resources/basic needs , and child exposure to domestic/family vi olence.
842 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Madam Chairman, all families involved with
Family Preservation receive SDM Family Strengths
and Needs assessments and are reassessed ev ery
three months. These assessments help to identify the areas of need or development required within a family (both parents and children), as well as strengths wit hin the family unit in order to reduce risks within the
family unit that have placed or have the potential to
place a child at risk of abuse or neglect. The asses sment also serves as a guide for service planning.
Madam Chairman, needs assessments co mpleted during 2021 have identified the following as the
top three areas of need affecting our parents/caregivers and children. Interventions must be
targeted to improve outcomes in these areas:
For Parents or Caregivers: Coping
Skills/Mental Health/Cognitive Functioning —64 per
cent of households assessed.
Parents/caregivers having difficulty coping
with stressors in their life which creates situations that
places the child/children in their care at risk. This may be demonstrated by periodic or at times severe mental health symptoms including but not limited to d epression, apathy or consistent use of a negative coping mechanism that exacerbates the problem.
Parenting Skills —54 per cent of households
assessed. Improvement of basic parenting skills is
needed by the parent/caregiver in order to ensure
safety and appropriate discipline of the child. In addition, improvement is needed to meet the emotional
and developmental needs of the child.
Household Relationships/Family Violence—
33 per cent of households assessed. T his is ev idenced by frequent discord or family violence within
the household. The household experiences increased
disruption of positive interactions coupled with lack of
cooperation and emotional, verbal or physical abuse
between adults. Custody and visitation issues are
characterised by frequent conflicts.
The department continues to receive frequent
reports of domestic violence between adults in the
presence of children. Ultimately the dynamics of the
parents’ relationship create significant stress and risk to the child’s emotional and developmental well -being.
We see children in these situat ions exhibiting behaviours ranging from anxiety, depression, and disass ociation to learned volatile behaviour manifesting in
school and out of school environments. There is a
serious risk of these patterns of behaviour becoming
learned and normalised by the child /children, impac ting their emotional development and relationships as they develop.
Resource Management —33 per cent of
households assessed. Parents/caregivers facing challenges with resources being insufficient or not well managed and/or including debilitating debt. Given the
financial challenges caused by the pandemic with
many having reduced income or loss of income, and
with children being out of school for most of the year many households have been challenged meeting the
basic needs of their fami lies such as food, clothing,
and medical needs. Many also have been challenged
securing the resources necessary to have their chi ldren adequately participate in remote learning through
school closure and quarantine periods of 2021.
For Children: Emotional/ Behavioural Challen ges—75 per cent of children assessed. Limited em otional adjustment .
The child has occasional difficulty in dealing
with situational stress, crises or problems, which i mpairs functioning. The child displays periodic mental
health symptom s including but not limited to depression, running away, somatic complaints, hostile b ehaviour or apathy.
The child has episodes of extreme acting out,
which may include an inability to accept limits on or
consequences for behaviour , or s everely limited em otional adjustment . The child’s ability to perform in one
or more areas of functioning is severely impaired due
to chronic/severe mental health symptoms, such as
fire-setting, suicidal behaviour or violent behaviour
toward people and/or animals. Child has a pattern of
dysfunctional behaviour that limits child or family acti vities.
Education Needs —41 per cent of children assessed . Academic difficulty . The child is working below grade level in at least one but not more than half of their academic subject areas, and/or the child is
struggling to meet the goals of the existing educational plan . The existing educational plan may need modification . Severe academic difficulty : the child is wor king below grade level in more than half of academic
subject areas, and/ or the child is not meeting the
goals of the existing educational plan. The existing educational plan needs modification.
Family Relationship C hallenges —28 per cent
of children assessed. Strained relationships .
Stress/discord within the family interferes w ith the
child’s sense of safety and security. The family has difficulty identifying and resolving conflicts and/or obtaining support and assistance on their own; or harmful relationships . Chronic family stress conflict or vi olence severely impedes the chil d’s sense of safety
and security. The family is unable to resolve stress,
conflict or violence on their own and not able or willing
to obtain outside assistance.
Madam Chairman, Family Preservation service plans and intervention with families have very specific goals or objectives that the parents and chi ldren are expected to achieve through the services
provided by Family Preservation with the goal of eli minating or reducing the risk of harm and future harm to
their children.
Madam Chairman, the Family Pr eservation
Team would also like to report on performance outcomes. The department routinely assesses outcomes to determine if intervention is effective and to determine when and where adjustments to service delivery


Bermuda House of Assembly need to occur. Family Preservation’s per formance on
outcome measures for 2021 are as follows:
• Percentage of Family Risk Re- assessments
for abuse/neglect completed, demonstrating
behaviours consistent with or some improv ement in behaviour by participating in service
plan goals , 94 per cent of households assessed.
• Percentage of households where risk of
abuse/neglect has decreased or remained
low/moderate, 81 per cent of households assessed.
Madam Chairman, despite the challenges and
restrictions presented by COVID -19 the Family
Preservation Team w as still able to facilitate two parenting groups in 2021. Family Preservation parenting
groups are aimed at teaching parents general parenting skills, which would in turn help them to develop and maintain positive relationships with their children
and impr ove coping skills. In general, parent educ ation reduces the risk of child abuse and neglect by encouraging positive parenting practices, hence encouraging safety, well -being and stability for children
and families. Our groups are designed based on the asse ssed needs of the attendees.
Madam Chairman, parent Group 1 held in
June 2021 was a four -week series entitled “Ro utines —Establishing organisation and minimising chaos within your household. ”
• Week 1 –What are routines and why are they
important? Establishi ng a morning routine.
• Week 2 –Afternoon routines .
• Week 3 –Bedtime and weekend routines .
• Week 4 –Recap and award ceremony .
Madam Chairman, parent Group 2 was a follow up to Group 1 and was held in September 2021. One significant aim of Family Preservation group i ntervention is to remove obstacles to parent participa-tion. Transportation, childcare, refreshments and par-ticipation incentives were provided. Parent education
groups targeted to client needs will continue in 2022.
Madam Chairman, in June 2021 Family
Preservation took lead on a social media awareness
blitz regarding the importance of fathers. This ran on
all of government’s social media accounts. During S ocial Work Month DCFS s ocial workers participated in
video vignettes speaking on the topic of “Why I became a Social Worker .” These vignettes also ran on
all government social media platforms, CITV as well
as one Family Preservation social worker being interviewed on the radio.
Madam Chairman, the Family Preservation
Team also sponsored youth client’s at tendance at
Youth and Sports camps during the year. Our priority was to ensure that children in need on their caseload were involved in prosocial activities during the summer break. Five additional children were able to attend
specialised camps through pri vate sector sponsorship.
Our goal is to ensure that children open to the de-partment are not disadvantaged due to their parent’s financial limitations.
Madam Chairman, due to an increase in the
need for Family Preservation workers to conduct child
abuse inv estigations when allegations are reported to
the department of child neglect on open cases on their
caseload, staff participated in d epartment -sponsored
forensic interviewing training.
From June 15 to 17, 2021 , DCFS hosted the
National Child Advocacy Cent re (NCAC) on Island for
“Forensic Interviewing of Children Training. ” The
NCAC Child Forensic Interview Training is an intern ationally recognised, research- informed, intensive
course in which practitioners learn the necessary skills
to conduct a competent, investigative interview of a
child using the NCAC Child Forensic Interview Struc-ture. All Family Preservation social workers, social
work assistants and coordinators have completed this
training.
Madam Chairman, trauma -informed practice
in child welfare involves understanding the impact of trauma on a child's current functioning and recogni sing the ways systems are capable of adding to a
child's trauma. Trauma- informed practice provides
supports and opportunities to promote healthy recovery and optimal br ain development throughout ad olescence and emerging adulthood. With this in mind, all Family Preservation staff were required to com-plete the DCFS Trauma- Informed Care series on the
Relias Learning web- based training platform during
the performance year April 2021 to March 2022.
In 2019 DCFS commenced membership with
Relias Learning s ystems to become the core training
vehicle for staff professional development and orient ation training. Relias courses are endorsed by numerous professional bodies including t he Council on A ccreditation (COA) and the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA). The Trauma- Informed Care series
educated staff on the foundations of t rauma -informed
care. Courses in the series included:
• Introduction to Trauma- Informed Care;
• Trauma and the Brain ;
• Traumatic Stress Disorders in Children and
Adolescents ;
• Trauma and Substance Use;
• Best Practices in Trauma- Specific Treatment ;
• Compassion Fatigue and Caregiver Satisfac-tion;
• Diagnosing and Treating Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder .
Madam Chairman, additional staff training is
planned for 2022 in Crisis Intervention f or Families
and Crisis Intervention with Children with Developmental Disabilities Train-the-Trainer Certification. One
of the most critical skills for families who are caring for
challengi ng children in their homes is to teach children
how to manage their feelings of frustration, anger and
loss in more socially and developmentally appropriate
ways. This training stresses crisis prevention and cr i844 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly sis de -escalation in ways that help children learn how
to avoid losing control. Trainers from Cornell Univers ity will be on Island to facilitate this training. Partic ipants in this training will become certified to facilitate
parent groups as well as becoming trainers to train other professionals in the method.
Madam Chairman, at the core of Family
Preservation is the understanding that if we can i mprove the functioning and circumstances of the parents/adult caregivers of the children, we can reduce
the risk of abuse and neglect of children. As such, it is vital that we equip our staff to increase their skills in
engaging and providing intervention services to our
families.
Madam Chairman, the Family Preservation
Team continues to strive in providing effective service
to children and families. Performance improvement is
an ongoing endeavour, thus enhancing the opportun ity for improved client outcomes. The data gleaned
from 2021 has been utilised to establish a nnual plan
goals and objectives for 2022, striving toward i ncreased positive client outcomes. T he Department of
Child and Family Services commends the Family
Preservation Team and its c oordinators for their
commitment to families through 2021.
Madam Chairman, I will now speak to Bran gman Home, Youth Development Centre and Observ atory Cottage (referred to as Oleander Cottage):
Madam Chairman, the financial year 2022/23,
budget allocation for b usiness unit 33070, Brangman
Home is $1,213,000. This is an increase of $47,000 or
4 per cent, which represents mainly an increase in
salaries due to realignment of the department’s r esources.
Madam Chairman, b usiness unit 33080,
Youth Development Centre’s allocated budget for f inancial year 2022/23, is $159, 000. This is a reduction
of $83,000, or 34 per cent in comparison to the budget
allocation of fiscal 2021/ 22, again, as a result of the
realignment of the department’s resources.
Madam Chairman, [Observatory ] Oleander
Cottage that comes under business unit 33090, has a
allocated budget of $1,367,000, which is an increase
of $208,000 or 18 per cent in comparison to financial
year 2021/ 22. This increase is related to the realignment of staff within the Department of Child and Fam ily Services organisational structure.
Madam Chairman, Residential Treatment
Services [RTS] provides group living intervention services to children between the ages of 12 and 18
years. These are adolescents who are deemed to be at risk in the community and requiring care and pr otection in a safe and structured residential environment. All children placed in this service have had their
situation and circumstances considered by the Family
Court, where it has been deemed appropriate for them
to be placed on a care order and as such become the
responsibility of the Director of Child and Family Services. Madam Chairman, the RTS program me provides services 24 hours, 365 days of the year. The
young ladies are located at the Brangman Home while
the young men receive services at Oleander Cottage.
The Youth Development Centre is utilised to provide one-to-one and special management of residents
based on their needs as indicated by ongoing evaluation, and if they are placed in care of the director as a
result of criminal behaviours.
Madam Chairman, the inclusion of family is
paramount to the healing process of the children r eceiving our services. The involvement of family at all
levels of the continuum of care is the goal. We endeavour to strengthen relationships by responding to
the family through a reintegration plan or, if necessary, using community -based relationships when the
family cannot respond to the child’s needs. The RTS
programme allows for collaboration with the family
and the community to understand the child’s cultural
experience through a trauma lens.
Madam Chairman, we continue to see the i mpact of complex trauma on the adolescents we serve.
Complex trauma is caused by the children’s exposure
to multiple traumatic events, often invasive and interpersonal in nature, and it is often wide- ranging with
lasting effects. This impacts the goal of having chi ldren transition within 12 months. As a result, the services provided by RTS remain under a trauma responsive lens. This is translated into the intake and
assessment process, family engagement practice,
crisis intervention, in both individual and group counselling. The trauma lens is also uti lised in the reflective supervision of the staff and treatment team s involved in the child’s care.
Madam Chairman, during budget year
2021/22, RTS provided case management and intervention for children on transition in the community, as
well as those read y for discharge. The case management was comprehensive as it included working with
both the internal and external multi agency teams i nvolved with the children and families to ensure a
seamless trauma responsive transition. The families
involved welcomed the partnership and requested
continued engagement post s [for] the three months
aftercare phase.
Madam Chairman, the RTS programmes were
faced with many challenges in financial year 2021/22,
relating to services received by children in care. Some
required c loser supervision and needed to be separated in the facility. There was also the need to quar-antine a few residents and staff from both group homes to a safe remote facility after possible COVID -
19 exposure.
Madam Chairman, the fiscal budget for financial year 2021/22 continues to reflect DCFS’s ongoing
commitment to quality improvement. The d epartment
remains committed to producing statistical data and using interpretations for sound internationally recognised interventions under best practice guidelines.


Bermuda House of Assembly In 2021/22, the data reflected empirical indic ators showing many of the children requiring care had
family relational issues and adverse childhood exper iences which resulted in trauma presentations in the group homes and the community. RTS continues to respond by utilising therapeutic interventions by the
clinical social workers. Such as individual and group
counselling, as well as using therapeutic and family
components of the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention
[TCI] and Children and Residential Environments
(C.A.R.E.) training. Both the TCI and C.A.R.E . curric ula are based on empirical research and provide a
foundational philosophy and tangible behavioural
management skill set for staff to provide effective care
for all children and families that experience cris is in
their lives.

Let me just pause you there and give
you and the listening public . . . you now have one
hour remaining for this debate on Child and Family
Services. You are currently on Head 23. Again, as I have pointed out, there is one hour left to your debate,
so this debate ends at exactly 8:41. Just so that you are able to pace yourself.
Minister, continue.

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Madam Chairman.
Madam Chairman, the COVID -19 restrictions
did cause complications for ongoi ng training for both
TCI and C.A.R.E. However, the u nit supervisor and
shift officer are currently in the process of recertifying
as TCI trainers. It is paramount these staff members
provide ongoing training and development to their staff to enhance trauma responsive practice.
Madam Chairman, RTS provided inhouse/residential services for 20 adolescents in 2021.
This total included 8 males and 12 females. The girls
remain the typical “at-risk” group of enrolments at
RTS. The low enrolment of males remained consistent through the fiscal year with only one enrolment in the
last quarter. Madam Chairman, I would like to report
this child was successfully transitioned home after a
short period at RTS.
Madam Chairman, in the last fiscal year cl ient’s services inc luded crisis intervention and referrals
to internal investigation as response to critical inc idents. Both genders demonstrated externalising and
internalising problem behaviours at RTS. Strong case
management of children was essential through crisis
management meetings, ongoing individual asses sments, and service plans. Client profiles for 2021, i ndicated that a large majority of children had come from divorced/separated homes. Additionally, both
male and female profiles continue to reflect 100 per
cent of children experiencing trauma that included
abandonment, abuse, grief, and domestic violence. Sixty -five per cent had learning challenges.
This data demonstrates the wide range of
specialist services required for dealing effectively with the children and f amilies in need of services. DCFS is
committed in striving for the success of our children and so responded to the learning challenges by hiring
two professional tutors, one allocated to each facility.
Madam Chairman, the data from 2021 conti nues to hig hlight the effects of trauma on our young
residents. Of the components featured in each profile,
trauma symptoms, attachment difficulties, abandonment, and neglect represent the most intense challenges. [A full] 100 per cent of all children experienced
trauma symptoms, attachment difficulties and abandonment challenges [and] 80 per cent had exper ienced neglect. This impacts a child’s self -esteem,
growing up feeling unsafe and having the inability to
develop trust, engage and form healthy relationships.
The long- term effects are seen in mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, co- dependency, thought
problems, conduct disorder, delinquency, and aggres-sive behaviours.
Madam Chairman, other notable data from
2021 shows 85 per cent of the children having parent -
child relationship challenges. This reflects on the high
number of children age ing out of the system. For gender specific data, 50 per cent of the girls experienced
depression. The boys presented 75 per cent deli nquent behaviour and substance use.
Madam Chairman, mental illness/cognitive
challenges are shown across 20 per cent of parents of
children in the RTS programme. Domestic violence
among the adults has been witnessed by 40 per cent
of the children, which can have lasting psychological
and ph ysical effects on them and likely has contributed to their trauma. RTS ensured that 65 per cent of
residents received ongoing psychiatric or psychologi-cal interventions for the year. Additionally, 100 per
cent of the children received ongoing dental and medical appointments, along with keeping up to date with
their immunisation schedule.
Madam Chairman, 15 of the 20 residents
have been identified as long term as they have no
plausible family reunification plan. During the 2021/22
budget year, 6 of these residents turned 18 and, out of
those, 3 will be eligible for the independent living o ption.
Madam Chairman, in the 2020/21 budget capital funding was allocated for the establishment of an
Independent Living Transitional Housing Regime for
children age ing o ut of the care of the Director of
DCFS without a reunification plan.
Madam Chairman, the objective of this regime
is to ensure that children age ing out of the Depar tment of Child and Family Services receive the same
level of support that their peers would expect from a
reasonable parent. This includes but is not limited to
setting up a home, career guidance, physical and
mental healthcare, post-secondary education, and
having opportunities that help them progress to be productive citizens within our community.
846 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Madam Chairman, over the previous year
RTS has successfully met the majority of the planned
outcomes. Statistical data and the performance quality
improvement process has been consistently used to
monitor quality and to determine changes needed to improve the service provided. The 2022/23 Budget is
designed to continue providing resources that allows
this programme to provide a quality service to children
and families.
Madam Chairman, with a continued focus on
the best interests of the child and conti nual review of
our policies and procedures, i t needs to be noted that
RTS is not a prison or a secure environment, but r ather a group home. During the 2021/22 budget year the DCFS administration has worked collaboratively with the Ministry of Public Works , specifically the D epartment of Public Lands and Buildings , in enhancing
RTS physical structures. All buildings utilised by RTS
have received several maintenance upgrades.
Madam Chairman, during the 2021/22 budget
year the Brangman Home has had additional renov ations completed that have increased capacity and provide more efficient use of space as well as accommodates an onsite standby generator. The secur ity systems at both the girls ’ and the boys’ homes have
undergo review and recommendations for enhanc ements implemented to ensure the care, safety and protection of the residents have started and will be
completed in this fiscal year.
Madam Chairman, the Psycho -Educational
Programme was developed to focus on children who
could not be effectively treated i n Bermuda or those
who had exhausted all available local therapeutic/treatment services. The budget estimate for bus iness unit 33100 for the fiscal year 2022/23 is
$2,108,000 . This represents a reduction of $187,000,
or 8 per cent over the original budget for fiscal year
2021 /22. This reflects the anticipated decreased demand for this service as children age out to the care of the director.
Madam Chairman, although Bermuda’s ability
to diagnose various psychological, behavioural, and educational problems have improved more children
are being identified with various psychological, s ocial/emotional and psychiatric conditions that are be-yond the available services to provide treatment loca lly. The Psycho -Educational Programme affords the
Department of Child and Family Services the opportunity to have external input with regard to therapeutic intervention and aftercare services.
Madam Chairman, overseas programmes ut ilised by the Psycho -Educational Programme are chosen based on the area of specialty treatment they are
licensed to provide. After clinical review and based on
the needs of the child, recommendations are made by
the assessment team on best school options. The de-partment has sought for several years to find additional accredited schools on the East Coast of the
United States to meet the needs of our children. U n-fortunately, only a limited number of schools have
been able to meet the therapeutic needs of the chi ldren [which] DCFS services. Also, it has been ident ified that it is cost prohibitive to provi de all of the specialised assessment and intervention services in Bermuda, due to the insufficient client base in each specific area.
Madam Chairman, the Psycho -Educational
Programme provides children and youth with protection, care, and nurturance by lic ensed and accredited
therapeutic overseas facilities. Psycho- Educational
programmes provide a safe, supportive and therapeutic environment for a child, while working collabor atively towards either family reunification or an alternative permanency option.
The Psycho- Educational Committee is comprised of representatives from
• Child and Adolescent Services ;
• Ministry of Education;
• The Department of Child and Family Services ;
• Ministry of Health.
The COVID -19 pandemic curtailed the mont hly meetings held by t he committee in 2021. The committee met virtually once a quarter with the exception
of the first quarter to review the status of and make decisions on children referred for overseas placement
or clinical assessment. As we move towards the
COVID -19 pandemic becoming an endemic, it is anti cipated that the Ministry of Health’s Chief Medical O fficer will be an active member on the committee.
Madam Chairman, during 2021, the P sycho -
Educational Programme, a total of six clients receive
services overseas in therapeutic placements for a complexity of issues identified across the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM] Criteria of Mental Disorders. The purpose of the DSM is
to provide clear descriptions of diagnostic categories
in order to enable clinicians to diagnose and treat
people with various mental health disorders. Each
child received an assessment from local service pr oviders that determine an individualised treatment plan
and intensive interventions, according to the diagnostic categories defined by the DSM.
Madam Chairman, in the best interest of the
child the P sycho -Educational Committee utilises an
overseas service provider that specialises primarily in
providing Clinical and Comprehensive Assessments
at Huntsman Mental Health Institute. The implement ation of such an assessment was utilised to assist
DCFS in obtaining a clear and comprehensive understanding of the needs of the referred psychoeducational clients without an identified diagnosis or
those that did not engage at all with loc al service pr oviders. The comprehensive overseas assessment assisted in the development of a dynamic, individualised
treatment plan that has facilitated the most appropr iate match of local community resources or an overseas therapeutic placement that will meet the child’s
specific need.


Bermuda House of Assembly Madam Chairman, eight children were a part
of the Psycho- Educational Programme in 2021, one
locally who received follow up and monitoring. Of the
seven children who were overseas during 2021, two
were new referrals for asses sment and four children
completed their programme and returned to Bermuda.
One of the new referrals for assessment as per the
outcomes of the assessment returned for ongoing
services, leaving three children overseas.
All Psycho -Educational clients serviced ove rseas received the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) with a scoring range of 20 to 50. A score of 50
is defined as having serious symptoms or serious i mpairment in social, occupational or school functioning
and 20 is defined as having danger of hurting self and/or others. The result of low Global Assessment of
Functioning (GAF) scoring required that all PsychoEducational clients receive intensive clinical treatment
and a longer duration of treatment options coupled
with one- to-one staff intervent ions, psychotropic medications, frequent team meetings, psychiatric hospita lisations, family intervention programmes and ther apeutic visits.
Madam Chairman, COVID -19 in the first quarter of the year prevented the required face- to-face
contact of children overseas. However, there was i ncreased virtual contact that includes treatment team
session s, family session s and individual client contact.
Out of an abundance of caution and travel restrictions the vetting of facilities only occurred in quarter three.
Madam Chairman, the Ministry of Education
[MOED ] and Bermuda Hospitals Board’s [ BHB] Child
and Adolescent Services [CAS] have limited r esources and/or are ill -equipped to service clients who
are diagnosed with conduct disorder, experiencing
severe mental he alth challenges and are high risk in
the community. Consequently, applications are made to the Psycho- Educational Committee requesting an
overseas placement for a young person who is not
able to be serviced in a traditional school environment
or within the current therapeutic milieu at CAS.
Madam Chairman, large demands continue to
be placed on the Department of Child and Family Services as a result of CAS’s lack of resources and the
Ministry of Education’s inability to service children with
severe behavioural challenges. Despite DCFS having the High- Risk Intervention Committee [THRIC] , the
department lacks an adequate response to the i ncreased complex referrals from this group. Where skill set and resources allow, family and educational assessments and school support are provided by our
assessment, Counselling and Life Skills teams and
our residential care officers. It needs to be noted that
addressing non- acute mental health/psychiatric needs
remains a challenge for all involved.
Madam Chairman, b usiness unit 33110,
Youth Residential Treatment budget allocation for fiscal year 2022/23 is $1,337,000. This reflects a
$101,000, or 8 per cent increase in comparison to fis-cal year 2021/22. This increase is a result of the realignment of staff within the Department of Family Services organisational structure.
Madam Chairman, Youth Residential Treatment is the A dministrative and Professional Services
section that provides all of the necessary accounting,
management, counselling and clinical services to all of
the r esidential homes and programmes. It is the r esponsibility of this business unit to identify all of the
training needs of staff, clinical needs of all the children
involved in the programme, management of repair services with all facilities and report them to the director for action. This unit is also responsible for all Performance Quality Improvement and making sure all of
the programmes within Residential Treatment Services meet and maintain accreditation standards.
Madam Chairman, I will now speak to Admi nistration, found on page B -293, programme 2304. T he
activity covered in programme 2304 [is] Administr ation, business unit 3312 0, [and] business unit 33130,
Grant Funding. The estimate for this programme for
fiscal year 2020/21 was $2,894,000. The estimate for
fiscal year 2022/23 is $2,782,000, reflecting a budge tary decrease of $112,000, or 4 per cent.
Madam Chairman, the Administration Section
of DCFS is responsible for the oversight of the Ps ycho-Educational Programme. The budget estimate for
business unit 33120 for the fiscal year 2022/23 is
$2,332,000. This represents $112,000, or 5 per cent
under the original budget for fiscal year 2021 /22. This
reduction is related to realignment of staff within the organisational structure.
Madam Chairman, all staff development and
training is delivered via this section and as previously highlighted training in all sections of the department
has been purposefully aligned with the overarching
goal of providing a comprehensive, seamless continuum of services that meets the complex needs of our
client population.
Madam Chairman, as was the case in 2020,
the Administration Section of the Department of Child
and Family Services continues to rethink, retool and modify how one does what they do . To this end, staff
trainin g and development is paramount. The traditio nal method of providing face- to-face staff training is no
longer the preferred option due to COVID -19 risks and
regulations. To ensure that the staff at DCFS remain
skilled and current with best practice standards the
Administration Section has continued their membership with Relias Learning System as the core training
vehicle for staff professional development in the field. Relias has become DCFS’ web- based training par tner. Orientation training has been custom designed
for each section within the department based on the
core needs of the department as well as each section.
Madam Chairman, Relias hosts a vast library
of webinars on their platform and they conduct regular reviews and training updates to remain cur rent with
new research developments in the field. Relias cour s848 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly es are endorsed by numerous professional bodies
including the Council on Accreditation [ COA ] and the
Child Welfare League of America [CWLA ]. This trai ning solution also has customisable elements that allow
for DCFS policies and procedures as well as legisl ation training to be built into the system. This allows for
consistency and accessibility to necessary training for
all staff. April 2022 will mark the second year of using
this online process t o assist with staff training. During
COVID -19, front -line staff have availed themselves to
the core expectations of the training programme and several participated in courses that have assist them
with increasing other skill sets.
Madam Chairman, the Administration Section
is responsible for reviewing all policies and proc edures and making the necessary recommendations that will expand the capacity, scope and quality of our
social service delivery system. Given the current fiscal
restraints, the advent of C OVID -19 coupled with the
increase in demand for more specialised and ther apeutic services , the Administration Section continues
to review and where necessary reallocate its r esources to ensure client needs are met and service
delivery is not compromised.
Madam Chairman, DCFS Administration continues to look for opportunities of performance quality improvement. This section will continue with moder nising the department’s strategy of providing compr ehensive assessments of all referrals so that clients receive the appropriate service from the appropriate
agencies thereby reducing referrals and enhancing
outcomes thus ensuring that each section maintains
their accreditation status.
Madam Chairman, during the last fiscal year,
staff of DCFS, officers of the Vulnerable Persons Unit
and prosecutors of the DPP's offices receiv ed training
in forensic interviewing that has assisted these pr ofessionals in being more effective and therapeutic
when interviewing children. The introduction of the child safeguarding legislation, an amendment to the
Children Act 1998, requires that the Administration
Section of DCFS develop a training programme that
will certify counsellors to assess and provide counse lling to all children accused and victims of sexual of-fences. During the 2002/23 budget year the Admi nistration Section of DCFS will be offering various trai nings in this area that were delayed as a result of the
pandemic.
Madam Chairman, the Administration Section
of the Department of Child and Family Services continued to exper ience significant challenges during
2021, having to constantly revise the department’s
COVID -19 operational protocols. Despite these challenges , staff continued to go above and beyond to
ensure that services offered to children and families involved with D CFS were maintained. The administr ation staff assisted with any necessary support and , as
such , DCFS remained operational and experienced
minimal disruptions to service delivery . Many of these strategies you would have heard earlier in this presentation.
At this time, I would like to thank the Admi nistration Section of the Department of Child and Fam ily Services for their leadership during 2021.
Madam Chairman, t he budget estimate for
business unit 33130, Grant Funding, for the fiscal year
2022/23 is $450,0 00 which remains unchanged from
the 2021/ 22 budget allocation. Madam Chairman, the
Grant Funding provides $375,000 to teen services
and $75,000 for a cross -Ministry initiative to assist
families in crisis.
Madam Chairman, this concludes our presentation f or Head 23, t he Department of Child and Fam ily Services. At this time I would like to thank all of the
staff within the department for their dedication and
commitment to the children and families of Bermuda.
While it may seem to be the most thankless profession, the impact each staff member has when assis ting those they come in contact with is priceless.
Thank you to all staff!
Thank you, Madam Chairman.

Thank you, Madam Chai rman. Thank you so much for that fulsome brief. It was
certainly enlightening to hear all of the developments
within your Ministry.
I would just like to raise a couple of questions.
And I would like to begin with Head 86. And this is a question that falls under line item 96070, grants to the
third sector. Madam Minister, you had mentioned in the grant listing that under the Grants and Contrib utions for rest homes, line item 6912, that the Pac kwood Home was included in that $1.45 million. But I noticed that further down there is a line item 7056,
which you had not read out, which allocates $300,000.

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Madam Chairman, which page is
the Honourable Member refer ring to?

There is the line item 6912,
for the rest homes. Within the listing of rest homes
that you gave you included the Packwood Home in that $1.45 million allocation. But I also see that down
further there is a line item 7056, Packwood Rest
Home, where there is a $300,000 grant. So I am just
wondering if the Packwood Hom e is receiving two
grants.

I will keep going then.
The reason why I am asking is that I have
done some research on the charity rest homes in
Bermuda of which there are four. And I have found
that there have been astronomical expenses that the
rest homes have had to endure over the past two
years or so due to COVID -19, primarily. And whether
the Minister would be willing to provide a little bit of
generosity, I noticed that there was one rest home
that was not included, but all of the rest homes have
had to pay additional funds for PPE. They have had
additional cleaning supplies that they have had to purchase to the amounts of $7,000 a month. They have had additional healthcare cos ts for staff because staff
have been out on sick leave, sometimes paying sick leave up to 14 to 16 days. They have also found that
their bed counts are down because either there have
been deaths within the rest homes or people are not
filling beds or coming into the rest homes because the families were not able to visit the clients while they
were in the homes due to the restricted protocols.
So due to all of this, and time restricted, it is
difficult to share the financial losses that many of the
four charitable rest homes have endured, whether
there is an opportunity to provide some financial support to all of the rest homes because I noticed that a
couple of them were not necessarily listed and whet her they could be included in the grants and contributions.
My other question . . . let’s see we are still on
Head 86.Yes, there is another question around sen-iors. You mentioned in your brief that there will be du-ty relief for certain items. And I was just wondering
whether the Minister might be able to provi de what
those duty relief items are that will be receiving the
custom relief.
And then in 96000 on page B -288, under A dministration, you have listed $188,000 for overseas
treatment. Again, if you could just confirm the actual
number of people who are overseas for treatment
right now. I know that you mentioned it in your brief,
but if you could just provide that again. Much apprec iated.
Under Ageing and Disability Services, which
is 96040, I am just curious about the investigations, the number of investi gations that have taken place for
seniors this year.
I am going to move now to Head 23. There
was a mention of the Bermuda’s National Standards Committee. I am just curious if you might be able to provide the Honourable House with a little more detail.
I was not able to find any information on the National
Standards Committee, yet they seem to have an active role in Child and Family Services and I am wo ndering if you can either direct me or the listening pub-lic to the resources to find out more about who and
what the Bermuda’s Standards Committee does.
Under Investigation and Screening, this is line
item 33020 on page B -293. You had mentioned ed ucational awareness for parents. I was just curious if
you might be able to just give us briefly a little bit m ore
about what that looks like. You had mentioned that
there were little videos and Clippits and things on s ocial media. But will anything more substantial take
place on parenting skills, some of the crisis and traumas and how parents may be able to identi fy and/or
reach out for assistance?
You also mentioned children and child protection overseas and I was just curious if you could give
us a general number of children who are presently
overseas under child protection, but I understand if
this is confident ial.
I am now moving down to the Family Preservation Team which is line item 33060. Some of the
concerns that you had listed that families are enduring
right now —debilitating debt, remote learning is inadequate, mental health issues —I am just curious if the
Minister might be able to tell us more about how we
might be able to assist in that regard. I do not know
from what financial line they could get some form of assistance especially around things like Internet access, and maybe some management around as sisting
with the debt.
Under Head 23 still, rentals. You did not get
too much . . . you were not able to get to the rentals
piece.

It is actually in Subjective
Analysis for Head 23 on page B -294.
So on Rentals it is $1.375 million. But within
that, and I am of the understanding that rents have
gone up substantially because you are in a new buil ding. But you had mentioned in last year’s brief that as part of the rental agreement you were securing an
examination area for sexual assault victims. And I am
just curious whether that was ever created and esta blished and if so what the traffic is like. Do victims of
assault have a choice to go to the hospital or is this
now becoming the new examination centre for sexual
assault?
I would like to go back to Head 86, just because I want to make sure that I get questions in so
850 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly that you can answer them. Under Charities, which is
not a line item, but Head 86, page B -288, you had
mentioned charit ies.
Now earlier today the Minister of Home Affairs
mentioned that there is an initiative to streamline the
application process for charities and also looking to
make [it] more efficient reporting and make it electronic, which I understand to be a welcome initiative. But
the other piece that I would like to ask you, because I
understand you have the Charities Commission in
your Ministry, is whether anything is being done as a part of the application process for charities to make
sure that the people who wi ll be working, and partic ularly servicing our youth and our seniors, are properly
qualified or certified professionals to deal with the
charity caseloads, whether it is for charity that is assisting with seniors or whether it is a charity with
youth. And i s there is any appetite to include qualific ations for any of the staff who will be working with, in
particular, our youth?
And still on Head 86, on page B -286, the
Youth Transitional Living Centre, I am referring to
line—

Yes. And it comes under the
line item of Capital Expenditure and Development.
There is a $500,000 allocation for the Youth Trans itional Living Centre.
I have a few questions around the develo pment of that programme. In last year’s brief when you
were first announcing this initiative you had mentioned
independent living coordinators. And I guess in the
same frame as my question around qualified staff to
service, in particular our youth in charities, I am wondering what the qualifications will be for an indepen dent living coordinator and how many independent li ving coordinators you would propose to have at the Living Centre.
And still on the Transitional housing, how
many . . . this is, I guess, in advance or a preface to
the Transitional Living [Centre]. But how many young
people are actually ageing out in 2021 from DCFS
services? And how many of them have transitioned to
stable housing? How many of them are homeless?
How many are adequately prepared for adulthood?
If the Minister might be able to answer some
of those questions?

Minister, you have the floor.
But I just [want] to say at this point in time it is
8:23 and so we are just shy of 20 minutes remaining.
Minister.

Hon. T inee Furbert: Thank you, Madam Chairman.
I will try to answer the questions how I r emember. There was a question in regard to Packwood
Home and whether or not they are receiving more
than one grant. The Packwood Home is only receiving
one grant in the am ount of $300,000. There was a
question in regard to nursing homes in our community
who have undergone the effects of COVID -19 and
needing additional resources. Every year there is an
opportunity for the third sector to apply for grants. And
so what we have indicated this evening are those
homes that have applied for grants. So they would need to submit a proposal in which the Ministry will
assess the need accordingly.
There was a question in regard to duty relief,
wanting to know what they are. I just brin g the Member’s attention to this very valuable resource which the Disability Advisory Council worked very hard on. It can
be found online. It is called “A Guide to Benefits Avai lable to Persons with Disabilities in Bermuda.” And it speaks to the Customs Tariff Act, what it is, who can
apply and you can find information there in regard to
items that are duty free.
There was a question in regard to how many
adults we are providing funding for overseas treatment, and that is one, which was mentioned in my
brief.
There was a question in regard to how many
investigations ADS . . . there were 77 reports received
and all are being investigated. However, some are being led by the Bermuda Police Service pending the nature of the report.
There was a question in r egard to the Berm uda National Standards Committee. They do not have an active role with DCFS. They are a local human
services accreditation body. And the Bermuda version
of the Council on Accreditation.
There was a question in regard to educational
awaren ess for parents in regard to investigation and
screening. So the Department of Child and Family Services is very diligent in providing parenting educ ational skills, which was mentioned in the brief. And they plan on implementing another parent educational for the year 2022. We are also looking to do a parenting campaign in regard to what a responsible parent
looks like and so that will be some areas . . . there is
also the CDP, Child Development Programme that
also offers parenting classes for parents in our co mmunity.
There was a question in regard to the SARTS
[Sexual Assault Response Team ] programme. CurBermuda House of Assembly rently [assault victims] are still going to the hospital as
the area which is in DCFS is still being developed to
meet the standard requirement. So right now they are
still being processed at the hospital.
There was a question in regard to how many
children are currently overseas. That number is three, which is a dramatic decrease in the numbers from
years ago. So we are happy about that and we are
happy that they are able to get the therapeutic intervention that they need.
There was a question in regard to the independent living coordinators. Yes, we will have ind ependent living coordinators within the Independent
Living Transition programme. And they would be r equired to have a master’s degree, and five years’ experience [so] they would be experienced to be able to
assist within this programme. There was a question in
regard to how many. So we are looking to have a s ocial worker and a social worker ass istant who will
come under the title of independent living workers.
There was a question in regard to screening
of a staff member. Any staff member who is hired by
the Department of Child and Family Services is r equired to undergo a screening to make sure that they
are not someone who is in our system for child abuse or any matter or infraction as it relates to working with
children.
There was a question in regard to the Char ities Commission in regard to whether or not charities that work with vulnerable persons are required to r eport or if there is some sort of structure in place to
make sure that persons within the third sector who are
beneficiaries of services are protected. The Charities Commission actually has a vulnerable person’s policy.
I can forw ard that to the Member. It is a very thorough
policy which speaks about the obligations and r esponsibilities of charities and their responsibilities to a
vulnerable person—

I was just letting you know you have
10 minutes remaining.
Hon. Tinee Furbert: Okay.
There was a question in regard to how many
children aged out last year. There were 10 children
who aged out. All of t hem had transitional plans at the
time of the ageing [out]. So when children aged out
they did have a place to stay at the time in which they
had aged out. So remember they are now young per-sons who are of legal age to make decisions for
themselves. They m ay find themselves in other sorts
of situations, but most all of the persons who had aged out went to a housing structure available to
them.
There was a question in regard to how many
of our persons who aged out are ready for adulthood.
Well, I am sure w e can imagine what we were like at
the age of 18. We still required the support of maybe
our parents or some sort of parental connection, and
so . . . even as adults we still require support of ot hers. So if the Honourable Member can specify what
kind of i ndicator she is speaking to in regard to being
ready for adulthood.
There was a question in regard to children
and whether or not there were any support services to
assist students with remote learning, whether or not
there were provisions for Internet access. I know that
the Department of Child and Family Services did help
out families who found themselves unemployed and would help the families to locate resources as it related to availability of laptops.
I can report that not all students . . . whether
they were children with DCFS [or] children outside of
DCFS, many families struggled with Internet services, as well as access to multiple devices depending on
how many children were part of the family, which was
why it was very important that we really di d find a way
to get our children back to school where they could be
in an in- class learning environment. But that was a
struggle for many parents, whether they were children
within DCFS or children not a part of DCFS.
I think I answered all of the questi ons.

Okay. Let me just advise yo u, the
listening public and the Minister that there are six
minutes remaining in this debate.
Are there any other Members who wish to ask
the Minister questions?
There are no other Members who seem to
wish to ask the Minister questions. Member, if you
have any further questions you wish to pose to the
Minister, you may do so at this time. If not, I am going
to have the Minister move her heads.

Thank you.

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Sorry, I couldn’t hear the Honourable Member.

Hon. N. H. Cole Simons: It is my understanding that
under the Ageing that possibly four senior residences
are facing financial challenges and they have ap-pealed for support from Government. Can you give us
an update on how things are progressing and what
solution we are trying to address so that we do no t
allow these agencies to collapse?

Minister, you have four minutes to
answer that question and move your heads.

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Sure. Thank you, Madam
Chairman.
Currently we provide grants for three nursing
homes. And [those are] the Packwood Home, Matilda
Smith [Williams] as well as Lorraine Nursing Home.
Prior to our appropriations there was not any indic ation to us in regard to the need for more grants. However, information has recently come to us and it is cur-rently being under consideration. But it is not noted in
our budgetary allocations seeing that this information
came to us after our budget had already been com-pleted. But it is under consideration.

Okay. Thank you. Going back to page C -21, Minister, again I
ask you . . . the Packwood Rest Hom e has got the
allocation of $300,000 which you confirmed. But there
is a line item 6912 for rest homes in general, for $1.45
million. So I am curious why all of the charities . . .
there are only four of them, four charity rest homes.

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Three.

I guess my last question is, If
the charity rest home Westmeath is unable to financially sustain itself and those clients are left without a rest home to be in, what is the Minister proposing will
happen to those residents should that facility close
down due to financial constraints?

Hon. Tinee Furbert: Madam Chairman, I cannot
speak to Westmeath as they are not a part of our
charity allocation for budgeting.

Okay, Mr. Speaker, and I just want
you know that the Committee has asked for permi ssion to rise and report progress and for leave to sit again and that has been approved.
So once you are able to turn on your camera,
you have the floor.
House resumed at 8:42 pm
[
Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
ESTIMATES OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE
FOR THE YEAR 202 2/23

For some reason there is a technical
issue here right now. We will see if we can get it sor ted while I am back in the Chair. But Madam Chai rman, thank you overseeing the last of the proceed-ings.
Members, we are now back in the House and
the Committee has moved to rise and report progress .
As I a m looking through the paperwork, all
other matters have been carried over. So that brings us now to the close of business for today.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER
COMMONWEALTH DAY MESSAGE
“DELIVERING A COMMON FUTURE”

Before we do that I woul d just like to
make mention, it should have been done this morning
before I left the Chair, that today was Commonwealth
Day and that the message from the Queen has been circulated to all Members on the SharePoint. Feel free to print and read it or just have a read of it and take
note of the message from the Queen on this year’s Commonwealth Day, which is actually her 70
th anniversary as Head of the Commonwealth.
D eputy Premier, are you going to be moving us to motion today?
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.
Are there any objections to that?
There are none.
Would anyone like to speak to the motion?
There are none.
Members, thank you for your participation t oday. The House is now closed for today’s session. Stay well and healthy and we will see you first t hing
on Wednesday morning at 10:00 am to resume the
debate on the Budget Debate for this year.
Thank you, Members. Have a good evening.
The House is now closed.
[At 8:4 4 pm, the House stood adjourned until
10:00 am, Wednesday, 16 March 2022.] ADJOURNMENT
854 14 March 2022 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly



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