March 8, 2019

None? Okay.
The next Member would be the Member from
. . . and I do not see him in his seat, [constituency] 9.
Okay.


Bermuda House of Assembly The Deputy Opposition Leader, would you like
to put your question?
No? Declined. Okay.
The next Member on the list would be the
Honourable Member from constituency 11.
Would you like to put your question?

Mr. Speaker, I am sure
that the Honourable Members will have seen the considerable works —I say “ considerable” works —at
King’s Wharf in Dockyard. Can the Premier confirm
that Bermudian engineers are managing that project
and it is largely on schedule [for] completion this
spring before cruise ship season starts?
The Spe aker: Mr. Premier.
Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr.
Speaker, I thank the Honourable Member from con-stituency 11 for his question, because we regularly get
to hear or read the Honourable Member espouse what
it is like to make sure that we celebrate Bermudian excellence in this country. And I think that the entire
country can be proud of the Bermuda excellence that
is on display, which is taking place at King’s Wharf.
The Honourable Member is correct that there
is significant progress that is taking place at King’s
Wharf. It is progressing well, and it is a source of considerable pride, not only to the Minister of Public
Works, but to this entire Government, that the project
is being led by a Bermudian engineer, Carmen Trott.
And she is ably assisted by two other Bermudian en-gineers, including Austin Kenny and Tabia Butterfield,
onsite.
While weather will always play an important
role in the factors of delivery of such projects, we are
very optimistic that the work will be completed in time
for this spring and the full swing of the current cruise
ship season, Mr. Speaker.

Premier.
Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to
take that particular item under advisement. I am not
prepared at this point in time to make any such com880 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly mitment on the floor. As I talked to t he Honourable
Opposition Leader, I will have him have a meeting
with the Attorney General on this particular issue. As I
said, this is something that I believe that we can work
together on.
And I believe that, as this Government has
supported the additional oversight powers of this Parliament, I think that it is something that is ideal for the
oversight committees to look at. I think that maybe the
way that our oversight committees are structured may
be broadened so that they can look at particular i ssues s uch as this so that Honourable Members and
Backbenchers can be involved in these particular i ssues and handle them. I think that we have adequate energy inside of this House to look at those particular matters, and I think that we can all work together in a
collaborative fashion to make sure that the interests of our children and the interests of our citizens, whom
we are there to serve, are best protected.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker,
and good morning, P remier.
My question is around a gazetted PATI [ Public
Access to Information] request that has been published between a contract that was made between the
Department of Communication and Inter -Island Communications. I would like to know what the total co ntract was for the 2018/19 relationship with Inter -Island
Communications. The PATI request is showing only a
published, itemised list of services. But I would like to
know what the total amount was for that.

[Inaudible interjection]

No problem.

Hon. E. David Burt: The Honourable Member is i ncorrect. It is not a PATI request. It is part of a PATI
disclosure. So, there was no request. Contracts that
exceed a value of, I think it is $50,000, have to be gazetted. And so, all things are done in a regular fashion and order.
And I would also like to remind Members t hat
the Public Access to Information Act was the idea of a former Progressive Labour Party Premier. It was put
into place under the former Government. It is continuing to provide this type of disclosure. I happen to b elieve, Mr. Speaker, that disclosure is healthy, and we
will continue to make those disclosures to be held accountable for our particular actions.
But what I can say, Mr. Speaker, is that a feefor-service contract, which was approved and blessed
by the Office of Project Management and Procur ement . . . and I will be very happy to get the Honour able Member the specifics of which she is requesting.
And in her supplementary, if she can be very specific,
I will make sure to get those particular answers to her.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Premier, the 2018 Budget indicated that
the civil service would get a salary increase of 2.5 per
cent, retroactive to April 1, 2017. In this year’s budget,
we say that, and I quote, “Included in . . . operating
expenses is the 2.0% salary increase awarded to
some public officers.”
My question is, Can you differ entiate why you
have said “some public officers” will get 2 per cent


Bermuda House of Assembly increase, while others get a 2.5 [per cent] retroactive
from last year?

Thank you.
Premier.
Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I am a little bit confused by the question. I know that negotiations are
taking place between the unions. I know that there
was a mandate that was laid down by the Cabinet for
a 2 per cent increase. I am not certain, off the top of
my head, which unions have accepted that. I know for certain that Bermuda Public Services Union has done
so. And so, I cannot speak [with certainty], but I am
happy to get the specific answers as to the other unions which have accepted the pay offer of increase,
which is under this Government.
However, Mr. Speaker, I must also take the
opportunity to remind all persons who are listening —

[Timer beeps]

However, we still have 30 minutes on
the clock for any other questions related to the Stat ement this morning. And, in fact, there is one Member
who has indi cated that he would like to put a question
to the Minister regarding her Statement this morning.
And that question is also from the Member from constituency 8.
Member, would you like to put your question?

QUESTION 1: CHILD CARE OVERSIGHT
AND REGULATION

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I applaud the Minister for the
progress that she is making in this space. But I think what we need to also look out for, who are also key
stakeholders in this industry, are the teachers and leaders in the schools. I am not certain that they have
any representation, Mr. Speaker. It has come to my
attention that a number of schools are not paying teachers’ payroll tax, health insurance and social i nsurance. And I am wondering what can be done to
help those teachers in the preschool space?

[Inaudible interjections ]

Minister.

Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes, Mr. Speaker. And I thank
the Honourable Member for his question.
However, the Statement that I read does
speak specifically to the standards, the child care
standards of Bermuda. And no reference was made
with respect to outstanding payroll tax and health i nsurance tax. So, I believe that, pursuant to the regul ations as they relate to Question [Period], that question
probably is inappropri ate because it does not contain
anything that is directly related to the Ministerial Statement that I gave this morning.

We have to ensure that our
teachers are committed and dedicated to delivery of world -class standards to these young people. And
they can ill afford to have actions going on within their
classroom settings because they are unhappy with
their terms of employment.
Can the Minister [assure us] somehow, when
she does an inspection of those schools or when i nspection of the schools take place, that we look at
those types of circumstances, as well?

Minister.
Hon. Kim N. W ilson: Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in
the Statement, the inspections with respect to the
child care centres and the day cares deal with things
like fire certificates, liability insurance, staff applic ations and educational qualifications. It does not relat e
to payroll and outstanding taxes. Obviously, it is a
matter of law that payroll tax and health insurance
need to be paid for.
882 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly But I guess it is certainly something that we
can make inquiries about.

I recognise the Minister of Education.

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that this House send co ndolences to the family of Henrietta Louise Jones,
[mother] of a good friend of mine, Mervyn Grant, who
passed away thi s week.
Mr. Speaker, I did get on my feet because it is
with extreme sadness that I have to ask this House to
send appropriate condolences, as well as prayers, to
the family of Ms. Sakeena Talbot. Ms. Sakeena Tal-bot, Mr. Speaker, passed away earlier this week at the
age of 38, leaving four children, three of whom are my
niece and two nephews, ages ranging from 22 to 2. It
is a sad day, Mr. Speaker, when you get a phone call
to say that someone whom you have known since
childhood has passed away at such an early age, and in fact, leaving behind children such as this. And I
would just ask that the House collectively send condolences to her family, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

And this weekend, Mr.
Speaker, his leadership was, let us say, put to the
test, and he passed with flying colours through his students. They had the Invitational Martial Arts Com-petition at Pembroke School, Sunday School, on Sunday, March 3
rd. You had [the following participants]:
• Lucas Frias, age 9, who got second place in
fighting and third in kata;
• Jaleiyah Johnson, age 10, second in form s.
She went to win the Grand Championship in
form, second in fighting;
• Jamaiya Johnson, age 8, second in form s;
• Mataio Cameron, age 9, first in open forms;
• Zamaya Hall, age 5, firs t in forms unopposed;
• Althe a Frays -Sylvia, age 8, third in forms.
And also, one of my instructors and coaches,
Sensei Tracy, who is a third -degree Black Belt, and
Assistant Harry O; and Instructor Kyoshi Arnold E.
Allen. And that is our Sergeant -at-Arms ri ght there.

[Inaudible interjections and laughter ]

But, Mr. Speaker, I would
like to also have congratulated the other judges and
instructors, who are all local —Charles Butterfield,
Princeton Bailey, Garon Wilkinson, John Doherty, Oscar Lightbourne, Bobby Smith, David Simmons, Al
Wharton and Arnold E. Allen, once again. I just want
to say that I would like to send a pre- letter of congratulations to go to Arnold Allen, who is opening up
his own dojo on Cobbs Hill Road. And that will be
open every day of the week. So, anybody who would
like to come and join, feel free to come and join with us. Because it is helping our young people.

That is my home dojo, Mr.
Speaker. And that is why I say “us” because we are a
family. We do everything together. We w ork together,
we train together. So, once again, a letter of congrat ulations to the Harto Karate School of St. Lucas. And it is the home of St. Lucas, Mr. Speaker, from which I
encourage you to come and take a lesson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I just wish for the House to send
condolences to the family of Ronald Norman Eugene
Clarke. Mr. Clarke passed away the other day, and he
is [being] buried today. I have been asked to assoc iate Mr. Tyrrell, from constituency 26, with these co ndolences.
Mr. Clarke was the husband of Ms. Joan
Clarke, and they were at Middletown, so they are my
constituents. I just want to say that Mr. Clarke, f or us
who are over a certain age, was a stalwart of the
Young Men’s Social Club, Bluebirds, as they rose to
prominence during the late 1950s –early 1960s period.
And he was well known and respected within the
sporting fraternity. Thank you.

First of all, I would like to congrat ulate the First Episcopal District African Methodist
Episcopal Church on their 133
rd session of the Annual
Conference, which st arted yesterday at the Sout hampton Princess Hotel. This is an annual event for the
AME churches in Bermuda, and we look forward to
what their year of restoration brings for them and this Island.
I would also like to say a very hearty thank
you to the wom en Parliamentarians today, because
there was a call for us to acknowledge International Women’s Day today. And every woman in the Chamber has on purple, which is the colour for International
Women’s Day.

[Desk thumping and inaudible interjections ]

Yes. The gentlemen have worn
purple, as well. But I just want to say thank you because we recognise that, as women, we are contin uing to fight for gender equality, parity, and all of those other things that w omen fight for. So, the theme this
year is #balanceforbetter
. And what we are looking for
is to do and be better. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member.
We now recognise the Leader of the Oppos ition.
Honourable Member, you have the floor. Yes,
another St. George’s person.
Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Unfortunately, I want to add my sentiments to
the passing of Sakeena Talbot, a young woman whom
I got to know in business many years ago, who did
some work for us in our business. An extremely smart,
entrepreneurial young woman. I also had the opportunity of seeing her elder two sons grow up and see
them in church, and to also be there when her four -
year-old daughter was born, and the blessing. It is
truly a real loss to have a young woman like this pass
away. So, to her family, we extend our condolences.
And I know we said that, as the broader House, we would do that.

Yes.

Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: On a congratulatory not e, I
had the opportunity yesterday to spend some time
with P4 at Purvis Primary. And I want to congratulate
them on the work that they are doing in understanding
what it is that we do here in Parliament.
So, I was asked to answer some questions
and the li ke. And so, I want to congratulate and send
out a note of support to the teachers, Ms. Butterfield and Ms. Savory, who are doing a fantastic job with this P4 group in getting these young kids, at eight
years old, some are nine, to understand exactly what
it is that we do in Parliament and to understand the
system itself. They were quite knowledgeable, actua lly. So, we had a great time, and I want to congratulate
them on the work and project that they are doing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and
good morning, all.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask that t his House send
a letter of condolences to the family of the late Mr.
Calvin Bascome, popularly known as “Nancy” Bascome, who is a friend of the family. He will be sadly
884 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly missed by the rest of the family. Certainly by myself,
because he and I were members of the Warwick
Workmen's Club, and we got to play cards a lot t ogether at that establishment. I would like to associate
Honourable Cole Simons, as well. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Member.
Does any other Honourable Member wish to
speak?
We recognise the Honourable Member from
constituency 10.

Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I would like this Honourable
House to send congratulations. And I am sure that all
Members of this Chamber would like to be associated
with the congratulations to Nikita Evans Robinson on her organisation of World Book Day, which she does
at many of the schools and preschools around the
Island. Myself and many colleagues have had the op-portunity to be invited and to read in the schools with
our young children. It is always a very rewarding, fun and interesting time.
Yesterday, I was at the Happy Valley Pr eschool and got to relive some readings of my younger
days through Jack and the Beanstalk. And I think the
Premier was [there], the Opposition Leader, and a
number of people were. So, congratul ations to Ms.
Robinson on organising a wonderful event, which she does around her birthday.
I would like to take this opportunity, as has
been done by the Honourable Member fr om constit uency 1, just to congratulate all of the organisers in
Bermuda of the International Day of Women, and for
everyone for coming out and supporting it. It certainly is appropriate and brings recognition to some of the
opportunities that we still may take advantage of here
in Bermuda. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, thank
you.
I would like t o be associated with the congra tulations to the AME Church on the occasion of their
133
rd Annual Conference. I would also like to congratulate the Honourable Minister of Tourism and Transport, who actually gave the message last night,
as a lay person, at t he conference, as a member of
Vernon Temple AME Church. And I can say, Mr.
Speaker, we do not have to have any fear that he will
be joining the clergy —

[Laughter]

Even though he is a
“minister,” he will remain as a Minister of the Gover nment, even though he did do an admiral job as a la yman.
I would also, Mr. Speaker, like to extend congratulations and ask the House to join me in doing so
to the Reverend Dr. Blanche Burchall, the Pastor of
Glory Temple in St. David’s, a sch oolmate of mine,
who this weekend will be celebrating her 65
th birthday.
And I wish her the heartiest of congratulations.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes. Thank you, Honourable Member.
Does any other Member wish to speak?
We recognise the Honourable Minister Foggo.
Honourable Minister, you have the floor.
Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, firstly, I would like to give condolences for Mr. Laroy Trott, who was a constituent of
mine, and suffered many, many years from illness. I
would like to associate MP Renee Ming with these
remarks. I would also like to give condolences for Mrs.
Barnard, a St. Georgian woman—a very unassuming,
very quiet lady, but nonetheless made her mark in St.
George’s. She will be missed dearly by her family, the
Ming family, as well as the Barnard family.
On a happier note, Mr. Speaker, I would like
to give congratulations to Mr. Nathan Trott. Mr. N athan Trott —I would like to associate—

[Inaudible interjection]

They said that it was done.
Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Okay. I would like to assoc iate myself with the remarks for Nathan Trott. I was not here to give remarks on Wednesday past. Mr. Trott
signed a new deal with West Ham United. And he will
be with that club until 2022.

[Inaudible interjections]

Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Mr. Nathan Trott has signed a
new deal, keeping the goalkeeper [position] with the
club until the time I stated, which is 2022. The 20-year-old has featured in 12 matches this season for
the Irons, playing 10 times in the Premier League, too, and twice in the Checkatrade Trophy.
The Bermudian- born shot -stopper first joined
West Ham in January 2016 on the recommendation of the former Hamm er, Clyde Best, and has regularly
trained with the first team this current season. So, Mr.
Spea ker, kudos to him.


Bermuda House of Assembly That speaks well of our football that is going
on in Bermuda. And in spite of the fact that we do not
have the type of money that gets put into football that
other countries do, we still have a lot of very talented
people here in Bermuda. And Nathan is one who, along with others, is speaking to that talent.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to firstly, on behalf
of MP Tinee Furbert and myself, thank the class of
P6, Williams and Ming, who invited us down to Har-rington Sound Primary School to explain . . . we
thought we were going there to explain how legislation was passed. And we found out we had no blank to fill
in. These children knew everything.
The Speake r: You learnt a few things from them, eh?

We got to speak to them
about the need for gender equality in politics, because
they knew the number of MPs and the number of
women to men. And they said, Oh, we need more
women in politics.
On a sadder note, Mr. Speaker, I would like to
give condolences to the Benjamin family of Loyal Hill,
on the passing of Mr. Roderick Benjamin.

The Clerk: It was done.

Thank you.
Does any other Member wish to speak?
Premier.

Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure that I am late. So, I will
ask just for myself to be associated to rise today and
echo the sentiments of my colleagues to recognise
International Women’s Day. As was stated by the
Honourable Member from constituency 2, this year’s
theme is “Balance for Better.” And each day, thousands of women in Bermuda work hard maintaining
the fabric of our community. They are our mothers,
our sisters, our daughters, and our aunts. They are our teachers, our counsellors, our leaders, our mentors, and our friends. And today, we celebrate the life that the women of this country bring to our nation. And
thank them for the hard, unwavering investment that
they have made and continue to make for Bermuda.
And I will say, Mr. Speaker, that I know that I will be
joined by a number of Members of this House to commemorate International Women’s Day this lunchtime at the steps of City H all.

Good morning.

FIRST READINGS

PAYROLL TAX AMENDMENT ACT 2019

STAMP DUTIES AMENDMENT ACT 2019

Hon. Curtis L. Dickinson: I am introducing the following Bill, whic h according to section 36(3) of the
Bermuda Constitution, requires the Governor’s recommendation, so that it may be placed on the Order
Paper for the next day of meeting: the Payroll Tax Amendment Act 2019.
Mr. Speaker, I am also introducing the follo wing Bill, which according to section 36(3) of the Bermuda Constitution, requires the Governor’s recom-mendation, so that it may be placed on the Order P aper for the next day of meeting: Stamp Duties
Amendment Act 2019.

And again, for our listening public, we
are here today to continue the Budget Debate, to di scuss in Committee of Supply the Estimates of Rev enue and Expenditure for the year 2019/20. And this morning, the first Ministry up to be debated is that of
Home Affairs.
I would like to acknowledge the Chairperson,
Mr. Simons. Will you take the Chair? And we can pr oceed with the Budget Debate. I believe this morning
there is a two- hour allotment. And then, this afternoon
there is a six -hour allotment for the second [Ministry]
today, which is that of Transport.
But, Mr. Simons, take the Chair. Thank you.

House in Committee at 11:07 am

[Mr. N. H. Cole Simons, Chairman]
COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY

ESTIMATES OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE
FOR THE YEAR 2019/20

[Continuation thereof]

Good morning. At this time, we would
like to resume in the Committee of Supply. Today we
are debating for two hours the Department of Energy, Head 89, and this debate will conclude at . . . we will
have a break at 12:30 and continue after lunch for a
short period of time.
I now recognise the Deputy Premier , the Honourable Walter Roban.

MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

HEAD 89 —DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I am moving Head 89, Energy, now to be taken under consideration.
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to present the
Budget Head 89, the Department of Energy, found on
pages B -24 through B -27, and pages C -7 and C -15 of
the Approved Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure.
The department’s mission, Mr. Chairman, is
summed up in a simple sentence: We develop public
policy, public utili ty policy and legislation, which enables secure energy, electronic communications and
broadcasting platforms for Bermuda.
The subtle difference from that which was
published last year is that the Department of Energy
has now assumed responsibility for the Telecommunications Department, formerly Head 46. And with that comes additional duties that need to be incorporated.
Formal changes to the department are ongoing. But
for now, this statement expresses the breadth of its
responsibilities.
Although this mi ssion seems concise, the
functions are many, ranging from public outreach, e ducation and engagement, to the research and deve lopment of more sites for renewable energy, and r eform of the long- neglected industry sectors like broadcasting.
Mr. Chairman, the total current expenditure of
Head 89 is estimated to be $880,000 and represents
an increase of 12 per cent, or $97,000, over the last
year’s figures. This is due primarily to the addition of one member of staff to the department’s salary budg-et, from the former Department of Telecommunic ations. Operating budgets have remained exactly the
same as those of the preceding year.
Mr. Chairman, Advertising and Promotion,
found on page B -325, on line 5, is allocated $50,000,
which is used to host events such as t he Energy
Summit and to fund public information campaigns


Bermuda House of Assembly around energy issues, such as conservation and eff iciency, and solar energy, to name a few.
Mr. Chairman, page B -325, line 6, shows the
allocation for Professional Services, which includes
consulta nt services, and has been allocated a total of
$335,000. Consultants are hired where there is no inhouse expertise. Last year’s consultants were hired to
support the ongoing negotiations and administration of
the 6- megawatt solar development; the developm ent
of the fuels policy, which was approved in September 2018; and for the work towards broadcasting reform.
Mr. Chairman, the manpower estimates for
the Ministry Headquarters, as outlined on page B -25,
are four full -time posts. This is an increase from t hree,
from the previous fiscal year. And the Department of Energy is in the process of combining its functions
with those of the former Department of Telecommunications. This additional position is for one telecomm unications officer.

Output Measures

Hon. Walter H. Roban: The output measures for the
Department of Energy are found on pages B -326 and
B-327 of the Approved Estimates of Revenue and E xpenditure. I will now detail some of those measures
and their outcomes.
Mr. Chairman, the development of polic y and
legislation of fuels is part of a larger project that the department is undertaking, namely, to review and r evise existing legislation governing the Regulatory A uthority and how it functions; and how best to improve those functions for an agile, responsive, streamlined and efficient regulatory environment. To ensure that
any new legislation achieves these goals, it makes
sense to develop framing legislation around the fuel
sector in tandem with the work, rather than compoun ding any issues that current ly exist.
Mr. Chairman, another project in tandem to
the review and amendment of existing regulatory le gislation is completion of broadcasting reforms. Over
this past year, a great deal of work has been done on
examining possible policy changes. What is apparent is that technology has moved on and continues to
progress at a pace that the current policies have not
kept up with.
Any new policies must be future- proofed, as
much as possible, so that the goals of accessibility,
quality, opportunity for Bermudi an content providers
and the like are preserved, while allowing for techno-logical advances, like streaming and over -the-top service. Consulting services have been employed from
time to time to help address this project.
Mr. Chairman, public outreach and education
through our energy matters remain a priority. In this day and age, where there are many sources of infor-mation online, it is difficult to parse good information
from that which is spurious and promotes fear, distrust
and concern. The department ai ms to promote the dissemination of good, reliable, accurate information
to better enable the public to be in control of their energy use and expenditure.
Mr. Chairman, the department has also been
representing Government in overseeing the develop-ment of t he solar PV [photovoltaic] project at the old
munitions’ pier, commonly known as the Finger, adj acent to the L. F. Wade International Airport. While the capital budget for this work is outlined under the section found on page C -7, it bears mentioning that the
additional resource for this project, namely, its management, has been handled largely in- house by the
department’s expertise.
This is a body of work quite separate from the
trucking, hauling, and cutting of vegetation, and d emands due diligence and t ime on the part of the department’s personnel. From time to time, it has been necessary to consult other experts, and part of the
budget for consultants has been used in this area.

Revenue

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the revenue
summary for the D epartment of Energy can be found
on page B -325. These figures represent the Gover nment’s authorisation fees in the electronic communications sector and the new fees for those holding l icences in the electricity sector. Telecommunications is
expected to tak e in approximately $15 million by the
end of the fiscal year. And the newly licensed electric ity sector will earn approximately $200,000 in revenue. Spectrum band fees are anticipated to earn approx imately $2,480,000.
In total, with various commercial fees and
mass media fees, the department revenue is projec ted to be about $17,885,000.

Capital Expenditures

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the capital development expenditure for the Department of Energy
is found on page C -7 of the Approved Estimates of
Revenue and Expenditure. This amount, $200,000,
represents part of the Government’s obligation to pr ovide a site that is ready to develop the upcoming 6megawatt solar photovoltaic project at the old munitions’ pier, the Finger, at the L. F. Wade Interna tional
Airport. This site had for years been used as a catchall area for all manner of items, from asphalt screenings from the last resurfacing work of the runways, to
old fuel tanks. And as a neglected area, the veget ation became quite overgrown.
The work of installing the panels is scheduled
to commence within the next few months. And this will be Bermuda’s first utility -scale renewable energy i nstallation, which will benefit all ratepayers in the stab ilisation and possible reduction of energy costs.


888 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Capital Acquisitions

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the capital acquisitions budget for the Department of Energy is captured on page C -15 of the Budget Book, under bus iness unit 76689. The estimate for fiscal year 2019/20
is $250,000 and is to be used to fund the solar rebate
initiative and other initiatives that increase the uptake
of energy efficiency technology, Mr. Chairman, an initiative beginning soon. Also coming out of the budget
is the LED exchange programme. Details are being designed, and t he concept is that members of the
public will be able to exchange an old incandescent
bulb with an energy -efficient LED, and learn about the
benefits of making the switch from energy -efficient to
more energy -efficient technology. This is an exciting
ventur e because we are partnering with local vendors
to implement this programme. We will be announcing
the start of the programme and the participating ve ndors very soon.

[Inaudible interjection]

[Desk thumping]
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Major Achievements
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Now onto major achiev ements, Mr. Chairman. The rebate programme
launched in October 2018 is designed to better su pport those at the lower end of the economic scale.
Rather than a simple reboot of the previous r ebate
initiative on solar thermal and solar photovoltaic insta llations, this round of rebates favours those who might
not otherwise make the investment in solar technol ogies. And so, those owning homes with a lower ARV
(annual rental value) can receive up to $8,000 back
when they invest in solar PV. The rebate benefit d ecreases as annual rental value increases so that res idential -scale solar development in general is still encouraged, but rewarded less for those in larger high-value homes. To date, there ha ve been a total of 22
kilowatts installed, using this programme. There are currently applications that are pending that represent a further 90 kilowatts.
Mr. Chairman, recognising that the rebate
programme still does not address the plight of those who ar e struggling to make ends meet, the depar tment has begun a tripartite partnership with the Mini stry of Public Works and the Bermuda Housing Corpo-ration [BHC], using some of the funds in this capital
budget. Our partners are in the process of installing
energy -efficient technologies that are funded out of
the same budget, such as LED light fixtures and ti mers to water heaters, in the homes of senior citizens who are BHC clients, bringing relief to those who are
in the greatest need. Throughout the coming ye ar, the department
and its partners will continue to work toward identif ying and assisting those in need, to move towards
greater energy independence.
Mr. Chairman, in November of 2018, the department hosted an energy summit, in observance of CARICOM’s En ergy Month. The keynote speaker was
the former Prime Minister of Aruba, Mike Eman, who
gave an inspiring address about his leadership in Ar uba’s progress toward energy independence. The theme of the summit was “ Toward a Resilient Berm uda,” with Bermudian a nd regional experts giving their
perspectives on this timely and relevant subject.
Among the panellists was Ms. Denaye Hinds, a Bermudian, who led a discussion on sustainability and the
built environment; Mr. Wayne Smith, who moderated
the panel on blockchain and its applications in the e nergy sector; and the department’s own acting policy
analyst, Mr. Aran McKittrick, who chaired a panel on
the 6- megawatt solar PV development adjacent to the
L. F. Wade International Airport.
Invited from overseas was Mr. J. Paul Morgan, the godfather of utility regulation in the Caribb ean; Ms. Kathleen Riviere- Smith, from the Organization
of Caribbean Utility Regulators; Mr. Greig Paul, one of
the world’s leading blockchain experts, from the University of Strathclyde —

No. You are fine.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: All right. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman. I will continue.
The event was a success, bringing insight and
knowledge to a diverse group of attendees, ranging
from prospective participants in the energy sector, the
local renewable energy industry, government officials,
local engineers, and students from the Bermuda College.
Mr. Chairman, the department worked to help
develop the nat ional fuels policy, which was approved
by the Government in August of 2018. Among the matters addressed were fuel quality, safety standards,
critical infrastructure, and encouraging the use of lo wer-carbon fuels in Bermuda.
The fuels policy contemplates a framework to
ensure that the needs of the customer continue to be


Bermuda House of Assembly met with expectations set and enshrined in licensure
and regulations. And I can certainly state here, Mr.
Chairman, that the goal for Bermuda for this Gover nment is to have a low carbon fut ure. And the fuels policy, we believe, helps to bring that about. That will be good for Bermuda and good for everybody. Low carbon to zero carbon —as close as we can get to zero,
we are looking to get.

You have my support there.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, the department has worked to
find ways to work within its budget and resources by
leveraging relationships built through the attendance at conferences and symposia overseas. In October
2018, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed
with the Rocky Mountain Institute to assist the de-partment in accomplishing two main pieces of work.
One was to help determine the best way forward to
electrify our bus fleet, which is obviously the respons ibility of the Ministry of Transport now. But then it was
a responsibility that I had. And the other was to help identify other potential sites for renewable energy developments around Bermuda.
The Rocky Mountain Institute, or RMI, is an
independent non- partisan non- profit organ isation
founded in 1982. In 2014, it merged with the Carbon
War Room, founded by Richard Branson as a leading
think tank for renewable solutions in the battle of cl imate change. As part of its mandate, RMI provides a
suite of pro bono services to island countries like
Bermuda in an effort to ensure that those most affec ted by climate change are positioned, as best they can
be, to adapt. The work that RMI is doing with the department is being carried out in partnership with other
internal stakeholders such as the Ministry of Tourism
and Transport, and the Ministry for Public Works.

Plans for the Upcoming Year

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, in the upcoming year, the department will develop the legislation
required to properly implement the fuels policy, with a
sensible implementation plan to ensure its regulation in all aspects and ensure that regulation is carried out by the appropriately equipped agency.
Mr. Chairman, reviews and revisions of the
energy White Paper of 2011 will also commence. There w ill be consultation with the public and, where
necessary, consultants engaged to ensure that an updated version of this will be practical, workable and implementable within a reasonable time frame and
within existing budgets, wherever possible. This is not
to suggest that it will not embrace aspirations. It will,
but now in the context of experience and a more es-tablished regulatory environment.
Mr. Chairman, the rebate initiative will conti nue in order to encourage the uptake of solar technol o-gies with the easiest incentives we can offer —that is,
cashback for capacity installed. This noted, the d epartment will continue to work with local businesses to
refine and improve our approach so that more solar
energy reaches those who can benefit from it the most.
Mr. Chairman, the department will continue its
management of the site clearing of the Finger and will maintain its position as a liaison between the solar
developer and the Bermuda development. We look
forward to having that utility -scale project online and
producing clean, affordable, renewable energy for
Bermuda well before the end of the upcoming fiscal
year.
Mr. Chairman, the department will continue its
efforts with the electric vehicle subsector and continue
to advocate for more, and find ways to increase the uptake, of these types of vehicles in Bermuda. Rocky
Mountain Institute will continue to work with the D epartment of Energy and the Ministry of Tourism and Transport to explore the feasibility of electrifying Bermuda’s bus fleet, while providing advice and guidance
on matters affecting electric vehicles for personal
transport, as well.
Mr. Chairman, the department will continue to
work with RMI to identify opportunities for large- scale
solar developments throughout Bermuda and working
on ways for including ordinary investors to participate in our renewable future. High net worth investors will
continue to provide the backbone of finances for util ity-scale projects. But the department is committed to
finding ways for Bermudians to be included in t he future of renewable energy in Bermuda.
One of the things, Mr. Chairman, that we decided to do after discussions with the Premier and other Ministers is that to make sure, going forward,
having had the experience with the solar PV project at
the Finger, that any future projects of a commercial
nature will have Bermudians first as the principal i nvestors, because there are opportunities there. And we believe that Bermudians should be first in having
the opportunity. Even if they partner with overseas
persons, they should be the first in line to take advantage of any further utility -scale energy projects,
going forward.

Thank you, Minister.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, the depar tment will be focusing more on education and outreach
in a more consummate approach, rather than restric ting its efforts to the annual Energy Summit alone. The
department will still be hosting summits, but it will i nstead move away from an annual summit to a biennial
summit. This will allow resources to be used more
judiciously with a better overall effect of reaching more in the community. Measures taken will range from r adio talks and advertisements to promotional events,
where the public can be more widely engaged in
890 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly learning more about energy topics, especial ly about
how they can take more control over their energy
costs.
Mr. Chairman, the coming year will also see
the completion of broadcasting reform and the prom-ulgation of a new policy for the broadcasting sector.
Although this work has gone in fits and s tarts in the
past, the department is committed to completing the
transition to a modern efficient broadcasting sector,
responsive to the advances in technology.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Energy also
has responsibility for space and satellites. In an effort
to find ways to develop Bermuda’s space and satellite
sector, the department has worked with overseas
partners serving in the capacity of an advisory group. The goal is to identify improvements to be made in our
policy and our legislation to enable Bermuda to be
competitive in the satellite registration and, eventually, licensing, similar to the shipping and aircraft registries,
both of which are well established and well regarded.
Mr. Chairman, in closing, I would like to thank
the small and dedic ated team in the Department of
Energy, including Jeane Nikolai, who is the Director
who is here in the Chamber; Aran McKittrick; Vanese
Flood Gordon; Adrian Dill; and Patricia DeShields, for
all of their work, all of their very hard work. We look
forward t o working together with the public, with local
industry and with the Regulatory Authority to support
local businesses, lowering local electricity expend itures, attracting inward investment to our utility sectors, thereby helping create opportunity and equi ty for
all Bermudians.
Mr. Chairman, with this overview of the department and its activities, I [invite the] discussion of
the budget for Head 89, the Department of Energy.
Thank you.

I think the Deputy Premier might
have inherited Bob’s crystal ball.
[Laughter]
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Let me at least declare my
interest, if you do not mind, Mr. Chairman. The Honourable Member and I have known each other for
many, many years. We go back long before we w ere
in this Chamber together, as acquaintances. So, in a
professional way, of course.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I actually just have a few questions. Starting
on page B -324, under the Department Objectives, I
note that one of the objectives is to continue educa ting the publi c on energy matters. We did have the E nergy Summit in 2018. Are we looking to have another
Energy Summit in 2019? And particularly with the
RFPs [Request for Proposal] that have been out to
kind of provide some competition to BELCO and find
other forms of energy, and educating people about
those things, I think that a lot of people hear about clean energy and saving money, but they really do not
understand a lot. I myself do not understand all of it and how it works. So, I just wonder what other pr ocesses t here will be to try to educate people about
these things.
Again under Department Objectives, on page
B-324, my former colleague, Grant Gibbons, last year
spent two hours, I believe, talking about satellites and slots in space. And I am not going be able t o do that.
But I am pleased to see that the Minister is continuing
to work on commercialising the assigned satellite slots
and that they are a potential revenue source. And we
do need to be creative in looking at future revenue
streams for the Island. So, I am happy to see that.
Forgive me if I am repeating some of the
things that you may have already addressed, Minister.
On page B -24, under Head 89, cost centre 99000, in
2018/19, it was intended to have work, intensive work
on reviewing the Regulatory Act 2011 and the Electricity Act, and work with the Attorney General’s
Chambers to draft fuel legislation. Where are we with


Bermuda House of Assembly those legislative amendments? And when will we see
them coming forth?
On page B -325, under Professional Services,
there was a decreas e in 2018/19 of $105,000. And
this represented an increase in capacity for the d epartment and a corresponding reduction in the need
for consultants. However, this year, the fees have a lmost doubled. And I would be interested to know what
the reason is for that increase.
On page C -15 . . .

[Page] C -15, yes, cost centre
76689, Energy Rebate. And the Minister actually did
talk about this. My question was what the status of the
project is. But the allocation was originally $500,000,
and it has gone down to $200,000. And I would like to
know why. I also know that in providing this sort of
income support for our seniors and for people who
have homes that have lower ARVs, it will reduce their electricity costs. But th e up-front cost of having these
solar panels can be extremely expensive. And so, how are we going to be able to manage that with people? And can we subsidise that? How are people going to be expected to kind of get these solar panels in
place in order to be able to enjoy the benefits [of the reduction]?
Let us see. On page B -324, again, under pr ogramme 8901, cost centre 99000, Administration, the
Minister did talk about the fuels policy and the framing
legislation. And we, I guess, anticipate seeing that
proposed legislation, hopefully, before the end of
2019. And I am glad to see that we are going to be
able to see that, because it is important that the fuels
sector is fairly regulated and that Bermudians can enjoy affordable, sustainable, safe and secure delivery
of their fuel. I know I find it really frustrating when I get
a BELCO bill, and my BELCO bill is $80, and then I
have a fuel charge for $950. So, you know, I think it is
ridiculous! And I do not know how that can be controlled or addressed. But if it could be, I would like to
see that addressed.
And on page B -325, I note that the training
budget has increased from one to five. So, I would like
to know what kind of training that is. Who is going on the training? Is this ongoing? What kind of things will
they be expected to be? Are they conferences? Or,
you know, what exactly is the training? And again, on
page B -325, under Expenditure Travel, it has also i ncreased from four to ten. So, I would like to know what that increase is for. Generally, the o ther—

[Inaudible interjection]

Travel? Yes, it has gone from four
to ten. And just wondering what that comprises and
who is doing the traveling? And is it related to —is it an
associated cost with the training? And then, materials and supplies on page B -
325, again under expenditure, has increased from two
to nine, and I would like to know why that increase
and what that increase comprises.
On page B -325, again, under Employee
Numbers, I note the position that has been added was for a telecommunications officer. What is their role? Is
that a new post, or was it one that had been just an
unfunded vacancy, or a funded vacancy that is just
being filled? Or was it a totally new created post?
On page B -326, under Performance
Measures, the Government was going to facilitate the
procurement of an energy management or energy
services company to assist with reduction of energy
expenditure in government buildings. And that was a
new measure for 2018/19. At that point, the original
forecast was t o have a service provider. That has now
been changed so that an in- house energy manager
position has been created instead. And I would just
like to know the reason for the change. You know, I
am happy if we found somebody in Bermuda who is
actually able to do the job and we did not have to go
outside to have somebody to do it. But I would just like
to know the reason why.
And I think those are all of my questions, for
now.

[Pause]

Thank you for your contribution.
I now recognise the Opposition Leader.
Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I, as well, appreciate the brief that was given, and it
was heartening to hear that the goal for Bermuda is a
low-carbon future. That is very admirable to hear that
we are moving in that direction.
Taking into consideration, as we have already
seen in the paper, where we are with looking at buses which are electric, it would be great to hear a little
more about maybe some of the other departments
that we are already talking to, maybe if the Minister is aware of another particular department that has large
numbers of vehicles, whether or not they are actually
having ongoing talks with these departments about
how to faci litate them to becoming more energy eff icient, as well. And maybe not just electrical, but how we can be more efficient, period, with our energy use as far as our vehicles are concerned. And that would
be monitoring the miles that they travel, maybe choosing different routes and the like. All of those things,
especially when we were looking at trash collection
and figuring out whether or not we need to look at di fferent routes that would be more energy efficient,
[could be] among those measures.
892 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly I guess what I wanted to hear a little more
about is whether or not this particular head, the folks
within this department, are they actually at the table
when there are any internal upgrades being taken?
So, if we are going to be upgrading a particular d epartment , or a ministry, is this particular head and the
people within this area involved in that to make recommendations as far as how we can be more energy
efficient?
I know in the past, recommendations have
been made. But I am not sure if those recommenda-tions are actually coming [AUDIO SKIP 01:44:58] this
head, who really looked at this stuff on a more micr oscopic level. And if they are not working within the
internal measures of ensuring that all upgrades we make to our physical buildings and the likes, it woul d
be nice to be able to have them in there. So, I just want to know whether or not they were at the table
during those times. And I am on page B -324, Mr.
Chairman, if you will.
I also, with interest, was listening to, on page
B-324, the commercialisation of Bermuda’s assigned
satellite slots. And it has always been rather interes ting. It is one of these areas that Bermudians, for some
reason, still do not realise that we have a satellite out
there. I am curious as to what are some of the latest
successes that we have had, knowing that it is an ol der satellite? What are some of those recent successes
in sales that we might have had concerning the sate llite, our satellite that sits out there? And then, I was
just curious. On page B -325, under the Employee
Numbers, it was mentioned that the position was a
telecommunications officer position. I was not sure if I
got that correct or not, the actual person, employee,
that the title was a telecommunications officer. And
the reason that I am asking that question is because,
if you turn over to page B -326, and my honourable
colleague, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, men-tioned it a little here, that there was a switch- over from
a service provider to a person. Under the Target Outcome, it says, By quarter three of 2019/20, we would be hiring an energy manager. So, is that an actual,
extra person whom we are going to be bringing on in
quarter three, in addition to the telecommunications
officer who is listed here? And if so, it may have been
good to reflect there that w e are looking at quarter
three as well to bring on someone extra.
If you just go up a little further from that performance measure, on page B -326, just above it, it
says, Facilitate the progress of the solar PV project on
the Finger at the L. F. Wade International Airport. And
I think that is going to be a huge success. I think we are all really excited about this actually happening.
But, under the Performance Measure, where it says
“revised,” it says, Sites are taking longer than expected. If the Honourable Minister could give us some
details as to what might be causing the delay in the
site-clearing there? I am very familiar, [being] from St.
David’s down there. I know that site. I used to go out there when I probably should not have, me and my
buddies out in little ponds because the water there,
the beaches there were beautiful on that side. I just
want to know what might be causing the delay? And
obviously, in projects like this here, there are going to be delays. And it would be nice to know so that the
public is aware of what those delays might be.
And does that delay, and will that delay . . . I
see “target outcome”. Is that taking into consideration the target outcome of the projected completion on or
before quarter two of 2019/20? Is that taken into consideration with that target? I am assuming so.

I now recognise the Honourable
Member from constituency 10, former Premier, Michael Dunkley.

Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And I thank the Honourable Minister for his br ief.
Just a couple of questions, but before I get
there, a comment: Obviously, alternative sources of
energy are quite important. And this Government and the former Government have been committed to solar.
We have seen many initiatives. The Government has
had the solar power panel initiative with homeowners.
And I just wanted to get an update from the Deputy
Premier on that initiative. How long will it go? How
successful has it been? And the reason why I say that is because I think the more we talk about a lternative
uses and a way of gathering energy, I think, the more
people will tune into it.
I installed solar on my house about four or five
years ago, Mr. Chairman. And I am very surprised,
pleasantly surprised at how effective it is even in times
when you think we do not have as much sunlight as
we normally get, and the days are shorter. In fact, I
was just looking on my phone. I can view the power data that are obtained from the sun, on my phone.
And in February of this year, my units on my roof, the panels on my roof, generated more power for my
household than it did in November, December and
January. So, even with the shorter days, fewer days in
February, and perhaps some overcast skies, it still
worked well.
And so, this is an opportunity I think that we
should do everything we can to support. And I am pleased that this Government supports those initi atives because solar energy is there for us most of the
year round. It is quite effective in Bermuda. The panels are becoming cheaper and cheaper. And so, I
would support the Government in anything they can
do. I just look for an update for the people, as they
have supported that initiative. And I think it is i mportant that we keep it going.
I will move on from there, slightly, Mr. Chai rman. Obviously, wi th the increased cost of living,
there are a number of functions that drive that, [includ-ing] the consumables we have to use, the cost of
health care, the cost of goods imported to the Island.


Bermuda House of Assembly But, obviously, it has been a government policy over a
number of years to levy a very healthy tax on BELCO
and fuel. Is the Government still moving in that direction? Or, Deputy Premier, are there other options that
the Government might be considering other than the fuel tax, to allow some reduction in the cost of electri city? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I have a question regarding the integrated
resource plan, and I would assume that it comes under Administration, [cost centre] 99000, on page B -
324. I would just like to know what the update is with
the integrated resource plan. I k now that there were
some RFPs that were out. And I just want to know
where we are in the process. And I apologise for not
knowing what programme it should come under. But I
am assuming that it would be Administration.

Thank you.
Is there an yone else who would like to speak
to Head 89, the Department of Energy?
No. I now recognise the Minister, the Honourable Walter Roban, Deputy Premier.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you very much, Mr.
Chairman. And I appreciate the questions that have
been posed by Members, as part of the debate. I am
happy to provide answers to them. Anything I do not
have, I undertake to provide them with in due course.
One of the major questions that came up was
about education. And that was posed by the Honourable Deput y Opposition Leader. And on page 15 of
my brief, I discussed that. And I will just go back and
repeat what I actually stated, that the department is
focusing more on education, which is why we have decided that we will not necessarily have the Energy
Summi t every year. You did ask about whether we
were going to move from an annual to a [biennial]. So,
we are going to spend a lot of time between two years
focusing on deploying some of the ideas that the
summits have generated and focusing on . . .
And I wil l just reread what I did, with your
permission, Mr. Chairman, “focusing more on educ ation and outreach in a more consummate approach,
rather than restricting efforts to the Energy Summit.
The department will be hosting summits, but it will i nstead move awa y from the annual summit to the format of a biennial summit. This will allow resources to
be used more judiciously, with the better overall effect
of reaching more of the community. Measures will be
taken to launch a range of radio talks, advertisements and promotional events, where the public can be
widely engaged and learn more about energy topics,
especially those which can help them bring down their
energy costs.” So, that is what we are going to be f ocusing on, as per my [brief] on page 15, in my prese ntation.
And one of the things we did this year, Mr.
Chairman, was that this past year we actually had
Lunch & Learn. And people will perhaps remember
that those were advertised. That was part of the effort
by the department to begin to provide information to the public about what is happening in the energy sector in Bermuda and some of the methods that they
can use and what is being done to help them bring
down their energy costs. So, it is obvious that there
are things that each individual can do to do t hat.
And so, that is going to be part of the educ ation that we are going to be focused on. The LED pr ogramme initiative that we spoke about is a part of that,
not just the exchange, but actually in the process of
the exchange, we will give people informat ion as to
how the LED bulb will help them and how they can
make a real difference in their daily energy usage.
And frankly, they can see the impact on their bill virt ually immediately, within a few billing cycles. Yes, those
bulbs are a bit more expensive.
And I will just kind of give a scenario. Let us
say an incandescent [bulb] is a dollar. You may find an LED [bulb] is about three do llars. That seems like a
lot of money, to some. But you will save that amount
of money in the expenditure that you— in the difference over one or two billing cycles. I can almost virt ually say that will be the case. And many people who
have already invested in LEDs can tell you that.
Not only that. The LEDs, let us just say an
incandescent may last 12 months. An LED lasts fiv e
years, four or five years. It lasts considerably longer.

Thank you.
Just to ask a question about the Lunch &
Learn.
How well attended we re they? Only because I
attend a lot of “lunch and learns” just in my profession.
And I find them to be actually really effective. And so, I
want to know how many people attended, and do you
think that it had the intended result that you were ex-pecting?

894 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly The Chairman: Thank you.
You may proceed.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, yes. We had
decent attendance. We would have liked to have seen
more. But there was decent attendance. We had a lot
of industry people come and interact with us, because
they se em to be quite enthusiastic about talking to us,
having not had perhaps that opportunity in the past.
Those who have a keen interest in the industry, as
well as members of the public, came.
But we are going to look at other ways in the
future of how we ca n do that, even possibly having
similar lunch and learns in government, for gover nment departments. Because government has its own issues, which it would like to see regarding spending
less on energy.

Yes. Minister, you may proceed.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: So, I will proceed.
Some of the other questions that came up,
Mr. Chairman, have to do with the Regulatory Author ity amendments and the fuels policy, and when the
amendments to those are going to be deployed. As
we said in our brief , those are part of the objectives for
this year. There has been work that was already done
with looking at the Regulatory Act [RA].
And there is a body of legislation, Mr. Chai rman, which deals with regulatory affairs, the RA Act.
There is the Electronic Communications Act [EA]. And
those are two of the pieces of major legislation, and of course, the broadcasting legislation, as well —but the
RA Act and, of course, the Electricity Act. The RA Act
and the EA Act were all passed in 2011/12. And the
Electricity Act was passed in 2016.
It is very clear from the experience that, I think
perhaps of both Governments, but certainly this Government, that there needs to be a thorough review of
both of those bodies of legislation, and particularly the
regulatory leg islation, so that we can continue to
shape the Regulatory Authority in its work. The idea of when it was devised, and I certainly admit to having some involvement prior to when the legislation was
deployed, but all of that body of legislation, was that
we would have a multi -purpose regulator that would
be regulating a number of sectors, not just energy, not
just telecommunications, but also other areas of reg ulation, perhaps water or fuel, which is actually an area that they will, hopefully, be taking over responsibility for, with the appropriate legislation drafted, going forward. So, it would need to be multidisciplinary, not just
one sole industry.
So, we need to continue to evolve the legisl ation and work with the regulator to make sure that they have t he appropriate resources, the legislative fram ework and the capability to do that. So, that project is a
part of this year’s work for 2019/20. The fuels policy,
which was passed last year, the appropriate legisl ation will also be developed this year on that, as well.
The fuels policy is a public document, so an ybody who has not seen it can go onto the government
website and look at it. If there is a need to make it . . .
I thought it was tabled in the House. If it has not been,
I will ensure and commit to making sure that it is. (I
believe it was.) It does look to ensure that there is a
particular class of fuels that are approved in Bermuda, but also makes sure that the infrastructure that mai ntains and contains those fuels is safe and is at the
highest reg ulatory standards.
But also, it contemplates that the country’s
future will depend less on carbon- oriented fuels. Right
now, 90- plus per cent of our fuel is developed from
carbon- based sources —heavy fuel oil and other
forms. We need to be moving forward a way from that,
as a small country that is exporting millions and hundreds of millions of dollars out of the country in expenditure on fuel. Imagine what that money could do with schools, with health care, with essential services
that we need. That money could be kept here and in
the pockets of Bermudians, so that they have more.
So, the idea and the vision of the Gover nment in that is to begin to push, from a legislative
standpoint, a regulatory standpoint and an educational
standpoint, a cleaner future. And the fuels policy is a
basis for doing that. We will work with the regulator,
which I think anybody who reviews their legislation will
see that moving towards a cleaner energy future is
actually mandated in the legislation of the Regulatory Authority, as well as in the Electricity Act. So, these
are directions that we desire to take. And we do hope
we will have support in those steps as we go forward.
Some of the other questions that were posed,
Mr. Chairman, were how will persons continue to benefit fr om the rebate programme that has been deployed? And there was $500,000 set aside in the last
budget for that. And I will go into that a little bit more in
detail about the expenditure. But one of the things, Mr.
Chairman, that we have tried to make sure of with the
rebate programme is that, unlike its original rendition some years ago, it actually helps those who need the help. And this is not to be disparaging against anyone,
this comment, or any government , because there
were two governments that would ha ve had some
oversight of this programme, the previous administr ation that ended the previous rendition, which is fine.
Those who could afford PV installs were the greatest beneficiaries. And that is just how it turned out.


Bermuda House of Assembly In light of the situation in the country now,
where people are struggling to meet energy costs, it
was our desire to ensure that the programme focused
on the people who could least afford such costly i nstalls.
And I applaud all those in Bermuda who have
had the ability to install those photovoltaic systems. It
is great that they had the insight and certainly the
commitment to clean energy in their personal capacity
so that they made that investment. And we hope that
those investments pay off for them. Because it means that they are contri buting just a bit to lowering the
country’s carbon footprint and to a cleaner environment.
So we want, in the future, as we have devised
with the programme which was the part of a previous
Throne Speech commitment, that it would focus on
those who need it most, which is why we also par tnered with the Bermuda Housing Corporation and the
Ministry of Public Works, and even Financial Assi stance to identify persons, particularly seniors, within
their client base who can benefit from not only solar
water heating and also conservation efficiency tec hnologies, which are fairly easily available to ensure
that this is the focus of the rebate programme.
And it is our desire to continue that in the best
way we can. There will be limited resources, but some
of the expe nditure has been committed toward that. I
will get more precise on the numbers, going forward.
The Honourable Member brought up an issue
about the surcharge that is on the electricity bill. Yes,
that is something that I think we all have to deal with,
because everybody has to be hooked up to BELCO.
That is just how the system works. Perhaps there will
be changes to that in the future, but that is how the
country operates. And all persons who use electricity
are confronted with this fuel surcharge. We are l ooking and we are discussing that being reviewed by the
RA. That is within their jurisdiction as the official regulator of the energy sector. So, we have talked about
their perhaps doing a remodelling of it, looking at it
and seeing if it perhaps needs to be changed. And
they will discuss that with the power company.
So, we understand that there are people
who— and I have heard many stories about people
who say that their fuel surcharge was higher than their
actual real expenditure on electricity. So, yes, that is a
concern. And perhaps there does need to be a r emodelling of it, going forward. And we are discussing
that with the RA as they continue their work with overseeing the fuel sector.
The Honourable Members across asked
about the issue of an energy m anager in government.
And there is, I believe on page . . . on the output
measures, there was discussion of the procurement of
an energy management or energy services company to assist in the reduction of energy expenditure in
government buildings. The dir ection of that has
changed. And the Government has decided to have an energy manager, in- house, rather than hiring an
overseas company. But that is a discussion that has
been decided at the Cabinet level, but also is now b eing formulated by working with Public Works and the Energy Department.
It may be —and I am just trying to give Members an insight as to what the direction is on this —
possible that this will lie in the Ministry of Public Works, for the obvious reason: They manage the government estate. And any deployment of any energy -
efficient measures for the government estate would be
done by the Ministry for Public Works. But there is an
ongoing discussion around that particular post. But
the decision has been to certainly deploy an energy
manager. All of the information that we [received] is
that if this had been done some time ago, there could
have been considerable savings to the government —
if there had been a manager.
There is no blame being cast there. It is just
that, you know, we all understand what the cost of
energy has been for the government. It has been an
ongoing government responsibility for all gover nments. And I believe that there has been a commi tment throughout the years to bring down that cost. But
the decision is that an energy manager, specifically in
government, to deploy measures that will assist with
the lowering of energy expenditure of government, is the best way forward. So, that is the work that is going on right now. It has been decided that this is the direction we will go. And certainly, I or the Minister who will
be responsible for that position will report back to the
House once those things have been put in place.
There was a question about the issue of the
clearing of the vegetation down at the solar Finger. There has been some delay in that only because, I
think, partially that we were initially going to be par tnering with Public Works in that process. But, for di fferent reasons, the decision was made between the
Energy Department and the Public Works Ministry, and also with the company, Saturn Power, who is the
contractor for building and facilitating energy at the
solar Finger, that we would get a local, outside, pr ivate contractor to handle that. So, that is why.
But there are other issues that have had to be
worked t hrough with the company that has created
some delay in the work being done. It is quite a substantial job. I think anybody who drives around that
area who [is familiar with it can see that there] is considerable vegetation. And it is going to take quite a bit
of work to [remove] it. But we are making sure that the right team is in place. I believe a contractor has been retained. But that work is being done with Saturn
Power to coordinate that. But I will seek to get more
information on that as I go along.
But I will just go on and continue to answer
some of your questions. An issue came up around the
IRP, the Integrated Resource Plan, which is a r equirement of the Electricity Act. It is a process coord inated by the Regulatory Authority, not by the Go v896 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly ernment. It is really the RA’s process in which they
received an IRP from the licensed bulk generator, and
[operator of] the transmission and [distribution sy stems], which is BELCO, with an IRP. So, they have provided an IRP. There has been a process that has been going on with that. There was a period of public
consultation that went on. That was actually extended
to the end of last year to [allow] more participation.
And a number of submissions were made, all of
which, I believe, you can find on the website. Yo u can
even see the IRP itself on the website of the RA, and
see the submissions.
They have had some commercials publicly
about the persons who gave, the group who gave their submissions. So, there has been quite a bit of public activity. There was a group who did their own
town halls about their energy plan as well. So, there has been quite a bit of activity.
Now it is in the process of the RA itself r eviewing and incorporating all that has been received
into a submission, their proposal around the IRP. There has been no sight of the Government of that as
of yet. That is a matter for the RA. But, clearly, it is a matter of great public interest, and we will make sure
that this happens at the appropriate time.
I can expect, and I do not want to commit to a
date, because, really, that is the responsibility of the
RA. But through our own discussions with them
around this, I believe that later this year there will be a
public submission of the finalisation of it. Not close to
the end of the year, but later, certainly, on the other
side of the budget session, it will be closer to being
completed by the RA.
I will now go on to answer some other questions. There was a question about training in reference to conferences and symposiums. And most are
overseas and sp ecialised training, which are not
available locally. So, the travel is to get that training
and attending conferences under the areas . . . and
training that our people cannot get here. So, that money has been to facilitate training overseas that
cannot be received here by our team.
When it comes to the post, a question was
asked about the post, the telecommunications officer.
That is not an additional new job. That is, we are absorbing the Department of Telecommunications into the Ministry. So, where it s at somewhere else, it is just
being absorbed in. So, it is just an additional post, and
it is a post that is already in government, where there
is an actual person, named Pat DeShields, very capable, who handled, particularly, all the satellite filings
and all of the activity in that area, as well as other te lecoms matters. That is who is being absorbed into the
department.

That is a good segue, because I
just want to ask you a question. Do we have any additional spectrum inventory?
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you for the question.
The matters pertaining to the matters of spectrum are
with the Regulatory Authority. That is not a matter that
the Government deals with directly. So, the management and overseeing of the availability or issui ng of
spectrum is within their remit, not within that of the
department or in the government.
I think I answered the question about the energy manager already.
Let me see now. When it comes to the solar
Finger [project], and some questions may have been
raised about investment in that and how that is benefiting the country. Actually, the developer is actively
seeking local investors to be involved with them jointly
with the project, as well. Even though they have r eceived the contract, they actually have agreed and will work with the Government on, you know, interested parties that desire to invest with them in coming under
their project . They are happy to find ways to include
local investment with them, jointly, in the project. So, we are very pleased wit h that.
Even though a Bermudian was not the princ ipal awardee, there is still an opportunity for them to get in. But, as I told you, going forward, with additional
commercial renewable projects of a utility or commercial nature, it is the desire of the Go vernment to see
Bermudians being exclusively the main investors and the main facilitators. Even if they partner with som ebody else, they will be the chief beneficiaries of any
commercial -level solar [project].

[Inaudible interjection]

Hon. Walter H. Rob an: Yes, yes. But there are a lot
of eager persons now in the energy community who
are very keen to see this happen. So, as we develop
more information around that, we will be engaging with them. And I look forward to seeing them being
the chief investors in certain solar projects, going forward.
I have already answered the question co ncerning the summit and how we are going to deal with that.
I will give some more information on review of
legislation that we discussed about the RA, the EA Act, the ECA Ac t, and the Electricity Act. Some of the
review has been completed, but it continues in the
context that now there is a new chief executive of the
RA. We are working with them closely. And we have
identified many of the challenges. The biggest is the
need t o maintain transparency while achieving objectives.
Opportunities in the satellite industry. That is a
very interesting topic, and it is a topic that I have spent a little bit of my time focusing on since becoming Mi nister. As the Honourable Opposition Leader did state that Bermuda does have a satellite slot, has had one for many years, and certainly under the previous administration, we did achieve getting a satellite in the


Bermuda House of Assembly slot. That satellite is actually not owned by Bermuda,
but it is owned by a joint venture between two companies. And it is called BermudaSat -1. And the company
is—it is a joint venture between SES and a company
called EchoStar. And so, they are the ones that have
the asset in our satellite slot. We continue to have di scussions with them, ongoing, about the future of that.
At the moment, Bermuda is not earning any
revenue from that. That would have come from any of
the services that were facilitated through the satellite.
Going forward, because there has been . . . there
were two issues , a few issues that affected that. Some
of that had to do with FCC regulation, which we had
nothing to do with, which they prohibited nonAmerican satellites from transmitting into North Amer ica. Even though our satellite slot is quite strategically
placed, there was an ongoing prohibition for it provi ding services within the United States. It obviously cr eated some challenges for us.
But there have been significant changes in the
industry since this process started for Bermuda. And
there are other services, other than the DirecTV and
all those broadcasting services. There are other
commercial services where there are opportunities for
Bermuda. One is in the provision of marine services
and other types of services. So, it is quite likely that in
the near future the operator, if they continue to want to have a satellite in our slot ––and that could change,
you know, because we could go with somebody else as a country if we decide –– but their desire is to what
they call move that satellite out of our slot and put in
another satellite that can actually be providing those
services. Because the market has just changed so much now. So, that is an issue.
So, we are not so concerned about the FCC
prohibition anymore, because the other services can
be global and be gi ven to anywhere in the world. And
there is not a prohibition on the marine and other sort
of geographic services, which are becoming much
more of a commodity in the satellite industry. We are
beginning to look at non- geostationary industry of the
commercia l industry because there has been an expansion of the commercialisation of the space industry
now, away from government to private companies,
more private companies that have non- geostationary
satellites that are in lower orbits. That is where the
new mark et is that Bermuda is looking to go into.
And we have the assistance of our advisory
group to help us with that. And our advisory group is made of up a group of very interesting people. It i ncludes people from Bermuda. It also includes people from institu tions like MIT [Massachusetts Institute of
Technology]. It includes also persons who have act ually set up satellite companies in Bermuda, who are
happy to work on giving the Government advice on
how Bermuda can become a bigger player in the sa tellite indus try. I am very pleased with the work that
has been done so far. We have people from the i nsurance industry, people from the satellite industry. We have all types, a mix of people, including, like I
said, Bermudians on this advisory group who are actively e ngaged in things like artificial intelligence and
machine learning who are interested in working with us.
And so, we are looking forward to some interesting activity over the next couple of years, as a
product of their advice to the Government. So, I hope
this answers some of the questions of Members
around what we are doing in the satellite area.
Reasons for the increase in professional fees.
There is really no increase. We had not used our en-tire allocation in 2017/18. But the allocation has not
changed from 2017/18 to 2019/20.
Energy rebate change, the question was
around that. We will not utilise the $500,000 in one
year. The allocation allows us to spread it out over time so that we get much longer . . . even though it
was given one year, we have be en allowed to spread
it out so that we get a longer usage of that money.
And perhaps it is also helpful for us so that we did not
have to go back to the Finance Minister this year, with his very rigid budget allocations. So, perhaps next
year, if we need m oney because we have not taken
any additional money this year, we will have money
going forward. Because our desire is to continue to try
and advance the rebate programme as a way to ad-vance education and interest in how people can find ways to lower their energy costs. So, we are using the
money for a number of ways to advance that.
More information about the process of r ebates, so that Members know, the customer applies to participate. The department reviews their application
and verifies their ARV. Then, after the application is
complete with the Planning Commission, then the d epartment pays after that. So, we help them through
the process. They go through the planning process
after, obviously, they have been approved by us. And
then, we pay the rebate t hereafter.
I gave you some information on the fuel surcharge, but I have a little bit more information I can
share with you. The fuel charge can be decreased
only if the BELCO plant runs more efficiently and if we
can move to more efficient and energy -dense fuels.
Another factor in our high fuel charges is that, on top
of the cost, we have to pay heavily for transport. Our
fuel comes from thousands of miles away. Particularly, it comes from the Gulf of Mexico. So, that is quite a
bit away for the fuel to c ome. And that is a natural cost
for everything. It costs a lot to get here, as well. And it is also a revenue stream for government, and our tax-es that we receive are around $32 million a year from
fuel surcharges.
But I think, if you remember, in the Thr one
Speech, we did commit to looking at taxes on fuel and to see if any changes in the taxes and how they are
deployed can bring down costs. We are still commi tted to that. That is, obviously, something that the Mi nistry of Finance is working on. But that is part of the
898 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Throne Speech objective, and we will keep you up to
date on the progress on that.
Just a little bit more information on the re asons for the delay in the site clearing. The reason for
the delay is that the department is working with the developer, and there were certain compliance issues
that had to be met to proceed with the work. The
clearing of rubble and the disused fuel tanks —you
know, there is a lot of strange equipment out there,
and it is not just vegetation. It is, as I have been tol d—
yes, it is not just that, but like fuel tanks and stuff left
over from the US base years that has to be handled.
And in some cases, it has to be handled very carefully. So, it is more than just people coming out there
with machetes and weed- whackers, clearing out trees.
It is more than that. If [that is all] it was, we probably
would have it done already. Vegetation is left to do,
and the developer is finalising the footprint so that that
work can continue.
Just some more information on the solar panel initiatives. We can get exact numbers, but we have
paid out about eight rebates at varying amounts, for
the total of about 22 megawatts, as I stated in my
brief, so far. And there are an additional 90 megawatts
in the pipeline. We expect to honour those applicants’
payments over the next few months.
I think that is most of the answers that I have.
I am sure if there are any other questions that Mem-bers have, or if I have not answered them, you will
repeat them. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Is the re anyone else who would like
to speak to Head 89, Department of Energy?
I recognise the former Premier, the Honour able Craig Cannonier.

Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: I am the Opposition Leader, man.
Yes. In the vein, and this has been quite i nteresting and informative, actually. In the vein of page
B-324, where the Minister mentioned the goal being a
low-carbon future . . . and I will declare my interest. I
am in the fuel industry. But I was just curious as to
whether or not —there are some exciting things that
are happening around energy worldwide. The industry leaders like the Chevrons and the Exxon Mobiles of the world are making some great strides in alternativetype energies, themselves. I was just curious as to
whether or not —I know that the department head will
allow people to come with new ideas, to them.
But maybe even as a suggestion, has the department head decided to also go to some of these
larger interest groups to find out what some of the latest technologies are so that maybe we as a gover nment and an island can take advantage of some of
these opportunities, as opposed to just waiting for the
private sector?
I know that, for myself, I have been a pproached many times to put in the electric nodes at the gas stations I have. And whether or not Gov ernment would even consider incentives to allow the local service stations to start putting them in, to encourage
people to charge up, free of charge, of course. But
maybe find some way of incentivising that, where people, when they come, can spend time wi th that.
So, it is a two -part question there; sorry.

I recognise the Honourable Member
Jeanne Atherden.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Sorry, Mr. Chairman. I just
had one question, too. And this is relating to, I guess if you look at the performance measures. I am mindful
of the fact that, on page B -324, it says that the department objective is to provide technical and admini strative support to the Broadcasting and Telecommuni-cations Commission. And I know that we have talked
a lot about telecommunications, and we have talked a
lot about energy. But I just wondered (1) whether
there are any performance measures with respect to
the broadcasting; and (2) what type of information
does the Ministry put out with respect to making the
public understand what the Broadcasting Commission
does and how it regulates content?

Thank you.
Before the Minister answers that question, I
would like to put before the House whether they would
be interested in going the 23 minutes, because that is
all we ha ve left, to about 10 minutes to 1:00. Or, do
you wish to break for lunch and come back and do 23
minutes after lunch? It is up to the House.

[Inaudible interjections]

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Chairman, can I say? I
believe there are Women’s Day activit ies at lunchtime
that many Members of this House desire to attend.
So, it would be best if we break for lunch. And I am
happy to come back and continue answering questions.

That is fine.
So, I think you have some questions, Minister,
to be answered.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes. I am actually quite
pleased to hear the comments, Mr. Chairman, of the
Honourable Opposition Leader around, obviously he
has an interest in the fuel industry, and his comments in relation to the two pieces, one about getting i nvolved with some of the bigger industry players. B ecause it is very obvious, if you are paying any atten-tion to what is happening globally, that there is more
investment by even the big oil companies in renew ables. They are putting more money into it. At one
point, they pulled their money out. But the momentum has moved so quickly, globally, in that most of the


Bermuda House of Assembly money going into, and even the jobs being created in
the energy industry, new jobs are actually in the r enewable side. They are not on the side of the fossil
fuels.

Yes.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: That is where the new growth
is going in energy. So, and this is a global trend. E urope has decided that it is moving to electric cars by
2040. And other progressive countries are actual ly
making aggressive targets to move to alternative
fuels. So, when it comes to the issue of the fuel, the
electric chargers, you note that at the hospital, there
are chargers. Actually, the Government has lowered, or I believe it is zero, the duty on the importation of
electric charge stations now. And, yes, we would love
to discuss with fuel stations, if they desire to install
charging at their stations. The Government can di scuss an arrangement that will be mutually beneficial.
And we are happy to do tha t.
So, I hope that those two answers are good
and that the Rocky Mountain Institute is going to be our guide as to what we decide to do, even how we
may interact with the larger fuel companies around the
initiatives they are doing, because perhaps there are
country -level initiatives that we can look at. Certainly,
RUBiS and even Sol have been very supportive in our
work around these areas. So, there will be opportunities in the future, which I will certainly make sure I r eport it to the House.
The other question concerning telecommunications and the Broadcasting Commission, we can make sure that there is more information. Thankfully,
the Chairman of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications [Commission] is a Member of this House, the
Honourable Michael Scott . And I am sure that he will
be happy to spend some time providing further public
information as to the work that his Commission has in
the area of contact.

Good afternoon, Members.
For the benefit of the public we are continuing
with the review of the Department of Energy, Head 89.
We have 23 minutes left in the debate.
I now recognise the Minister of [Home Affairs],
the Honourable Walter Roban, Deputy Premier.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you very much, Mr.
Chairman.
I will kind of finish where I left off, but I am
sure if any Honourable Member s have questions, I will
certainly continue on answering them.
One on the questions that came up . . . it en ded, I think, one of the last questions was about tel ecommunications and I believe I assured the House
that with the able chairmanship of the Honourable Mi-chael Scott, of the Telecommunications and Broadcast Commission, that issues around much more public awareness around the work of the Commission and
its responsibilities and what it will do in relat ion to content, he will certainly endeavour to provide greater public information around that. And we will, certainly, the Ministry will make sure that some of that work
happens with he and the very able commission that
he oversees.
There were also a couple of questions from
the Opposition Leader around working with overseas
. . . the large players in the industry who are doing
more in the area of renewables and also the issue of
local service stations possibly installing charging st ations to charge electr ic vehicles. We welcome any
interest by the fuel industry to that. At the moment, I
believe at the end of ei ther 2017 or 2018 . . . there
was an effort to reduce the duty on charging stations.
And I think now they are actually zero duty. So, the
Government would happily partner with any of our fuel
stations that desire to have them installed and, as a
way to cultivate interest in the electric vehicle industry
by residents, at least they will know that they can go
to these stations and charge up for free or fast charge
. . . opportunities that they can have, at least to get
things going.
Because there is a desire to see, at least from
the standpoint . . . and we are speaking still of the e nergy industry here, Mr. Chairman, it is important that
the country begins to make this transition to a cleaner,
renewable future. It is a mandate that is outlined in our
Throne Speech and it is an aspiration which comes
900 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly out of the original 2011 Energy Policy of the Gover nment, which was passed by this House and has certainly influenced what has been done thus far in the
area of the energy industry. It was the impetus for the Electricity Act that was passed in 2016. It was the i mpetus for the rebate programme, originally, and has
been restarted. It was the impetus for the Regulatory
Authority which is now the regulator of the energy i ndustry.
And it is the desire of the Government to u pdate that particular Energy Policy from 2011 to where
we are now. There has been much time, many aspects of things that were aspired to in the E nergy Po licy have either fallen away in their relevance or have
actually come to light —things like battery storage
technology, which at that time in 2011 was more conceptual across the world but was something that we
thought could work. Now battery storage technology is
an actual fixture in most of the energy plans for r enewal transition of most countries. BELCO itself has received approval from the RA to install a level of bat-tery storage as they will be receiving energy from the
upcoming Finger project when it is completed that will
be used to be part of their reserve, their spinning r eserve, and they will store that through having the battery capability to allow them to manage their energy
storage and usage even better.
But this is something that you have seen
worldwide. Places like Puerto Rico, which is recover-ing from its own climatic hurricane experience . . .
there is more work being done there to give them a
renewable future. There are island groups, such as in
Hawaii, which have become a great exampl e of the
effort to go almost fully renewable in the future. And
places like Aruba have also made great steps to a
cleaner renewable future through the mix of battery
technology with cleaner other sources.
Obviously, different islands have different c apabil ities in this area. We do not have some of the
attributes of some of the islands, for instance, in the
Caribbean. One being that we only get about four and
half hours of full sun during the day, other island juri sdictions that are closer to the equator get more, so
that creates an opportunity for them to benefit much
more than we do. So, we have to make sure that
when it comes to renewables and our energy trans ition, that we focus on efficiency because we do not
have, although the sun is always here, it is not exhaustible in its constantness, or what you call, as a
redundancy. It does not stay all the time, like having
the current existing platform does, in that power can
be just constantly without any interruption, 24 hours a day. The sun does not allow that, not without the use
of battery technology and a mix of possible alternatives.
There is also the possibility for, perhaps,
Bermuda to take advantage of wind. But that will r equire further study. There is also, clearly, our ocean. And there
are some tec hnologies in the ocean area, which are
developing, which may be available to Bermuda in the future.
So there is a bright future for Bermuda in
cleaner renewable [energy], but it is going to take time. Ultimately, for this Government, Mr. Chairman, it
is about cost.

Yes.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: It is about cost to the consumer. And I am not afraid to say this, that for all the lofty plans that some have about renewables and how
wonderful they are, if they cannot show this Gover nment —or I think the community —that it is going to
bring down the cost, it is a waste of time. It is very nice to have grand plans about going totally solar or
totally wind or some other renewable technology that
is out there and available, but there is the infrastructure that backs that up, it is having the appropriate
grid technology, is the appropriate proper conserv ation method deployed, but also, if this does not trans-late to lowering the cost of production and the bill to
the ratepayer, it is not going to work for Bermuda.
The main goal right now should be to bring
down the cost of energy. So whatever steps we take
and endorse—and I am sure there is nobody in this country that does not agree with a cleaner, more eff icient energy future, but it has got to help the average
person. It has got to, you know, reduce the burden
they carry —

Mm-hmm.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: —of keeping their lights on so
they can take care of their families and go about their
daily lives.
So that is the commitment that we have, t hat
is the sort of energy policy that we are looking to build, and to build, particularly, an awareness going forward
through education, and conservation, and efficiencies
and assisting . . . and the Planning Department has
been quite— although it is not a subject of our debate—they are fully supportive of the efforts of the
Government in their policies with those who desire to
make changes to their properties or, you know, i nclude efficiencies and conservation measures in their
developments.
Any developer w ho desires to do things in that
area of energy will have a willing partner with the D epartment of Planning and within the department in
doing that if they so desire. They just need to contact
the Energy Department and Planning and talk about
these issues w ith them and how they can, perhaps, in
a cost -effective way facilitate their development with
these sorts of efficiencies. Because some of the tec hnology being brought in can arguably be duty -free, or
with some discussions with us we can assist with


Bermuda House of Assembly making sure that there are some incentives that we
might be able to discuss with the Finance Ministry with
bringing some dutiable preferences to those technol ogies that are attached to suitable developments.
So, I will stop there in case there are other
questions, Mr. Chairman, on further aspects of my
budget presentation.

Thank you , Mr. Chairman.
I do not have any questions, but what I would
like to say is thank you, again, to the Minister for the
thoroughness of his answers, for his ability to respond
to us and not be dismissive.
And I think, Mr. Chairman, if I may, they say
that behind every great man is a good woman and the
Deputy Premier has three wonderful supports over
here. So, I would like to tell them congratulations and
thank you, and Happy International Women’s Day.
And Minister, thank you for your debate.

[Desk thumping]

Thank you.
Is there anyone else in the Chamber who
would like to make a contribution to the debate in r egard to Head 89, the Department of Energy?
No.
I recognise the Minister, you may wind up.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Chairman,
and thank you for the kind words of the Deputy Opposition Leader.
And again, I woul d like to also echo her se ntiments to the team that I work with —Ms. Jeane Nik olai; the PS of my Ministry, Ms. Rozy Azhar; and all the
team, the many people that I work with. I do not come
here prepared without them making sure that it happens, so I do appr eciate all of their work. And certainly
having joined with them since November they have
gotten me up to speed on all of the matters pertaining
to . . . that are under my responsibility, and their work
is very much appreciated.
I do have one answer I woul d like to share for
the benefit of the House and for the listening public about the charging stations. Generally, not as critical
for us as in other jurisdictions, modern batteries give
you much greater ranges. Because Bermuda is only
22 square miles, actu ally Bermuda is a great opportunity to begin to deploy more electric vehicles. So,
that is why that is not an issue. For other countries,
larger countries, having charging stations throughout
their jurisdiction is an issue because of the range that is requ ired to travel, but that is not [the case] for Bermuda. And charging stations would only make sense if they are fast charging. And there may be some regulatory matters to resolve, as well as governing
sales of electricity, for example.
And, of course, ther e may be a requirement
as we begin to advance our electricity infrastructure and framework, Mr. Chairman, to having different rate
models. Because as we become more diverse with
how we produce power —and let me restate, again,
this Government’s policy is for the diversification of
generation—for over 100 years this country has bas ically relied on one principal generator, and actually, if many people did not know it, the Government is also a licensed generator of power through the Tynes Bay
facility.

The Cha irman: Yes, I am aware of that.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: So we are also . . . we have
more than one electricity generator in Bermuda and
one of them is the Bermuda Government and that is
the Tynes Bay facility. And this Government is looking
at ways to ensur e that even that is used more eff iciently in generation and can contribute more as
somewhat of a semi -renewable process because all of
our waste goes there and they can produce power,
which potentially add to . . . it does add to the grid and
it does provi de a stabilising factor from what BELCO
does. And with the addition of the solar Finger that will
also continue that process.
But we welcome other opportunities for pe ople to bring projects. And the IRP process which is
currently engaged will shape that e ven further,
[provi ding] additional opportunities for people to di scuss generation in Bermuda. Having a diverse grid
that might include rooftop solar. . . and diversified
rooftop and commercial solar is also what we see in
the future happening.
This is go ing to mean advancement of the i nfrastructure, it is going to mean considerable inves tment within the country, it does not necessarily mean the Government coming up with investment, but we
can partner with those . . . there is a lot of enthusiasm
out there amongst many of our local players in the
solar industry to work to bring about this future in Bermuda.
There is commercial value to it, there is job
creation that can be involved in it, there is sustainabi lity, [and] it will lower the amount of money goi ng out of
the country. In power [generation] there are jobs for
young people and others who are interested in [the]
technology associated with it —energy installers, energy assessors, electricians, engineers. There are so
many opportunities that we can create internally
around energy, greater than it is now.
I look forward to that future shaking up Bermuda in the years going forward and the Government intends to move forward with policies that accomplish
this.
902 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly So, with that having been said, Mr. Chairman,
I would like to move . . . unless . . . may I move my
head, please?

Now that we have conc luded the debate on Head 89, the Department of Energy under the
Ministry of Home Affairs, we now welcome the contr ibution from the Minister of Tourism and Transport, the
Honourable Zane De Silva.
He will be moving Heads 30, 34 and 35 in the
Department of Transportation and the debate will last
for six hours.
Honourable Member , you may proceed.

MINISTRY OF TOURISM
AND TRANSPORT
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, I move that Head 30, Marine
and Ports; Head 34, Transport Cont rol Department;
and Head 35, Public Transportation be now taken under consideration.

Yes, you may proceed.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Chairman, today I am
presenting the budget for the Transport Division of the
Ministry of Tourism and Tr ansport. The budget appr opriation for the entire Ministry totals $88,496,079 as found on page B -194 of the Estimates of Revenue
and Expenditure for the year 2019/20.
The departments which come under the Mi nistry’s Transport Division include: Marine and Ports,
Head 30; Transport Control, Head 34; and Public
Transportation, Head 35.

HEAD 30 —MARINE AND PORTS SERVICES

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I will begin with the D epartment of Marine and Ports Services as found on
pages B -199 through B -203 of the Estimates of Rev enue and Expenditure for the year 2019/20. As stated on page B -199 of the Budget Book,
the mission of the Department of Marine and Ports
Services is: To provide the necessary services to ensure the safe operations of international shipping and
local craft in Bermuda waters; to contribute to the
Bermuda transportation system through operations of
the Ferry Service; and to facilitate in marine search
and rescue.
Mr. Chairman, the total current expenditure for
the Department of Marine and Ports, Head 30, is estimated to be $21,278,298, which represents an i ncrease of $1,181,298 or an increase of approximately
5.8 per cent over the 2018/19 budget. The increase
has been funded within the established cash limit
through the reduction of the Bermuda Touris m Autho rity’s grant. The additional funding is being primarily put towards the following key areas:
• Diesel—increase in fuel costs .
• Security for the cruise ship terminals —
increased cruise ship visits during the shoulder months together with additional cruis e
ships visiting for the upcoming summer season has increased the cost to s ecure the
cruise ship terminals.
• IMO (International Maritime Organization) i nstruments.
• Implementation code compliance.
• Mandatory training ahead of the 2020 Intern ational Audit.
• Inventory —the consumable and permanent
parts and supplies necessary to maintain the entire Marine and Ports fleet of aging vessels .
• Overtime —primarily for the repairs and
maintenance due to the age of the fleet.
The Department of Marine and Ports Services
expenditures are set out under the following three
business units and can be found on page B -199 of the
Budget Book:
• Programme 3006— West End/Dockyard: Navigational Aids, cost centre 40040, $739,907;
Tug Service, cost centre 40140, $1,685,731;
Tender Service, cost centre 40210, $396,862;
Dockyard Maintenance, cost centre 40260,
$3,353,977.
• Programme 3007—Central Hamilton: Ferry
Services, cost centre 40090, $7,775,564;
Mooring and Boat Registration, cost centre
40150, $277,260; Administration, cost centre
40220, $2,567,319.
• Programme 3008— East End/Fort George:
Maritime Safety and Security, cost centre
40100, $2,531,930; and Pilot Service and Of fshore Search and Rescue, cost centre 40180, $1,949,747.
Revenue is found on page B -200 of the
Budget Book. Mr. Chairman, it is anticipated that in
2019/20 the Department of Marine and Ports Services will generate approximately $5,766,000. This will be
attained primarily through fees charged for the prov iBermuda House of Assembly sion of ferry services, tug services, boat haulage, pilot
fees, boat moorings, and port dues.
Capital acquisition expenditure for the department, found on page C -12 of the Budget Book, is
set at $276,000 for navigational aids, which repr esents a decrease of $74,000, or 21 per cent below the
budget of 2018/19. The capital budget for the Vessel Traffic Management Information Systems is set at
$200,000, or 55 per cent below the 2018/19 budget of
$450,000.
Manpower. The department’s full -time equiv alents (FTEs), found on page B -201 of the Budget
Book, have increased from 159 to 16 1. Despite the
additional FTEs, the manpower budget for the d epartment remains the same as the additional posts were already fully funded. There are five fully funded
vacant positions which the department will seek to fill
within the next six months. Compensation, not including overtime, is estimated at $10,932,545, or 51.7 per
cent of the department’s budget.
The department’s performance measures,
found on pages B -202 to B -203 of the Budget Book,
remain positive and in line with the international
standards . Maintaining these levels is becoming i ncreasingly challenging with a rapidly ageing fleet.
Nonetheless, the department continues to work dil igently to manage these processes and to ensure the
delivery of a safe and reliable service.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Marine and
Ports Services represents one of the most critical operational arms of the Government of Bermuda as it
facilitates the movement of vital shipping commerce in
and out of Bermuda’s ports. During the fiscal year 2018/19, there was a tota l of 965 international ship
movements in Bermuda waters. The services the department provides include: pilot boat (search and rescue), tug boat and tender services, harbour radio,
vessel traffic, radar and surveillance. Further to that,
the department is r esponsible for the coordination of
international search and rescue operations in this r egion of the Atlantic and retains oversight of Overseas
Seaport Security in compliance with international
standards.
During the 2018/19 fiscal year, the depar tment responded to over 461 search and rescue cas-es, assisting both ships and aircraft locally and inter-nationally.
Mr. Chairman, the Sea Express Ferry Service,
another service provided by the department, repr esents a comfortable and efficient means of public
transport supporting the local Bermuda and visitor
markets. The dedicated team from the Department of Marine and Ports continued to execute a well -thought -
out transportation plan contributing to the success of
transporting thousands of cruise ship passengers arriving at our Dockyard port while, at the same time,
providing regular ferry service for the commuting public in accordance with the established schedule. The Boats and Mooring Section is located at
the old Paget Post Office Building and is expected to
remai n at this location for the foreseeable future. The
locale has proven to be an ideal, user -friendly location
based on feedback received from the general public.
Mr. Chairman, the 2019 cruise ship season
will see an additional 23 cruise ship calls to Bermuda,
representing a 13 per cent increase over the 2018
season. This will result in higher revenues associated
with cruise ship taxation for the Government of Bermuda.
To address the lift needed the department
continues to operate six high- speed catamaran ferries, three harbour ferries and one slow -speed ferry.
Passenger load studies will continue in
2019/20 to ensure more fuel -efficient ferries are d eployed on selected routes. Fuel savings were accom-plished last year with the deployment of the fuel -
efficient 750- passenger ferry carrying cruise ship passengers on the Dockyard to Hamilton route (the Blue
Route) during peak hours. This decision was based
on data collected from the previous studies, resulting in a reduction in fuel costs to this route.
Additionally , Mr. Chairman, to accommodate
the longer cruise season, the department will extend the summer ferry schedule until the 3
rd of November,
plus provide a supplemental ferry service after that date on days when cruise ships are in port in Doc kyard.
The Depart ment of Marine and Ports conti nues to work towards the IMO, the Instrument Impl ementation Code, (also known as the III Code) review, addressing all gaps identified by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (also known as the MCA) inclu ding supporting legisl ation for both the port and coastal
states ahead of the upcoming 2020 audit.
Output measures, Mr. Chairman. The target
outcomes for Marine and Ports Operations for the
2019/20 year are: to continue delivering the required
marine service in a timely and professional manner to ensure customer satisfaction. This will include provi ding additional passenger lift on the Dockyard to Hami lton and the Dockyard to St. George’s routes to meet
passenger demands during the summer season and
also the shoulder season. Pas senger statistics co llected on both routes suggest the vessel on the Doc kyard to St. George’s route is running at an average of
70 per cent capacity, and with the deployment of the
larger and more fuel -efficient ferry on the Dockyard to
Hamilton route it i s operating at an average of 50 per
cent. The information indicates room for passenger
growth on both of these routes.
Mr. Chairman, major policy changes will be
implemented based on the United Kingdom’s Maritime
and Coastguard Agency’s gap analysis, undertaken
ahead of the upcoming International Maritime Organi-zation’s audit in 2020. These areas of change will i nclude oil pollution control, ferry operations, and of f904 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly shore search and rescue, along with other areas identified in the gap analysis.
Plans for the upcoming year will include: continued training of departmental staff to international
standards to ensure the department provides all our customers with safe, reliable and professional marine
transportation services; and continued progress with
the department’s succession planning to ensure highly
technical posts within the department are filled by
qualified Bermudians.
Thank you , Mr. Chairman. That concludes the
brief for the Department of Marine and Ports Services, Head 30.

HEAD 34 —TRANSPORT CONTROL DEPARTMENT

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I will now move on to the
Department of Transport Control.
Mr. Chairman, the budget for Head 34, the
Department of Transportation Control, is found on
pages B -204 to B -207 of the Budget Book.
The department’s mission on page B -204 is,
To provide excellent service to our customers on a
timely basis, thereby ensuring both customer satisfaction and an efficient transpor t regulatory environment,
which contributes to the safety of Bermuda’s motoring
public .
Mr. Chairman, the Transport Control Depar tment administers the operation of all motor vehicles
on Bermuda’s roads. The department monitors and
regulates the size, functionality, physical condition and
quantity of all vehicles by carrying out the following
activities:
• conducting the examination of all motor vehicles, motorcycles, and auxiliary cycles for road worthiness;
• administering the registration and licensing of
all motor vehicles;
• executing the examination, registration and l icensing of all drivers;
• regulating traffic by monitoring drivers and motor vehicles; and
• implementing road safety programmes.
Periodically, the department inspects public
garages, minicar and cycle liveries, and filling stations
to ensure compliance with permits. The department also issues special permits, such as one- day permits
which allow a person to drive an unlicensed motor
vehicle upon application for the same. These are typically for transporting the vehicle to the repair shop or
to TCD itself for an examination.
The Transport Control De partment has five
business units: Examination, Registration, Road Saf ety, Traffic Control, and Administration.
The Examination team is responsible for administering all driving and riding tests to certify that
applicants are fit to operate vehicles on Berm uda’s
roads. The examiners also examine all vehicles and motorcycles, and are responsible for writing off private
cars prior to their disposal.
The Registration section is responsible for
registering and licensing all vehicles, licensing all persons who operate vehicles, and collecting revenue for all transactions conducted within the department.
The Road Safety programme is administered
through the Road Safety Officer. The programme promotes road safety, awareness through education,
training, and public ev ents. The Road Safety Council
advises the Minister on transport matters pertaining to
road safety and devises strategies and programmes
to address prominent problems.
The Traffic Control section is responsible for
the management and enforcement of traffic, issuing
permits for the movements of oversized containers,
heavy loads, unlicensed vehicles, and causal Sunday permits. This section works with the Bermuda Police
Service as a support in traffic enforcement.
The officers in the Traffic Control section als o
work closely with the Public Service Vehicles Licensing Board and the Trucks Advisory Committee to mon-itor and enforce the use of public service and commercial vehicles. The traffic enforcement officers continue to be deployed on street patrols to ensure all
vehicles operating on Bermuda’s roads comply with
legislation. They are responsible for ticketing aba ndoned vehicles and cycles.
The Administration section is responsible for
the overall operation and administration of the
Transport Control Department . This includes profe ssional services for the management of the safety and
emissions programme, as well as IT support for the
eTCD [electronic scheduling system], the Driver and
Vehicle Registration System (DVRS), and the A ppointment Management System (AMS ). All are critical
to ensuring smooth operations and excellent customer
service. Customers have the ability to manage appointments online through AMS, and the department has partnered with insurance companies for the electronic transfer of information.
Mr. Chairman, the Transport Control Depar tment continues to implement and maintain an effec-tive and convenient vehicle examination and registr ation programme which is exceptionally user -friendly.
This was highlighted recently when the department
was recognis ed by T he Bermudian magazine during
its 16
th Annual Product and Service Awards 2018 in
the category of “Government Services.” The caption
read:
“Long gone are the days when you had to
take an entire day off just to relicense your car. T oday’s TCD is a far different experience with an eff icient walk -in system and an even easier online one. ”

Hear, hear!

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Chairman, the
Transport Control Department’s budget allocation of


Bermuda House of Assembly $5,375,000 for 2019/20 is unchanged from the budget
of 2018/19 and can be found on page B -204.
Under the General Summary of Expenditure
per business unit you will find that the estimates for
2019/20 for each business unit do vary somewhat from the 2018/19 estimates. Although the core alloc ation of funds has not changed from the budget of
2018/19, funds are being reallocated from certain
business units to others to better reflect the depar tment’s operational needs.
The variances are mainly due to the realloc ation of $1,960,000 that would have otherwi se been
appropriated for the vehicle inspection and emissions
testing programme, which was previously outsourced.
Effective 1 February 2019 this service has returned to the Examinations business unit 44000.
The variances include funds set aside for r ecruitment to vacant posts, creating seven examiner
posts, and increased funding for the Project Ride Pr ogramme and the implementation of Phase 2 of the Road Safety Strategy, Operation Caution.
It should be noted that of the $5,375,000,
$3,380,000 (or 63 per cent) is allocated to salaries
and wages, and approximately $415,000 (or 7.7 per
cent) is allocated for the Professional Services, inclu ding secondary IT support for the eTCD, the Driver and Vehicle Registration System, and the Appointment Management System —all of which are critical to ensuring smooth operations and excellent customer ser-vice.
The remaining funds are used for general operating expenses such as utilities, repairs and maint enance to vehicles and equipment, printing and office supplies, boards and committee fees.
Examination, cost centre 44000. Mr. Chai rman, the Examination section’s estimated budget of
$1,210,070 sees, perhaps, the largest increase in the
department and represents a $587,042 increase over
the previous year. The increase is entire ly due to the
additional posts required for the reintegration of the examination services that were previously outsourced.
It is important to note that while the increase in this
section is sizeable, the funds had existed within the department’s cash limit as contract grant funds. This
is merely a reallocation of those monies.
Registration, cost centre 44040. Mr. Chai rman, the estimated budget for the Registration section
is $896,287 for the fiscal year 2019/20. The increase
is $152,071, or 20 per cent over the 2018/19 budget ,
and represents the increased salary uplift due to the filling of a much- needed formerly vacant post.
Road Safety, cost centre 44090. Mr. Chai rman, Road Safety continues to be a grave concern to
the Ministry. The estimated budget for this section has
been increased to $232,186. This represents an i ncrease of $69,605, or an approximate 42 per cent i ncrease over the 2018/19 budget. This is inclusive of the Road Safety Council grant in the amount of
$60,000 seen on page C -18 of the Budget B ook. As I have already explained, the additional funding has
been allocated to the Project Ride and Operation Ca ution initiatives.
Traffic Control, cost centre 44110. Mr. Chai rman, the estimated budget for the Traffic Control section will be $629,882. This represents an increase of
$47,715, or just over 8 per cent over the 2018/19 fi scal year. The increase is due to an increase in over-time for traffic enforcement and recruitment of a v acant post.
Administration, cost centre 44210. Mr. Chai rman, the estimated budget for the Administration section will be $2,406,576. This represents a decrease of
$856,432, or just over 26 per cent. The decrease is
partially due to the reallocation of the previous grant
funds to the Examinations business unit offset by the
funding retained for the maintenance of the vehicle inspection equipment, including the upgrade and
maintenance of the EVR and the CCTV equipment as
well as rent for the satellite facilities, to name a few.
(That is both Rockaway and Southside.)
Revenue, found on page B -205. Mr. Chai rman. It is anticipated that in 2019/20 the department will collect $30,988,300 in revenue. This is an i ncrease of approximately $500,000 over last year and
is due to the anticipated increase in the number of
commercial vehicle reinstatements and/or new per-mits, as well as an increase in the number of minicar livery operations, coupled with the registration and
licensing of an additional 250 minicars.
Capital Expenditure, found on page C -12. The
capital expenditure is estimated to b e $500,000 for the
upgrade and replacement of vehicle testing equi pment.
Manpower, found on page B -206. The
2019/20 estimates include funds for 41 full -time
equivalents. This represents one additional staff member in the Registration business unit, or an i ncrease of 3 per cent over the 2018/19 budget. This
reflects the true number of FTEs for TCD, which was reported as 40 last year.
Plans for the upcoming year. Mr. Chairman,
the Transport Control Department will continue to r eview the Motor Car Act 1951 and make recommendation for changes in consideration of the modernisation of road safety.
Mr. Chairman, the Bermuda Road Safety
Council will work in conjunction with the Road Safety Officer to continue implementation of Operation Caution. And you may have heard some of those co mmercials just recently, Mr. Chairman, they are on all
radio stations and quite often, so hopefully it will make
a difference.
The core efforts in 2019/20 will be around e ducation and awareness for school children at all le vels, which I am sure you will appreciate, Mr. Shadow
Minister.

[Inaudible interjection]
906 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, of course, as am I.
Mr. Chairman, the Transport Control Depar tment is in the process of upgrading the EVR system.
This is the system that monitors unlicensed vehicles
travelling on Bermuda roads and it is anticipated that
the EVR software integration with the DVRS and the
installation of all new equipment will be completed by
July of this year.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes the brief for
TCD, Head 34, and the next is the brief for the D epartment of Public Transportation.

HEAD 35 —DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Chairman, I would like
to present the budget for Head 35, the Department of
Public Transportation found on pages B -208 through
B-212 of the Budget Book.
The Department of Public Transportation’s
mission is simple, Moving Bermuda with quality public
bus service .
Expenditure overview. Mr. Chairman, the total
current expenditure (page B -208 of the Budget Book)
is estimated to be $22,367,621 which represents an
increase of $752,621, or approximately 3 per cent
over the 2018/19 budget. The increase has been
funded within the established cash limit through the
reduction of the Bermuda Tourism Authority grant with
additional funding being primarily put towards the following key areas:
• Overtime. While cost savings are expected with the implementation of a new bus schedule, overtime within the department has been
traditionally under -budgeted. On balance,
overtime conti nues to be an element of public
transport services, particularly as it relates to bus operations and the repairs and maint enance.
• Diesel. Increasing fuel costs.
• Inventory. The consumable and permanent
parts and supplies necessary to refit, repair
and maint ain the aged bus fleet.
• Training for continuing development of oper ations and maintenance personnel.
• Consultants (which is overseas consultants) have been key in supporting the bus service
and its fleet of vehicles given the unique nature of the business.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Public
Transportation has three business units: Transport ation, Maintenance, and Administration. The budget
breakdown is as follows:
• Programme 3501—Transportation: Auxiliary Buses, cost centre 45000, $137,991; Bus O perations , cost centre 45010, $10,627,520.
• Programme 3502— Maintenance: Repair Services, cost centre 45090, $5,624,428; Invent o-ry and Management, cost centre 45115,
$2,179,761.
• Programme 3503 —Administration: Admi nistration, cost centre 45120, $2,904,020;
Management Support, cost centre 45200,
$893,900.
Transportation Auxiliary Bus Services, otherwise known as the sightseeing and charters office.
This small team is also responsible for the coordinating of all unrostered work on the public schedule and providing daily service updates. The current expend iture for Auxiliary Bus Services, cost centre 45000, is
estimated to be $137,991 for the 2019/20 [fiscal year]
and represents a 9 per cent decrease versus the prior
year’s budget due to the removal of acting and over-time pay from this section.
Bus Operations. Mr. Chairman, the current
scheduled bus service operates 18 hours per day, 7 days per week. The current account expenditure for
Bus Operations, cost centre 45010, is estimated to be $10,627,520 for the 2019/20 [fiscal ] year. This repr esents an increase of approximately $260,707 over the
2018/19 budget. The increase is primarily due to the
funding of an overtime budget. While it is anticipated
that the new schedule will sharply reduce overtime expenditure below previous levels, overtime is part of
the existing bus schedule and traditionally it has not been budgeted at the appropriate levels.
Maintenance and Repair Servicing. Mr.
Chairman, the Department of Public Transportation
employs a team of professionals in Repair Servicing
to repair and maintain the fleet of public buses, support vehicles and equipment. The current expenditure
for Repair Servicing, cost centre 45090, is estimated
at $5,624,428 for 2019/20, which is similar to the $5,697,000 allocated in 2018/19.
Inventory Management. Parts for vehicles and
equipment are procured, stored, controlled and issued by the stores section which falls under Inventory Management. The current expenditure for Inventory Management, cost centre 45115, is estimated to be $2,179,761 for 2019/20 and represents an increase of approximately $120,000, or 6 per cent over the prior
year’s budget. The uplift is primarily due to funds pr ovided for the purchase of engine parts to be used for
the repair and maintenance of our aged bus fleet.
The Administration is primarily responsible for
developing department strategy, policy and proc edures ensuring that people, processes, and resources
are available to deliver a quality public bus service.
The expenditure for the Administration section, cost
centre 45120, is estimated to be $2,904,020; an i ncrease of approximately $444,000, or 18 per cent over
2018/19. The additional funding is set aside to re-establish the assistant director technical position, r esolve occupational safety and health issues, and pr ovide for inventory -related duty and fleet management
services.


Bermuda House of Assembly The Management Support team is responsible
for selling and processing bus and ferry fares and
providing administration services for accounts, pr ocurement, and human resources. The expend iture for
Management Support is estimated to be $893,900 for 2019/20, which is an approximate increase of
$14,000, or 2 per cent compared to the budget of
2018/19. This small adjustment supports overtime
required for the sale and administration of fare media.
Mr. Chairman, it is anticipated that in 2019/20
the Department of Public Transportation will generate approximately $7,400,000 in revenue (page B -209 of
the Budget Book). This will be attained primarily from
fees charged for the provision of fare media, that is,
bus tickets, passes, and tokens.
Mr. Chairman, the capital acquisition estimate
for the department, as seen on page C -12 of the
Budget Book, totals $1,519,861 and is primarily for the
acquisition of new buses. A total of four new buses
were deli vered in 2018 and a further 8 buses are contracted for deliver this year. In January 2019, the
Government issued an RFI [Request For Information]
for new buses and will use this information to develop
a procurement strategy for continued replenishment of
the aged bus fleet.
Manpower. Mr. Chairman, the total compl ement of FTEs in the new 2019/20 fiscal year is 232, as
reported on page B -210 of the Budget Book. This represents a decrease of four positions, or approximately a 2 per cent decrease as compared t o fiscal 2018/19.
The breakdown of the FTEs by each section is as follows:
• The number of full -time equivalents for the
cost centre 45000, Auxiliary Bus Services, is two, which does not differ from the amount in
2018/19.
• Bus Operations, cost centre 45010, has 157
full-time equivalents. This represents a decrease of five as compared to fiscal 2018/19
and it equates to a reduction of four vacant bus operator posts and one sightseeing coordinator.
• The cost centre 45090, Repair Servicing, the
number of 50 full -time equivalents is unchanged from last year.
• Inventory Management, cost centre 45115, has been allocated four full -time equivalents,
also unchanged from 2018/19.
• The number of full -time equivalents for cost
centre 45120, Administration, is five, an i ncreas e of one, reflecting the intended reesta blishment of the assistant director, technical, to
oversee capital development and asset management activities.
• Management Support, cost centre 45200, has
14 full -time equivalents, unchanged from
2018/19.
Major polic y changes. Mr. Chairman, the d epartment is addressing the issue of daily cancellations by implementing a new bus schedule that reduces the
daily peak bus requirement from 88 buses down to 50.
Sightseeing and charter services were suspended for
the 2017/18 and 2018/19 fiscal year. This will remain
as previously noted, subject to the replenishment of
the public bus fleet where the focus is on reliable d elivery of the bus schedule and the school bus services.
In the interest of energy efficiency and the environment the Ministry has entered into an MOU with
Rocky Mountain Institute to assess the feasibility of
introducing electric buses for Bermuda.
Plans for the upcoming year. Mr. Chairman,
the department is committed to moving Bermuda with a quality public bus service. To achieve this, the d epartment will implement initiatives that restore de-pendability, improve access to fares and service i nformation, re- establish the bus fleet availability, and
improve the passenger experience.
New bus schedule. The aforement ioned new
bus schedule will be in place for the start of the 2019/20 fiscal year and will continue for up to 18 months. The reduced schedule will allow for dependable service by eliminating service cancellations due
to the shortage of buses while the aged bus fleet is
replenished.
Bus purchase and refurbishment. Mr. Chai rman, four new buses were delivered in fiscal year 2018/19. The 14 buses procured in 2009 have to be
refurbished to gain approximately five more years of
operation. Eight new buses have been contracted and
will be delivered this year. An RFP will be issued in
2019 for the procurement of the next generation of
buses in the continuing effort to reduce the average
age of the fleet.
Asset management. The department seeks to
re-establish the posit ion of assistant director, tec hnical, to provide technical leadership and enhance asset management. Continuing investment will be made in training, development, and recruitment of
technicians and trades responsible for fleet maint enance. The department wil l retire buses that are no
longer economically viable and focus its resources on maintenance and repair of the remaining fleet. Su pporting facilities and work processes will be enhanced
to improve efficiency and fleet readiness.
Passenger experience. The department aspires to be Bermuda’s preferred transportation sol ution. To achieve this, the department will focus on i mproving the passenger experience, both in person and through technology. The ambassador training pr ogramme will continue in 2019 for all fr ont-line repr esentatives. The advancement of projects such as the
electronic fare media and real time passenger information will improve access to the public bus service
and provide for a frictionless travel experience.
With respect to fare media improvem ents, the
aim is to source the best solution for an integrated digital ticketing fare media payment system for public
908 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly buses and ferries. The Ministry published an RFI in
late 2018 and will be following up with an RFP in this
new fiscal year.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes the brief for the
Department of Public Transportation Services, Head 35.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to applaud the staff of the Departments of Ma-rine and Ports, Transport Control, and Public Transportation for thei r hard work and diligence. Keeping
Bermuda on the road, so to speak, and moving us
from A to B is not without its challenges, Mr. Chai rman. And I would like to express my sincere appreci ation to all the staff who provide us residents and vis itors with thes e public services.
Now, Mr. Chairman, before I conclude I would
just like to draw one example of how our civil ser vants, who come under a lot of flak from time to time,
what . . . some of the things they do. A couple of
weeks ago I just happened to go do wn to TCD on a
Sunday. Guess what I found, Mr. Chairman?

Tell me.

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Staff were there . . . pain ting—painting the building, painting the walls, painting
their workplace. That is what kind of staff we have.
Now, Mr. C hairman, you will know, somebody
will say, Well, look, you know, I’m a truck driver, all I’m
gonna do is drive a truck. But you know we have
many of our civil servants . . . and I would certainly
like to thank those that are here today. I have found
[them] to be quite an efficient team, indeed, Mr.
Chairman. And I think all of them should be very
proud. I have certainly found . . . and you know I mentioned [it] the other night when I was just speaking to
one of the other ministries, in that I do not think t hat
we as a country give our civil servants enough praise.
There are many of our civil servants that, you know,
this is not only a job, it is a career. And a lot of them
take their jobs personally.
And it is amazing because I have held several
ministries over the years (I guess I am showing my
age). But the thing is, Mr. Chairman, it seems like no
matter what ministry I have been in, like, you know,
people go beyond the call of duty —they really do. I
mean, it is not unusual . . . and you know I am speaking . . . and I am sure other Ministers . . . I know that I
have talked to a couple of my colleagues and they go in at 7:30 in the morning and sometimes people are at
work before them. And I am sure you experienced it
when you were there.

I did.

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: And I just cannot give
enough praise to our civil servants that keep this
country . . . really, they are the ones that keep this
country ticking. And, to me, we just need to make sure that we highlight them as much as we possib ly can.
Because, you know, it is easy to criticise, but it is nice
to be able to give our people the compliments and,
you know, the props that they deserve.
And I mentioned the other night our Clerk,
Mrs. Shernette Wolffe. She comes into the House at a good time, because I have been here now 12 years,
Mr. Chairman. And I can tell you this lot up here work
hard and they put in some long hours. I do not know
how they do it, putting up with us lot, but they do.
So I thank you, Madam Clerk, and all your
staff. And also I would just like to say thanks to my
staff as well. I think they do a fantastic job. And I look
forward to continuing the working relationship that we
have.
With that said, Mr. Chairman, that concludes
my brief on the Estimates of Revenue and Expend iture for the year 2019/20 for the Ministry of Tourism
and Transport.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I
support the Minister in his remarks for the civil ser vants and I agree that oftentimes their work and the
things that they do are not acknowledged, so thank you.
Mr. Chairman, I will start w ith Head 30, Marine
and Ports. If we can look at page B -200, Head 30,
under Training. Training has gone from 88 to 335,
which is a large increase. I am just wondering what
. . . why the jump? I am happy that people are being
trained—

[Inaudible interjecti on]

[Page] B -200, Head 30, under
Training. And you know I am happy that people are
being trained so that they are more diligent and eff icient in their jobs, it is just a big increase, so I just
would like a further explanation about that.
On page B -200, again, on Rentals, it has
gone from 2.3 down to 842, and I would like to know
what that reduction is and why there is a reduction.
On [page] B -200, I see the Tug Revenue has
increased. It is a marginal increase, but it has i ncreased and I would like to . . . I am pleased that there
has been an increase, but could the Minister give me
an explanation as to why that has increased?
And I think I missed it, but I think you did say
in your brief how many search and rescue cases we had for 2018. I think it was like —



Bermuda House of Assembly [Inaudible interjection]

Okay. Thank you.
Let us see, again, on page B -200, Head 30,
under Other Personnel Costs, that has gone from 70
to 27 . Why the decrease? And my understanding is
that there was only one ferry supervisor in Dockyard,
Dennis Outerbridge. And apparently, my understan ding is that he was one of Bermuda’s best ambass adors and he was moved from that post. And I would like to know why he was moved from that post and whether or not there are any plans to either replace
him or reinstate him or put somebody else there.
[Inaudible interjection]

Head 30, under Other Personnel
Costs. I guess that . . . I am not sure whether that is
the correct one, but . . .
Again, on page B -200, under Repair and
Maintenance, I understand that one of the cycle parks
up at the Dockyard was turned into a car park. Is there
any reason for that? Was it that the cycle park was not
being used? Did they need that space or what was the reason?
And again, under Repairs and Maintenance,
last year we were informed that we were retiring some
of the old steel buoys in the Dundonald Channel and
up the branch off of Two Rock Passage, and that
eight had been deployed and we had another six that
were being made ready for deployment. What is the
status of that? Have those been deployed?
On page B -200, line item 8763, now in 2018
the future of the tug fleet was being considered and
they were trying to balance maintenance costs against
the balance of capital investment in the tugs. And the
three tugs do have relatively low power and they were
undergoing a review. Has the review been conduc ted? Has it been completed? What has been determined? Do we need t o acquire new tugs? Are we g oing to try to do something with the ones that we have?
And how long will the ones that we have last?
Again, under Repairs and Maintenance, page
B-200, as the Minister stated, the Bermudian does
supplement the ferry service. Ho wever, its maint enance costs in 2018/19 were increasing because of
the age of the vessel. And so is it economically viable
to keep it and to continue to kind of just put Band- Aids
on it? Or do we need to really consider purchasing
another ferry? And if we do, what would the approx imate cost be and the time frame for that?
On page B -200, [line item] 8177, I know that
the Marine and Ports sometimes puts their tenders out for public hire for local cruises. I would like to know if
there were any for 2018 and how much revenue was
generated by those public hires. [Inaudible interjection]

For [line item] 8177, Local Crui ses.
Again, on page B -200, the Dockyard cradle
assists local vessels in their repairs, and consideration
was given to making that an official revenue stream. I
would like to know whether it has been made an off icial revenue stream, how much revenue was generat-ed from the cradle in 2018/19 and what are the plans
for it going forward.
On page B -200, Ferry Receipts. So, as the
passenger ship cruise sizes have increased, I am sure
that has also . . . or should be . . . there should have
been a corresponding increase in ferry services because you have got more people coming to the Island.
What was the revenue uplift for 2018/19, if any? Was
there a need for any additional runs and, if so, how
many were there? And because of these additional
runs, is there a need for increased overhaul and other
maintenance on the vessels? And, if so, what are the
costs for those? Page B -200, [line i tem] 8173, Boat Moorings. I
think there are 13 staff . . . no, sorry, three people that
manage this. And is that enough staff for this? I do not know the level of work that is required, so if you could
give me an explanation as to what is required for Boat
Moorings and is three people enough to service that department?
And the Boat Moorings department was supposed to move offices. Have they moved? And, if so, what was the cost of the move? And has there been an increase in productivity since the move? I know
sometimes when you move people into better spaces
they are happier and they are more productive. So
have they seen an increase in productivity?
On page B -199, business unit 3007, 40220,
and I guess this would be under Administration, it is
the United N ations’ Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
Convention. And there was a $90,000 increase last
year for repairs and maintenance to the marine radar
communications systems. Was that increase sufficient
to take care of the repairs that were required? Are
there furt her repairs needed? Do we need to purchase
a new system? And, if so, what would that cost? And
what is the real -life expectancy of the radar and radio
communications that we currently have?
Under Head . . . page B -199, again, business
unit 3007, 40220, the Minister did touch on the IMO,
Instrument Implementation Code. And I would just like
to know, will we be in good shape for the 2020 audit? I know that 2020 seems like it is a far way away, but,
you know, things creep up on you. So how well pr epared are w e for the audit? And if we are not pr epared, what things do we need to do?
On page B -201, line item 40100, Maritime
Safety and Security, there was a staff of nine, and it
was anticipated that there would be an increase of
one person. Has that post been increased? And is
910 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly that a new post? Or is it a transition over for som ewhere else or did they already have money available
for that post and it is just somebody now filling the
spot?
Again, on page B -201, line item 40100, Mar itime Safety and Security, it was intended that we were
going to expand on our maritime safety and security
measures in line with recommendations that were
contained in the National Security Review. And if you
could remind me of what those recommendations
were and how many of them have been implemented and what is outstanding.
On page B -200 . . . sorry, going back to R epairs and Maintenance. It was proposed in 2018/19 that the VHF coastal radio system was going to be replaced. Has it been replaced? And what was the
cost of doing so? And w hat is the life expectancy of
that radio system? On page B -200, again, under Training there is
. . . I think I have mentioned it, there has been a huge
. . . yes, there has been a huge increase. So I know
that crews have to be trained to ensure that those who
operate the St. George’s and the St. David’s vessels
are well -equipped. What is the number of people that
are actually monitoring those vessels? And is it a sufficient number?
On page B -200, line item 8185, Pilotage Fees,
it was proposed in 2018/19 t hat night pilotage would
be introduced for various classes of cargo and cruise vessels, and it would allow ships to be more flexible in
their arrival and you could extend hours for cruise
ships and aid increase in spending by cruise ship
passengers. Did th is occur? And if it did not, why did it
not? And are there plans to actually have night pilotage to be introduced?
On page B -199, business unit 3007, line item
40220, Administration, it was proposed to continue
conducting passenger load studies with a vie w to d eploying more fuel -efficient ferries on selected routes.
Have these studies been conducted? And, if so, what
was the outcome? And if they were conducted, has
there been a corresponding reduction in fuel co nsumption as was intended?
On page B -199, again, line item 3007 . . . and
I believe this would come under Administration. Again,
fuel savings were expected to be achieved during the year as a result of the revised 2018 ferry schedule for
the Blue Route between Dockyard and Hamilton wit hout a corresponding reduction in passenger lift for
cruise ship visitors and commuters. Has that savings
been realised?
On [page] B -199, again, business unit 3007,
line item 40090. After the America’s Cup the Millenn ium returned and it was anticipated that the lift between Dockyard and St. George’s would be provided
by a Marine and Ports ferry. And it was anticipated that this ferry would result in additional cost savings
for the department because it would not have to fund
accommodations, travel, and maintenance and o ver-seas salaries that came with the Millennium. Was
there a cost savings? And, if so, what was the amount of the cost savings?
Now if you turn to page B -203, Performance
Measures, the first business unit Moorings and Boat [Registrations]. The goal to remove 50 per cent of the
illegal unregistered moorings by the year end, the
original forecast was 70 [per cent] and it was 50 per
cent. Why were we not able to achieve that 70 per
cent?
There was a goal to regularise all unlicensed
in-water boats, the origin al forecast . . . actually not
pretty bad. It was forecasted 10 [per cent] and it is 25
per cent, so congratulations.
And under business unit 40220, Administr ation, again, on page B -203, 100 per cent of required
staff trained in the per safety and health regulations, it
was forecasted at 100 per cent and it was met at
60 per cent. And why were you not able to meet the
100 per cent?
Oh, and I had one more question. No, that is
. . . okay, that is it for Marine and Ports.
So do you want to go through each head and
answer the questions head by head . . . I mean, d epartment by department, or . . .

[Inaudible interjections]

Okay. All right.
So, Transport Control Department, page B -
204, under business unit 3401 and then 44110, Traffic
Control. So now that the vehicle safety and emissions programme has moved under the auspices of Government, I believe that they had a staff of 13. And I
think that some of them, I guess, were offered jobs
with TCD. How many people actually took up pos itions t here? And then how many people decided not
to take up positions? And I think I read that the antic ipated savings from this transition back would be a
savings of $400,000 to Government for this? Could
you . . .

[Inaudible interjection]

Yes, okay.
And then I am not sure, this does not fall under a particular head, and I am not sure whether I can even ask this question. So if I am out of line, please
let me know. But one of the things that I would like to
know is what the status is with Bermudians travelling
to Massachusetts. Remember, we had an issue with
car rentals in Massachusetts and we were working on
a resolution. And so where are we in terms of resol ving that issue? And I know that is kind of off the beaten track, but I would sti ll like to know.
On page B -205 under 8477, Miscellaneous
Vehicles and, I guess, minicars would come under that. I think it comes . . . I am not sure what it comes


Bermuda House of Assembly under, but I put it under that. What has been the uplift
in revenue because of the minicars?
On page B -206, staffing under Registration,
that has increased by one, right? And was that a new
position or was that . . . you know, a vacancy that was
just waiting to be filled?
Going back to page B -204 under Traffic Control, and I know the Minister did actually touch on the
EVR system, which tracks unlicensed and uninsured
vehicles. And I know that in . . . I think, 2017/18 and
2018/19 it was not working and so now we are looking
at having it functional, I guess, maybe by the end of
the year. But is there any estimated revenue loss for
that in terms of not catching unlicensed vehicles and
uninsured vehicles with the system being out of op-eration? And it does not have to be an exact figure,
just an estimate.
Under page B -204, 3401, business unit
44000, Examinations, it has gone from 564 to 1.2 mi llion. What is the . . . and, I guess, what is the reason
for the increase? And is it because funds were just generally increasing? I think you actually might have
touched on it at the beginning of your brief, but in addition, because there has been an increase in fees
has that contributed to that increase?
Now, on [page] B -204, 3401, line item 44140
under Traffic Control. Traffic Control I know tickets
abandoned vehicles and cycles. And I see a lot of
abandoned cycles all over the place and a lot of
abandoned cars. So if they ticket them but nobody
replies to the tickets, what happens? And then so the
expense is with the government in removing those
items? So what is the consequence to the person leaving the vehicle there? Or if there is not a cons equence, do we need to look at legislation to start i mposing fines that are more serious than people just
leaving their bikes and making the government r esponsible for cleaning them up? I do not think that that
is an expense that the government should have to
endure.
And I guess the other question . . . well, I am
not sure even if warrants are issued for these tickets. Do you go by the bicycle licence and then you try to get the person? A lot of times they take the lic ence
plate out, so I am not sure that ticketing them is an efficient way of trying to address the issue. But I do not know what an efficient way would be.
Under, on page C -18, 6962 the Road Safety
Council . . . so I know that that was increased in
2018/19 to $25,000 and I asked the question then and
I am going to ask it again this year. Is $25,000 enough for the road safety initiatives and does it assist in en-hancing Project Ride? And the other challenge that I
have is, we do now have the sobriety legislat ion in
place, which is a good thing. But what it is causing is
that people do not want to go out, and they do not want to stay in town after hours because we do not
have taxis available. So what consideration is being
given to possibly having Uber or Lyft in Bermuda or amending the taxi legislation so that if a taxi driver has
the taxi, it has to be out a certain number of hours on
the road?
And, you know, the problem with Bermuda
with the taxi legislation is that taxis are multiple lines of business for people. Some people buy taxis for
revenue, some people buy taxis because they just
want something to do because they are retired, some
people buy taxis because they do not want to be at
home with their wife because they are retired—

[Laughter]

Some people buy taxis because
. . . there are multiple reasons for people buying taxis.
And so as a result we have a disconnected taxi service, and it is doing us a disservice in terms people going out in the evenings and wanting to enjoy themselve s. And I would venture to say that since we have
put in the road sobriety legislation that there has been a decrease in restaurant business because people
just cannot get home.
Page B -204, line item 3401 and, again, 44210
Administration. Last year the all ocation for printing
TCD application forms was reduced to cover the 2.5 [per cent] negotiated salary increase and all forms
were made available on the government portal. Has that been an issue? Because there are a lot of people that do not use computers; t here are a lot of seniors
that do not use computers. They can drive, but they
do not use computers. And so what impact has that
been on people having access to forms?
And has that created any issues for the department in terms of people coming and saying, Oh, I
can’t get on the portal. I need the form. . . . Has there
been . . . despite the fact that there has been a reduction, has there been an issue with having forms avai lable for people who do not go to the government por-tal?
Going back to [page] B -204, line item 44090,
Road Safety. This is a hard one and I do not know
that anybody knows the answer to this, but what can
we actually really do to get people to stop driving on
the road like maniacs? You know, you have got pe ople that are . . . young people dying and people are
still driving around like crazy. We have got legislation in place, what do we do? Can we enhance our legisl ation? I mean, I do not know what the answer is, and I
do not know what things we need to do. But we are
going to have to do something to address our road
safety issues, because it is a real challenge for Ber-muda.
Looking at page C -12, line item 76360, Tes ting Equipment. That has gone from zero to 500. And I guess this may be due to taking over the emissions
testing function or . . .

[Inaudible interjection]

912 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Ms. Leah K. Scott: No? Okay, all right.
I did the performance measures. Page B -207
. . . no, that is the wrong one. Page B -204, again,
44210, under Administration. The Minister did talk
about bringing bus passes and ferry tokens into the digital age, but consideration was also being given to
Bermuda’s driver’s licences being brought into the
electronic age by introducing radio frequency identif ication, also known as chip technology. So, what is the
status of this project? H as there been any progress
made? What is the associated cost to have this i mplemented? I presume that new equipment and a change in infrastructure will be required and, if so,
what will be the cost of that?
And on [page] B -204, again, under Admi nistration , 44210, it was intended that TCD would conduct a comprehensive review of the Motor [Car] Act 1951 to modernise the Act and to address some of the
provisions within the Act that are actually contrary to
the TCD’s own policy. What is the status of that r eview? Where are we with it? And when will we see
amendments to the legislation?
And I am also curious to find out whether or
not legislation will be drafted. I know we tried to bring it to the House some time ago, about visors and
where you have to have a c lear visor. You cannot
have a smoked or completely blacked- out visor. Just,
you know, similar to what we did with the windows. You cannot have your windows, you know, tinted to a
greater level. So consideration should be given to
that, particularly with people going in and robbing
stores and gas stations and putting their helmets on.
And that, I think . . . oh, I just had a question
on page B -205, line item 8383, Vehicle Registration
Two Wheel, and it has gone from one to zero, and
why that is.
And, again, on page B -205, line item 8889,
Sundry Receipts has gone from 120 to zero and why that has decreased.
And on page B -205, Other Expenses have
gone from 296 to 10. Why is that decreased?
And going over to page B -207, Performance
Measures, under business unit 44000, Examinations,
to provide a driving test appointment within 10 bus iness days of requested date and target 90 per cent of
requests and this was not achieved. And I would like to know why it was not achieved.

[Inaudible interjection]

Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry, okay. So rry. All right.
Well, that ends my questions for TCD.
And now I will move to [the Department of]
Public Transportation [DPT]. Mr. Chairman, th e mission of DPT is to pr ovide safe, affordable, reliable—and I will say that
again, reliable —and comfortable public transportation.
And I really do hope that this will happen in 2019 b ecause, Mr. Chairman, I actually do catch the bus
sometimes. I enjoy catching the bus, and I wish that I
could catch it more. But I cannot because I do not
know from day -to-day what I am doing in the ev enings. However, there have been challenges with the
bus schedule. So I hope that with this year’s budget
we can actually address those challenges and that, you know, we can get the schedule going and satisfy
Mr. and Mrs. Bermuda by having a reliable public
transportation system.
I am going to start with page B -208, business
unit 3501, and line item 45010. In the 2018/19 budget
there was a 5 per cent decrease from the 2017/18
budget, and that decrease was said to be due to the
reduction of funded bus operator positions that were
in preparation for the filling of key positions in other
sections of DPT. Have those positions been f illed?
And what were those key positions?
The overtime budget was reduced in 2018/19
in anticipation of the implementation of the new bus
schedule, which did not happen. So we now have a
bus schedule and we also have an approved roster.
So, hopefully, the two can get married and we can get
less bus cancellations and have buses working the
way that they should be. And I understand we are
very, very close to having a bus schedule.
Now I know I have heard talk that there are
two schedules —a winter schedule and a summer
schedule. And my understanding is that this schedule is actually going to be for the next 18 months. So I
would just like confirmation from the Minister that,
once the negotiations are completed and the roster
and the actual new schedule are married, that this is going to be the schedule for 18 months and that we
are not going to have to anticipate further discussions and issues for a summer schedule, particularly with
the Department of Tourism working so hard to get
tourists here and we need to have reliable transport ation for our visitors to the Island.
Again, on page B -208, business unit 3503 . . .
sorry, business unit 3502, and line item 45090, Repair
Servicing. In 2018/19 this was increased by $203,000,
or 4 per cent. And the increase was attributed to the
procurement of better -performing oil that burned more
cleanly and eliminated the black exhaust that you used to see from the buses. Have they gained any
efficiencies by using this oil? And is our environment cleaner and our community now breathing safer because we have been utilising this new oil?
On page B -208, again, business unit 3501,
line item 45000, Auxiliary Bus Services. Now this is the team that coordinates the sightseeing tours and
the bus charters. And the Minister did say that this is
not going to be resumed any time soon. So this has
been suspended since 2016. Has there actually been


Bermuda House of Assembly an analysis of the revenue that has been lost without
having sightseeing tours, charters and special shuttles?
Also, I think —and please correct me if I am
wrong —under Bus Operators, number 45010, on
page B -208, the Minister did state that there is a
sightseeing coordinator. And if we are not having any
sightseeing tours, why do we need a sightseeing c oordinator? And I may not have heard it correctly .

[Inaudible interjection]

On page B -208, under the rev enue summary, estimated revenues were $8.1 million
(and that was in 2018/19), and it was subsequently revised to $6.2 million. Why did we not reach the target of $8 million? Did we overestimate it? Or was it
due to the multiple cancellations of the bus routes?
On page B -208, business unit 3502, line item
45090, Repair Servicing, I think the Minister actually
stated this, but the 14 buses [bought] in 2009 have to be refurbished to gain eight more years of service.
How many of those buses have been refurbished?
And with the refurbishment, what is the anticipated
extended life?
On page B -208, again, business unit 3503,
line item 45120, Administration, are there any plans to
conduct an y rider surveys to actually determine what
routes can be deleted or reduced, and what routes have a heavier load and more buses need to be ad ded to them? And what are the best times for the people who ride the buses?
Again, on page B -208, under business unit
3501 . . . sorry, not 3501, business unit 3503, 45120,
Administration, there was a Transportation Green P aper that was produced. And the Ministry was supposed to conduct a World Café, similar to a stak eholder roundtable, to discuss the findings of the su rveys. Has that World Café been held? And if it has not
been held, why has it not been held and when are
they planning on holding it?
On page C -12, line item 76293 . . . and I think
the Minister already addressed this. Capital Acquis itions has been reduced from $3 million to $1.5 million. I am assuming that takes into account buses that
have already been purchased.
On page B -208, again, I put this under 45120,
because I am not sure whether . . . if it goes there or
whether it goes under 45010, Bus Operations. But much of 2018/19 was focused on ensuring quality
transportation services for our visitors and that inclu ded using the taxi and minibus tours. And we remain
reliant on taxis and minibuses to provide transport ation and, in particular, between Docky ard and Hors eshoe Bay. Is that going to continue to be the case until we get the number of buses that are required to be able to service our visitors from Dockyard and other
places on the Island? I think I already talked about . . . or the Mini ster addres sed the possibility of moving to a cashless
payment system and those options are being invest igated. And I would like to know just generally what the
projected cost (if you know) would be to implement such a system and what the cost savings would be to
the Government after such a system is implemented.
On page B -210, line item . . . I have got it under 45120, Administration. And I could have it in the wrong place, but in 2018/19 emphasis was placed on
investing in the infrastructure of the department. And there was going to be a facilities manager hired to
lead enhancement projects for the facilities in Doc kyard, Southampton, Hamilton, Devonshire, St.
George’s, [to] monitor the maintenance of the buil dings and grounds and manage the resolution of occ upational and safety and health matters. Was this per-son hired? If so, have they begun to undertake the
enhancement projects that have been identified? If he
or she has, what projects have been started? What
have been the costs for those projects? What is the
end date for the completion of those projects?
On page B -211, under Performance
Measures, 45010, minimise accidents per month to
less than 10, and then the target outcome is discontinued. Why is it discontinued? Unless I am not reading it correctly?
And then, again under 45010, reduce the
number of cancelled bus trips due to operator deployment per week to 10. The outcome was 19, and
then it has been discontinued. Why has it been di scontinued?
Again, on page B -211, under business unit
45090, Repair Servicing, service every bus every 90
days. The actual outcome in 2017/18 was 14 per cent.
It was 100 per cent for 2018/19, and it has been di scontinued for 2019/20. Why is that?
And then on, again, page B -211, under bus iness unit 45120, Administration, maintain a weighted
average age of the bus fleet of less than seven years,
and that has been discontinued. So I would like to
know why that has been discontinued.
And I think that covers all of the questions that
I had. Yes, that is it.
Thank you.

Thank you , Honourable Member .
Is there anyone that would like to make a contribution to the Department of Transportation on
Heads 30, 34 and 35; that is, Public Transportation,
Transport Control Department, and Marine and Ports?
I now recognise the Opposition Leader and
former Premier the Honourable Craig Cannonier.

Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I just want to get to the page . . . here we go,
[page] B -204. I do not know where it comes under the
general titles there 3401, 4400, 44040, but I was co ncerned about . . . in the past, where I know that calls
914 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly have been made to . . . this was brought up by the
Deputy Opposition Leader as well, about vehicles being left in parks, on the side of the road, and even
more so boats —very much so. There are a lot of
boats still, due to hurricanes and the likes, that are left
completely abandoned.

I would say it falls under Registration.

Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Under Registration, yes. I
guess what I was concerned about was in calling TCD
I recall one incident where they were trying to figure
out who is responsible for removing the vehicle. And it
was still a question as to who was responsible for r emoving it after the vehicle had been there for literally
months —five months, six months. I r ecall also a bike
that was in a park left on its stand for over six months and, in fact, that bike is still there now.

[Inaudible interjection and laughter ]

Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Oh, I should try to check it,
right? Ride it overboard.
So I just was not sure. There seemed to be
some question as to who was responsible for the r emoval of vehicles and/or boats, because we do know
that the cost of that can be astronomical.
Also, over on page B -205, I was looking under
Professional Services. And we can see where $1.8
million is coming out. I am assuming that that is due to
the emissions testing not being done now. What I
wanted to know is, is that entire amount that has been
gained —the $1.8 million —is that solely due to the
emissions? Or does that involve s ome other things
where savings were made, other professional services
where savings were made? So I am just curious as to
that particular number, if it involved anything else.
I also . . . where is it? Sorry. I just want to flip
back to performance measur es on page B -202. And
the Member may have . . . and please forgive me if I
missed this before I came into the Chamber, but u nder business unit Ferry Services, 40090, all of those,
the first four performance measures, are discontinued. I was just curious as to why they were being discontinued. What was the effect? What was the meaning of those being discontinued as this has been a high performer in the past of . . . like ferries to operate to
the published ferry schedule, number of trips, and the
likes. We s ee good numbers there, but it is now for
the projections of 2019/20 they have been removed.
And just bear with me . . . just a minute . . .
there was one other question I had. Oh, yes, for the
performance measures under page B -203, understanding they are regularising all unlicensed in- water
boats means that, you know, someone that is going out and checking to see whether or not boats are l icensed and the like. Who, at the end of the day, is
responsible for that? Is it the police who then monitor
the waters and then relay that information to the de-partment? Or does the department have someone
that is actually going out? Because I can assure you
that, living on the waterside myself, there are lot of
boats that I know are unlicensed—

[Inaudible interjection]

Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: No, I am not on th e hill
there like you. But I did manage to get waterside.

[Laughter]

[Inaudible interjection and laughter ]

Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: I certainly do. You are a
roamer . . . back and forth?
I am just curious as to who, at the end of the
day, is responsible for this. Because if the police are
not . . . I have not seen them come in the bay there for
a long, long, long, long time. And if that is the case, if we are relying on the information from the marine police service then, you know, we are missing out on a
huge opportunity to get some boats licensed, which
would be worth more revenue, including moorings, for
the department to increase its revenue take.
Also on [page] B -202, reduce the number of
emergency satel lite beacon false alerts from Bermuda
registered vessels and aircraft worldwide by 10 per
cent. That is rather interesting there. Can you give us
a bit more information as to why we are getting false
alerts? Is it because of the equipment? Does it not
matc h up with the new GPS -type systems and the
like? I do not know. But it would be interesting to hear
a little more about what that means and why we are
getting false alerts for, not just registered vessels l ocally, but aircraft worldwide.
Thank you.

The C hairman: Thank you, Opposition Leader .
Is there anyone else that would like to make a
contribution to the debate in regard to the Department of Transportation? We are debating Heads 30, 34 and
35.
I do not see anyone to their feet.
We have the Deputy O pposition Leader again,
she would like to make a brief contribution.

Thank you , Mr. Chairman.
I just have a question and this would be under
Marine and Ports, page B -199, 3007 either 40150,
Mooring and Boat Registration, or 40220, Admi nistration. Last year I raised this question with the Minister.
There is a piece of legislation, and I cannot
remember the name of it, but it deals with boats. And
if you do not dispose of your boat properly then the
only fine is $360 [sic], which is no discouragement to
anybody. And so I had asked the Minister last year if
we could do something about either increasing the
fine or adding a harsher consequence to dissuade


Bermuda House of Assembly people from just leaving their boats because, again, it
is an expense for the government to have to come
and get these vessels. And so can we be creative and
look at some other ways of having people not leave
their waste for the government to have to clean up?

We have the Minister of Transport ation, the Honourable Zane De Silva. He is responding
to questions raised by the Opposition and other Members in the House. He will be address ing Heads 30,
34 and 35 under the Department of Transportation.
Honourable Minister.

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I will just answer in any particular order. I am
sure the Members will not mind which order they
come in, because the y see what . . . and they would
know, because they sat here not long ago. And it
could be a long time . . . it is going to be a long time
before you come back, too.

[Inaudible interjection]

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I am being nice. I cannot
help it, Leah, you know how I am.

[Inaudible interjection]

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Okay, all right. Yes, it is.
And you look beautiful in your purple.

[Inaudible interjection]

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Okay, now, I think it was
. . . I think both of you might ha ve talked about aba ndoned boats. I will just start from there.
[Inaudible interjection]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: No, abandoned boats. And
we can talk about abandoned vehicles in a moment,
too.
But abandoned boats. You are right, $260 is
just not . . . I think the cars are $250. So what we are
going to do is . . . and you will find, I just had a chat
with the Director of Marine and Ports, and we are going to be looking at bringing legislation to change that.
And it may have been talked about last year, bu t I can
assure you —and I will just lay down a marker —that it
will be done before this year is over. And that fee is going to be quite substantial. And what we are going
to do is we will look at . . . you know, we will obviously have to consult with Chamber s and find the best way
to do it, but it will be done, because you can imagine what it cost to remove a boat. You need barges som etimes, cranes and all that stuff. So it is not going to be cheap. So if someone wants to leave their boat they are going to pa y a heavy price . . . the same with cars.
Whilst I am on the removal of cars, in my
short time in the Ministry, I think we have removed about 10 or 12 cars. And I guess the people of the
country have to be thankful for one individual, in particular, and that would be MP Famous, because he is relentless. He sends you pictures of cars every week!
And every week that goes by —

Ahem!

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: And also Mr. Wayne
Furbert. Anybody else want to give me an “Ahem”?
[Laughter]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: But, no, I can assure you,
Mr. Chairman, the Members on this side hav e been
. . . quite —
[Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: No, t hey have been voci ferous, they have been very demanding . . . very d emanding. In fact, I even throw the Premier in that
group, because he sent me a picture too.
But I will say that our department has r esponded very well, and we have been successful in
removing cars. But you know it is important for folks
that are listening to note that it is not just as easy as
saying, Well, look, it’s an abandoned car. It has been
sitting here for six months, we deal with it . Because,
first of all, you have to make sure it is on government
property.

Yes.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Because if it is in som ebody’s yard you cannot do anything about it. You
know, I think everybody in the Island knows V. K.
Richardson, where he used to keep his trucks down
by the b ottom of . . . by St. Mark’s . . . not St. Mark’s,
St. Mary’s Church. And he must have had about a
hundred trucks in his yard. But anyway, you cannot do
much when someone wants to keep a vehicle, or an
old boat, in their yard. I suppose we could do, but as
one that used to go to the dump every Saturday to drop off goods and come back with another truck load of goods, I cannot complain.

916 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly [Inaudible interjection]

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Because back in those early days, I can assure you —just check with my wife.
She used to dread me taking away trash from my
house, because I used to go . . . there was the dump
up Dockyard, where . . . what is it?

[Inaudible interjections]

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Where Snorkel Park . . .
yes, where Snorkel Park is, Sally Port. She used to
dread when I would come back home, because I used
to bring back more than I took over.
[Inaudible interjection and laughter ]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Oh, yes. Oh, yes, back in
the day. We can all tell stories.
The cashless system, the fare system, the
fare media that I talked about, we . . . that is coming.
So it is a work in progress. And I think everybody . . .
everybody in the Island will be happy when we get to
that space.
We talked about sightseeing tours. Correct,
we are not do ing any at the moment. The person that
works in that department helps with the unrostered routes. And so, you know, it is one employee and they
are assisting with that.

Could I just ask a quick question?
Just in terms of . . . and I k now you may not
have the number to hand now, but what is the actual
revenue lost from 2016 to date by not having the charters? And you do not have to give it to me today.

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Actually, I do have it because that has been a subject that I asked about just
a couple of weeks ago. Because even though we
have been a little low on our bus complement, I did
ask the question. And the number was between
$1 [million] and $2 million. So it is a lot of revenue . . .
a lot of revenue.
So we are lo oking at that at present. If there is
a silver lining to that, the government has lost some
revenue, but a lot of that is being picked up by our local taxi drivers and minibus drivers. So, you know,
the old saying is when one door closes, another one
opens . It has been good for our people. But, of
course, the taxpayer would love for us . . . I would certainly like to have that $1 [million] to 2 million, because
as we know that is three to six buses. So we are look-ing about that and we are having conversations about
it.
There was talk about the bus schedule being
for 18 months. And I did state on Wednesday that we
are very close to making an announcement. And we
will have an announcement next week, so look for
that. As I said in this House, I am very proud that the final rosters were put together by our Bermudian people, which was certainly a pleasure and a proud m oment, and we will talk about that more next week. But
that will be done, and it is for 18 months. It is for 18
months. And what we will do is, as soon as the a nnouncement is made next week, we will start working
on the schedule in the future. So, hopefully, we will
see the end to cancellations, even with our reduced
fleet down to 50 buses.

I used it once.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes. So we do have Hitch,
which is very similar to that, which, I think, does help. I


Bermuda House of Assembly know there are a lot of people that are using it now. In
fact, I have used it myself. So it is an option that we
have. And I think we are all aware of the c omplaints
from people about taxi services in the country.
And I think that the much- talked about Green
Paper on Transportation is coming sooner than we all
think. So just watch that space. I am not going to say
when you are going to get it, but I will tell you what, I
have a draft.

[Inaudible interjection]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Sure.

Is Hitch only utilised for taxis,
though? I think Uber and Lyft you can use your own
car, your own vehicle, to transport people. And I am
just asking because I am not sure if Hitch is only for
registered taxis in Bermuda as opposed to personal
vehicles.
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, as far as I am aware it
is for registered taxis. As far as I am aware, okay?
Let us see, where was I? Green Paper, right.
Abandoned cycles and cars, we talked about that. We
are looking at increasing those fines, too, I think I may
have mentioned.
Revenue from minicars, I may have that answer here. I will get to that in a second.
I think you asked a question about the 14
buses that are being refurbished and the extended
life. That that is being done. In fact, we have finished.
We have completed those 14, and the extended life is estimated to be about five years, so that is done.
The taxis and minibuses will continue for
Horseshoe Bay. And that is, as we know, as far as the
minibuses and taxis . . . they are private businesses.
So, I see no reason why that will not continue. I think
the operators of those are very, very happy, indeed,
when the cruise ships start pulling in.
Okay, we talked about the fare media that is
coming, that is on the way. You had asked about the $3 million capital being reduced to $1.5 for the new, and that is correct. That is what that is for and those
buses are being ordered as we have . . . you know
that we have received a few last year, four last year,
and we have got eight coming this year.
Then the Millennium . . . we know that we
were paying about $1.5 million a year for that . . . well,
$1.5 million for five months. And that is discontinued,
so we will not be doing that anymore. Whilst we are on that, I think there was a question about the tugs and ferries and our tugs. I was fortunate enough to
have a tour of the tug boats by the director, Mr. Rudy
Cann. He took me up and I met the guys, wal ked
through the tugs, looked at the engines and whatnot.
And whilst I am at it, I think those guys do a phenomenal job, considering the age of the fleet, and we are
currently looking at ways in which we might be able to get new tugs, whether it be through leasing and/or
maybe through the infrastructure fund or, you know,
some other means. But they definitely . . . we . . . I told
the director that we are going to get those things r eplaced this year come hell or high water .
We got to get it done because int ernational
standards, as you know, continue to rise. And whether
we can make do and put some Band- Aids on it or not,
it is not going to meet international standards. And we
cannot have that.

[Inaudible interjection]

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Why has the . . . I think . . .
well, I will get to that in a moment. I think it is . . . we
did do some cruises and things like that. I think that
was . . . was that right, Mr. Cann? Yes, yes, so we
have done some cruises and that is where the rev enue comes from.
With regard to the III Code, [ International
Maritime Organization (IMO) Instrument Implement ation Code ], you will know that we passed legislation
just a couple of months ago. So that has all been
done. I do not think we are going to have . . . as I r emember fairly well when we talked about that legisl ation, we are not going to have any problem at all
meet ing the audit deadline for that. We will be just
fine.
There was a question about the staff that was
from the former emissions operation. I think all but
one, one lady I think was a little “experienced.” Let us
put it that way. I will not say she was .
. . she may be
a senior, but I think she has agreed to stay on for several months just during the transition. And I think all
but one of the other staff have been absorbed in the
operation. So, we do not have any . . . we will not
have any challenges there, I do not think.
Staff of nine at the Maritime Safety and Sec urity. It was a new post you had asked about and it is a
temporary post. It is a temporary two- year post that is
being filled while the marine and staff member has
been seconded to the BSMA for the III Code. That has
been done.
A question about staff for the boats and moorings—three staff. Difficult to address all the illegal
moorings, but we hav e had that conversation and we
are going to look to doing something about it. In fact,
that was one of the first things, I think, at one of our
first meetings, director, you had said that we have a
challenge with that. And I said, well, we are going to
get a little bold and aggressive. So, we will do that.
The Bermudian refit—yes, it is underway, and
it is worth it to refit it. And you had asked about the
local cruise profits, I think —

[Inaudible interjection]

918 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, and if you . . . yes,
yes, one was 25 for local cruises —$25,000, and
$94,000 for the boat haulage.

[Inaudible interjection]
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: [The] III Code, I think you
are very familiar with that. The money that we are
spending is for the implementation a nd training. And,
of course, you know, that we have to meet the interna-tional standards for that.
Now, there was a question about the transport
control, $500,000 for the testing and equipment. That
is for the upgrade, yes. It is for the upgrades for the
vehicle testing equipment. It is 10 years for brake
testers, damaged main software boards and things
like that that need to be replaced. Mini car revenue is
estimated to be around $45,000. Livery cycles, the
licence fee is $3,000. So, from the cycle liveri es we
will get maybe . . . well, it has got a whole list of
breakdown of individuals, I do not think you need that.
The grant was increased from $25,000 to
$60,000 for the Road Safety Council. That is for us to
continue with phase two. And I talked in my brief
about Operation Caution, which we have heard a lot
this week in particular. And, of course, unfortunately
we had another death last week, as we all know. So we have to continue to try to . . . I mean, you had
asked a question, but we ask that questi on to ourselves every week. What can we do? What can we
do? You can make all the laws you want, you can do
all the things you want. But you cannot, you know . . .
if someone wants to gun it, they are going to gun it.
And it is a shame. But that is the life we live.
Someone had asked about the oil, the change
of oil, and is it cleaner and, of course, it will make a
difference. And we should see that in terms of
maintenance costs and things like that.
The cycle parking up in Dockyard—that is a
WEDCO . . . they control that. I think it was a question
about the cycle parking turning into a car park or vice
versa. Yes, that is all WEDCO.
And I think I talked about it, the tug review . . .
we did do that. And I think that might be it for now. Let
me see what else we have here.

[Inaudible interjections]

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The ferry supervisor?
Okay, well I got about 10,000 papers and because
they are not in alphabetical order, let me see if I can
find it.

Under TCD, page B -204, Admi nistration. TCD oversees garages and gas stations and
cycle liveries to ensure they are in compliance with
their permits. How many were not compliant for this
year, and what is the consequence for not being compliant? Is it a fine? Do they get closed down? Do they
have a certain amount of time to get things back in
order? What are the consequences of them not being
in compliance?

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva : Okay, Mr. Outerbridge is a
ferry pilot, and that is where he has gone. He has
gone back to being a ferry pilot, and all the other acti vities on the ground will be covered by DPT.

Okay. And then in terms of the
maritime safety and security measures that were go-ing to be in line with the recommendations contained
in the national security review, I just ask to be reminded of (and you can do this offline) what the recommendations are, how many of them have been impl emented and how many are outstanding. And it does not h ave to be today.
Night pilotage?

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: That is being reviewed.

Okay, the fuel savings that were
expected to be achieved during the budget year as a
result of the revised ferry schedule . . . were those
achieved, and what was the amount?
Yes? Okay.

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, ye s, the —$200,000,
yes, yes, $200,000. I believe that is correct, is it not?
Yes. Thank you, director and PS. Thank you very
much.

[Microphone off]

[Crosstalk and laughter ]

We still have a little ways to go. The EVR system, that is going to be functioning . . . oh, I was asking about what the revenue loss
was from the time that the EVR system has not been
working until to date.
Abandoned cars, road safety . . . and the
printing of the application forms, has there been any
challenge for those people who do not have computers? Although there was a reduction, has there been
an expense to the department in getting forms for
people who do not have them?

[Pause]

The comprehensive review of the
Motor Car Act, in terms of bringing it in line, where are
you with that r eview and when can we expect to see
legislation to amend, particularly the areas where the
provisions are contrary to the TCD’s own policies?
And, under performance measures, the random vehicle inspections —the goal was not achieved
and was expected to be met in 2018 and it was not
achieved then either. Why?

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Those were not achieved;
it was just a staffing thing.

Once the Green Paper was concluded, there was supposed to be a World Café, like a
stakeholder roundtable and that . . . has that ha ppened? Or is it anticipated that that will happen?

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Once we get there, there is
going to be a lot of consultation over that. Because we
are talking about, you know, they are talking about
some major changes to an old Act. So, . . . but there
will be many, many, many a meeting over that one.

No? Okay.
And I think . . . oh, th e only other question I
have was that the budget for 2018/19 was decreased,
sorry, page B -208, business unit 3501, line item
45010. There was a decrease of $529,000, and it was
said that this reduction was due to . .
. this was in the
funded bus operator positions, and it was said that
this reduction was in preparation for the fulfilling of key
positions in the department. What were those key po-sitions and were they filled?
And, additionally, over time the budget had
been reduced in anticipation of having a more efficient bus schedule, but have we seen a shift because the bus schedule has not come into play in terms of what
overtime has had to be paid out?

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Obviously, with the reduction in the buses from 80 to 50, there will be a r eduction. But you will still have overtime, because you just
. . . because of the nightshifts and whatnot, you cannot get away from it.

I have one more . . . well, maybe
not one more, but another question. Page B -200 on
repair and maintenance, $500,000 was allocated to
the expansion of the traffic and surveillance system s
to improve radar coverage of coastal waters. Has that
been money well spent? Was that money actually ut ilised for that? What has been the result of that?
Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, it was, and it has
been successful, yes.

Is there anyone else that would like to
speak to Transport, Heads 30, 34 and 35?
Minister, you have the floor.

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you very much and I
would like to thank the Shadow Minister and Deputy
Opposition Leader for her questions, and I would like
to thank my team once again for the work that they
have done and continue to do.
With that said, I would like to move Heads 30,
34 and 35 and be approved as printed.

It has been moved that Heads 30, 34
and 35 be approved.
Is there any objection to that motion?
Agreed to.
[Gavel]
[Motion carried: The Mini stry of Transport , Heads 30,
34 and 35 were approved and stand part of the Est imates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year
2019/20.]

Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Madam Chairman, I move
that the Committee rise and report progress, and ask
for leave to sit a gain.

It has been moved that the Commi ttee rise and report progress and ask for leave to sit
again. Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
Agreed to.

[Gavel]

[Motion carried: The Committee of Supply agreed to
rise and repor t progress , and sought leave to sit
again.]

House resumed at 4 :23 pm

[Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Deputy Speaker, in the
Chair]

REPORT OF COMMITTEE

ESTIMATES OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE
FOR THE YEAR 2019/20



Bermuda House of Assembly The Deputy Speaker: Any objection to the motion
that was to rise and report progress?
No objections.
Now, we go on to Bills. I think we have
scheduled [Orders Nos.] 3, 4 and 5. We are going to
do [Order] No. 4 first, consideration of Good Gover nance [(Protected Disclosures) Order 2019.]
The P remier —

Hon. Walton Brown : I am going to be doing it on b ehalf of the Premier.

Continue, Minister.

DRAFT ORDER

GOOD GOVERNANCE (PROTECTED
DISCLOSURES) ORDER 2 019

Hon. Walton Brown : I move that consideration be
given to the draft Order entitled, Good Governance
(Protected Disclosures) Order 2019 proposed to be
made by the Premier under section 3(7) of the Good
Governance Act 2012.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Order before this
Honourable House relates to protected disclosure.
Section 2(28)(j) and [section] 29A of the Employment
Act 2000 were insert ed as section 7 of the Good Go vernance Act 2011 (the “Act”).
Under this section, a person who makes pr otected disclosure in good faith and on the premise that
they have reasonable grounds to believe that his employer, another employee or he himself have been
directed to commit a criminal offence or breach of statutory obligation may do so to a listed person in the
Act, namely, the person’s employer, manager or s upervisor; a police officer; the Collector of Customs; the
Chief Fire Officer, as defined in sec tion 2 of the Be rmuda Fire and Rescue Service Act 1982; the Chief Medical Officer, as defined in section 2 of the Public
Health Act 1949 ; the Chief Environmental Health O fficer of the Department of Environmental Health; a
Safety and Health Officer appointed for the purposes
of the administration of the Occupational Safety and
Health Act 1982; the Auditor General, appointed under section 88 of the Constitution; the Ombudsman,
appointed under section 93A of the Constitution; the
Accountant General, appointed under section 4 of the
Public Treasury (Administration and Payments) Act
1969 ; the Director of Project Management and Pr ocurement, appointed under section 32B of the Public
Treasury (Administration and Payments) Act 1969; the
Director of Internal Audit, appointed under section 3 of
the Internal Audit Act 2010 ; the Chief Immigration O f-ficer of the Department of Immigration; the Registrar General appointed under section 2 of the Registration
(Births and Deaths) Act 1949; the Charity Commi ssioner for Bermuda, continued under section 7 of the
Charities Act [ 2014] ; the Bermuda Health Council established under section 3 of the Bermuda Health
Council Act 2004.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, this is commonly known
as whistle -blower protection, and the Act stipulates
that, because that employee made a protected discl osure, an employer cannot proclaim that this is a valid
reason to take disciplinary action, including the di smissal of the employee. Should the employer do so,
that employee would have redress and protection u nder the Act.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the purpose of this Order
is to amend [section 3 of the Good Governance Act
2012] to correct the department name from the D epartment of Environmental Health to the Department
of Health, and to include the Director of the Depar tment as a person to whom a protected disclosure can
be made.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Order also asks the
Manager of Labour Relations, or an inspector desi gnated under section 34 of the Employment Act 2000
as a person to whom a protected disclosure can b e
made. By including the Manager of Labour Relations
or an independent inspector designated under the
Employment Act, persons making protected discl osures may do so without fear of prosecution by their
employer whilst revising the labour relations section
with information to effectively investigate all complaints pursuant to the Employment Act 2000, and will
likely result in a speedy resolution of employment r elated disputes.
Thank you, Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker .

The next order of business is
[Order] No. 5, consideration of the Employment (Pr otected Disclosures ) Order 2019 in the name of the
Minister of Labour, Community Affairs and Sports.
922 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Minister Foggo, you have the floor.

DRAFT ORDER

EMPLOYMENT (PROTECTED DISCLOSURES)
ORDER 2019

Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Yes, thank you, Mr. [Deputy ]
Speaker .
Mr. Deputy Speaker, I move that consider ation be given to the draft order entitled the Emplo yment (Protected Disclosures) Order 2019 proposed to
be made by the Minister res ponsible for Labour Rel ations in exercise of the power conferred by section
29A(5) of the Employment Act 2000.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, much of what you hear
was basically said by my colleague who just did it, but nonetheless, I will provide you the purpose of this.

Mm-hmm.
Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Under the Employment Act
2000 , a person who makes a protected disclosure in
good faith and on the premise that they have reaso nable grounds to believe that their employer, or the
employee or he hi mself has been directed to commit a
criminal offence or breach a statutory obligation may do so to the listed persons in the Act, namely (and my
colleague had basically named them): the person’s
employer, manager or supervisor; police officer; Co llector of Customs; Chief Fire Officer; Chief Medical
Officer; Chief Environmental Health Officer; a Safety and Health Officer; the Auditor General; the O mbudsman; the Accountant General; the Director of
Project Management and Procurement; the Director of
Internal A udit; the Chief Immigration Officer; the Registrar General; the Charity Commissioners for Berm uda; [and] the Bermuda Health Council.
Mr. [Deputy ] Speaker, this Act this is co mmonly known as whistle- blower protection and the Act
stipulates that because an employee made a protec ted disclosure an employer cannot claim this is a valid
reason to take disciplinary action including the dismi ssal of the employee. Should the employer do so, then
the employee would have redress and protection u nder the Act.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the purpose of this Order
is to amend subsection [(2)] (f) to correct the depar tment name from the Department of Environmental Health to the Department of Health, and to include the
director of the Department as a person to whom a pr otected di sclosure can be made.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Order also adds the
Manager of Labour Relations or an inspector desi gnated under section 34 of the Act as a person to whom a protected disclosure can be made by inclu ding the Manager of the Labour Relations or an inspector designated under the Act. Persons making protected disclosures may do
so without fear of persecution by their employer, whilst
providing the labour relations section with information
to effectively investigate all complaints pursuant to the Employment Act 2000. And, of course, this as has
been stated by my colleague, should help to facilitate
a smoother process with regard to employment di sputes.
Thank you, Mr. [ Deputy ] Speaker.

Continue.

Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: —section [29A](5) of the E mployment Act 2000. In respect of protective discl osures corrects the department name from the D epartment of Environmental Health to the Department
of Health and includes the Director of the Department as a person to whom a protected disclosure can be
made and, as I said before, as well as the Manager of
Labour Relations or a designated inspector.
[Clause] 1 is the standard citation and [clause]
2 amends section 29A of the Employment Act and
[clause] 2(2) corrects the name of the department
from the Department of Environmental Health to the
Department of Health, and adds the Director of the
Department of Health as a person to whom a protec ted disclosure can be made. Again, just going through it step by step,
[clause] 2(3) includes the Manager of the Labour R elations or an inspector designated (if anybody is act ually following with the [Draft Order] in front of them. And so I just wanted to make it clear how that [Draft
Order] was reading, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker.
Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The Opposition is supportive of this Order.
Just very, very briefly , for the benefit of the li stening
public, the concept of protected disclosures is what in
the common vernacular we refer to as whistleblowing —when employees or others discover things
that have been wrong in the workplace or elsewhere
and they blow the whistle about this. And what this


Bermuda House of Assembly Order seeks to do, other than some clarifications of
titular names, is it seeks to expand the listed persons
to whom a person can blow the whistle.
So when you blow the whistle you have to tell
someone in a position of authority to trigger the proper
process , and that is what this Order does. It is expand ing the categories of persons who can be recip ients of a blown whistle and be alerted to the wrongdo-ing. So, this is a positive step in our local Bermuda
law to expand in this way. This is a positive step for
whistle -blowers and the Opposition is supportive of
the Order.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, I stand in
support of the Minister on this particular [Order] as it
relates to the relationship that we have with the people that . . . that very many times are reluctant to i mmerse themselves in situations that they see that
there are problems, they see that there are situations
that require their immediate attention and even that information that they have, but unfortunately from time
to time, they feel that they are insuffic ient protections
for them.
I think that what is wonderful about this, Mr.
[Deputy ] Speaker, just the broadening of the categories, creating opportunities for them, but also, Mr.
Deputy Speaker, it means that we are conscientious
enough to recognise that w e have to put together this
kind of legislation to assist them. And this is what we
are trying to do. That is what this actually achieves,
and I believe that it is very helpful. So, I thank the Mi nister for considering the fact that we should increase those categories and that we should include other i ndividuals who have not been covered by this particular
piece of legislation.
That is all I wish to contribute, Mr. Deputy
Speaker.

Thank you, Deputy Speaker.
I just would like to speak to the evolution of
whistle -blowing in general in Bermuda, because I certainly do remember , when the legislation was first i ntroduced, that there were incidences where members
did wish to divulge information and there was only one
path for them to follow in order to proceed with their
complaints or their concerns . And in some ways and places it became super frustrating for the member
who was wishing to divulge wrongdoing.
So, the opportunity now that there are other
options, that there is a choice of people, personalities,
and positions, subject matter experts of which our
members can go to share their information offers a
broader and more supportive role for the complainant.
So I do see this as a very positive move in our whistleblowing legislation in general.
And I certainly look to make sure that we keep
that pathway clear so that someone who does want to speak up in all honesty is able to proceed through that
journey and that it is a supportive and comprehensive
pathway.
Thank you.

Thank you, the Honourable
Member Ms. Jackson.
Are there any further speakers? There appear
to be none.
Minister.

Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you, Mr. [Deputy ]
Speaker, and thank you to colleagues for their brief comments .
Mr. Deputy Speaker, in this day and age, no
one should have fear of retribution or of being ostr acised or of being targeted when they are stepping forward to do what they believe is the right thing to do.
And so we felt that it was important to provide the L abour Manager as another vehicle for someone to
make reports , to do that so that a person would at
least enjoy further anonymity in terms of reporting on
an incident that they believe is not cogent, I will put it
that way.
So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I just want to end by
moving this said draft Order, and asking that it be ap-proved and that a suitable message be sent to His
Excellency the Governor.

The next order of business is
[Order] No. 3, and it is the second reading of the Pr oceeds of Crime Amendment Act 2019 in the name of
the Minister of Health and spokesman for Legal A ffairs, Minister Wilson.
Minister, you have the floor.
924 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly BILL

SECOND READING

PROCEEDS OF CRIME AM ENDMENT ACT 2019

Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. [Deputy]
Speaker .
Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I move that the Pr oceeds of Crime Amendment Act 2019 be now read a
second time.
Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I am pleased to intr oduce to this Honourable House the Proceeds of Crime Amendment Act 2019 to address matters pertinent to
Bermuda’s compliance with international standards
set by the Financial Action Task Force. Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, the assessment of
Bermuda’s anti -money laundering and anti-terroris t
financing regime began in early 2018, and is now at
an advanced stage. This assessment is being conducted by a team drawn from peer jurisdictions and led by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, or
CFATF. Bermuda now awaits receipt of the second
draft of the mutual evaluation report from the asses sment team to be followed by a comprehensive written
response by Bermuda. As we await the finalisation of
the assessment and the publication of the report, the Bermudian authorities continue to proactively work on
strengthening the effectiveness of the regime. The
amendments contained in this Bill will support the continued enhancement of Bermuda’s AML/ ATF regime,
particularly in the area of international financial sanctions.
Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, during the assessment
period, and, indeed, for some time prior to that, Bermudian author ities have worked collaboratively with
Government House and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to enhance Bermuda’s compliance with
the targeted financial sanctions imposed by the United
Nations, the United Kingdom , and the European U nion in relation to t errorism, terrorism financing, and the
financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In September of 2018, these efforts culminated in
a delegation of functions by the Governor to the Mini ster of Legal Affairs to support more focused domestic
attention on these international obligations. Cons onant with those efforts, the Government also took the
necessary steps , also in 2018, to amend the AML/ ATF
legislation to require supervisory authorities to begin to monitor regulated entities and to ensure that they
are compliant with these international financial sanction’s obligations.
Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, the Bill amends the
following: the Proceeds of Crime (Anti -Money Laundering and Anti -Terrorist Financing Supervision and
Enforcement) Act 2008 and t he Financial Intelligence
Agency Act 2007.
Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, the amendments to the
Proceeds of Crime (Anti -Money Laundering and Anti -Terrorist Financing Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2008 will strengthen the enforcement of international
financial s anction obligations. This will be achieved by
empowering supervisory authorities to impose pena lties as to the kinds of consequences for breaches of
such obligations. The amendments will apply in rel ation to a range of penalties , which currently exist in t he
Act, thus ensuring the supervisory authorities will have a variety of penalties to impose to match the nature
and seriousness of a specific breach.
The international standards, Mr. [Deputy]
Speaker, require that penalties imposed should be effective, proportionate, and dissuasive, and this can
be achieved when an array of penalties of different
degrees of seriousness are available to be applied.
Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, the amendment to the
Financial Intelligence Agency Act 2007 is also necessary to ensure that the FIA [Financial Intelligence
Agency] can make relevant disclosures to the Minister
to whom the Governor has delegated some of his
functions in respect of international financial sanc-tions. Although at present the FIA can make discl osures to the Mi nister of Legal Affairs on other matters,
the FIA is only in power to make disclosures about
international financial sanctions matters to the Governor. The amendment will allow the FIA also to make
these disclosures to the Minister of Legal Affairs con-cerning matters germane to her delegated functions
for international financial sanctions.
Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, this legislative initiative
is only one part of the work being done by the relevant authorities in Bermuda to ensure that Bermuda is
compliant with international financial sanctions and
has an effective system for enforcement of these obl igations. Other activities being carried out also include the following, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker: the renewed f ocus of the national anti -money laundering committee’s
sanctions working group on the consideration of i mplementation matters in connection with the statutory responsibilities of supervisory authorities in relation to
international financial sanctions and the recent del egations of functions , and also to the devel opment of
an agreed coordination mechanism in relation to i nternational sanctions against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to ensure that Berm uda’s financial, professional and other business sectors
are not misused by foreign actors to evad e UN sanctions in this area.
Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, Bermuda remains
committed to working to achieve full compliance with
the international standards and this Bill is another step
further in the ongoing journey to achieving this.
Thank you, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker.

Thank you, Minister.
Are there any further speakers? The Chair
recognises the Honourable Member Mr. Pearman.
You have the floor, Mr. Pearman.



Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Scott Pearman: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
This is a time for our Island wh ere the Oppos ition is very pleased to stand shoulder to shoulder with
the Government , because, increasingly , the intern ational pressures, regulatory pressures from the outside world, are becoming more and more pertinent
and relevant to the way that we live our lives every
day—and not just in the Bermuda business community, but across the Island. And I have spoken about
that before in this House.
I have spoken about that before, and this is
not the time or place for it, but this is yet another ex-ample of how much international regulation does pervasively affect us . And on this particular amending
Act, the Opposition is pleased to support the Gover nment.
And I just say this : There are some beyond
our shores who seem to misunderstand us entirely.
They do not understand what Bermuda is about. They
do not understand the expert level of regulation that
exists on our Island. They simply do not understand the way that we do business. They have absolutely
distorted perceptions of who we are and what we are
about , and it is deeply regrettable, because they leap
to judg ments that are inaccurate and improper , and
they leap to jud gments that can impact upon us as an
Island and as a country.
And so, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we are pleased
as the Opposition to support the Gov ernment on this
amending Bill. Regulation is important , and we are a
well-regulated jurisdiction. And we should be proud of
that.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Pearman.
Any further speakers?
Minister.

Hon. Kim N. W ilson: Thank you, Mr. [Deputy]
Speaker, and thank you to those Members, those
Honourable Members of the Opposition, in particular
the Learned and Honourable Shadow Attorney General.
Obviously , as an attorney and as a person
that operates within this space, he, on behalf of the
Opposition , recognises the importance of Bermuda
continuing our obligation to ensure that we are a
properly regulated entity and that we take all steps
whether or not it includes legislation such as what we
are debating this afternoon to ensure full compliance
so that Bermuda can, as best as possible, mitigate
against money laundering and terrorist financing.
And, with that, Mr. [Deputy] Speaker, I would
like to move that this Bill be now committed.

Good afternoon.
Honourable Members, we are now in Commi ttee of the whole [House] for consideration of the Bill
entitled the Proceeds of Crime Amendment Act 2019 .
I call on the Minister in charge to proceed.

Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Madam Chairman.
Madam Chairman, in light of the fact that this
Bill has three clauses, I would like to move clauses 1
through 3 in their entirety.

It has been moved that clauses 1
through 3 be approved. Is there any objection to that
motion?
No objection.
Agreed to.

Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Madam Chairman.
Madam Chairman, the preamble explains that
the Bill seeks to amend the Proceeds of Crime (Anti -
Money Laundering and Anti -Terrorist Financing S upervis ion and Enforcement) Act 2008 as well as the
Financial Intelligence Agency Act 2007 .
Clause 1 is the citation.
Clause 2 amends the Proceeds of Crime (A nti-Money Laundering and Anti -Terroris t Financing S upervision and Enforcement) Act 2008 by making pr ovisions for the imposition of various types of penalties
in respect of breaches by regulated entities of their
obligations in relation to international financial sanctions. This will make available a range of sanctions
that can be applied in appropriate cases to allow for
effective proportionate and dissuasive sanctions and
effective enforcement mechanisms in respect of those
obligations.
Therefore, Madam Chairman, the amendments will provide the following:
1. Permit the supervisory authorities to i mpose on regulated entities the civil fines
pursuant to section 20 for breaching their
legal obligations in relation to international
sanctions .
2. Authoris e supervisory authorities to r evoke the operating licence of a regulated
entity as a penalty for breaching their l egal obligations in relation to international
sanctions.
3. Specify that public censure can be used
against regulated entities that breach their
legal obligations in relation to international
sanctions.
926 8 March 2019 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly 4. Authorise supervisory authorities to pet ition the court f or the winding up of a company or the dissolution of a firm for
breaching their legal obligations in relation
to international sanctions .
5. Ensure that any decision made to impose
any of the disciplinary measures now provided in Chapter 4 of the Act can be subject to publication, including those i mposed in respect of real estate brokers,
agents and the disciplinary measures
added to the Act by way of the amendments made in 2018.
Clause 3, Madam Chairman, amends the F inancial Intelligence Agency Act 2007 to provide as
follows: To reflect the fact that the Governor has de legated some of his statutory functions in relation to i nternational sanctions to the Minister of Legal Affairs
and in consequence authorises the FIA to make appropriate disclosures to the Governor and/or the Mi nister of Legal Affairs in relation to international sanctions matters as the need dictates.

It has been moved that the Bill be
reported to the House as printed. Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection.
Agreed to. The Bill will be reported to the
House as printed.

[Motion carried: The Proceeds of Crime Amendment
Act 2019 was considered by a Committee of the
whole House and passed without amendment .]

House resumed at 4:52 pm
[Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Deputy Speaker, in the
Chair]

REPORT OF COMMITTEE

PROCEEDS OF CRIME AMENDMENT ACT 2019