March 9, 2018

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated
with the condolences to the family of Ruth Paynter .
Certainly, she was well known in that community, and
I think very successful as a businesswoman in her
own right , and certainly, a matriarch of the family. And
I did not know her well, but certainly she was a powerful woman in her own right. And we would ask that
condolences be sent. Thank you.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to be associated [with condolences for] the unfortunate and untimely death of Harvey
Charles. I knew him well. In fact, my mother was just
last night at the hospital, shocked at this —shocked at
this accident that had taken place. And ironica lly
enough, if you look at the front page of the newsp aper, you will see his daughter there, designer Lyn
Winford. And everyone would know, most of us would
know Harvey as “Cowboy,” as was already said. But
he was one of the staples on Front Street when you
could rent a horse and buggy. And I can recall such a jovial man. I mean, every time you saw him, he always had a joke or something to uplift you with, always smiling. And definitely a loss —a family man, and
I cannot even imagine what the family is going
through right now, seeking out answers as to what
took place. And unfortunately, some of us saw it on
social media even before, you know, things were announced. But that is the way life is nowadays. Cameras are everywhere.
But a real loss to the communit y, those who
love animals, and to his family. I would like to be associated with those.

Thank you, Honourable Member.
Does any other Honourable Member wish to
speak? I recognise the Honourable Member Dunkley.
Honourable Member Dunkley, you have the floor.

Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you. T hank you, Mr.
Speaker. Good morning to you colleagues and to
Bermuda.
I would like to be associated with the condolences sent to the family of Ruth Paynter, and also, as said by my honourable colleague from constituency 12, to the family of Mr. Harvey Charles. I knew Mr.
Charles for a long time and found him, as the Honour-able Member said, to be a very happy and jovial person. In fact, it was always a pleasure to spend some
time with him, because he enj oyed life and he lived
life to the full enjoyment. He had some challenges,
like everyone, through his life. And it was very tragic
the way he came to an end in his life, not only the way it happened in such horrific fashion, but to be publ icised like that on social media. But for a man who
spent his entire life that I knew of him around animals,
to happen that way . . . so, for such a sudden and
tragic end, condolences to his large family in this very difficult period of time.
I would like to move to a bri ghter note and ask
that this House send congratulations to the organisers of Bermuda’s Women’s Day International, for the
great event held at the City Hall yesterday just after
lunch, and to all of the speakers who gave a very
straightforward message, Pres s for Progress. There
was a good turnout. Congratulations to the advanc ement we continue to make in bringing more diversity
and inclusion, and certainly to the strong women in our community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Member.
Any other Honourable Member?
I recognise Mr. Premier. Premier, you have
the floor.

Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to be associated with the
remarks which were offered by the Honourable Deputy Speaker to the family of Ms. Ruth Paynter, and
would like to be associated with those remarks. And, of course, I would expect that all Members in this House would like to be associated.
In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, the Honour able Member for constituency 11 noted the passing
yesterday, the unfortunate and untimely passing of
Mr. Howard Charles. He was, yes, a relative of mine
as well, my father’s first cousin. And I would like to be associated with the condolences that will were given
and will be sent to his family, especiall y those towards
his daughter, Lyn. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Member.
Does any other Honourable Member wish to
speak?


Bermuda House of Assembly We recognise the Honourable Minister of E ducation. Minister, you have the floor.

Hon. Diallo V.S. Raba in: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I too would like to be associated with the r emarks by Mr. Chris Famous, from constituency [11],
on the untimely passing of Mr. Charles.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I would like a letter of congratulations sent to an organisation that i s near and
dear to my heart, and that is Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. This week —today capped off an
amazing annual Alpha Week, which saw members of
the association enter into the middle schools and conduct our Project Alpha session, and also d o mentoring
on other levels throughout the Island. Today was the
Leadership Breakfast that was held. I just left the
breakfast, where there were 50 young male high
school students who were talked to and given mentorship by members of the fraternity and mem bers of
society at large.
Alpha Phi Fraternity has been a constant in
this Island since 1950, Mr. Speaker, and many of the men who have passed through this House and have
been agents of change through Bermuda have been
members of this association. So, the relevance was
then, and the relevance is now. And the mandate of
mentoring young males in our Island still remains as critical now as it was then. So, a letter of congratul ations to the organisation for keeping that mandate alive after 60- plus years on this Island.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker and
listening audience.
I would just like to send congratulatory wishes
out to all of the women yesterday, on International Women’s Day 2018. Over the years, you have seen
this campaign grow. And yesterday’s campaign theme
was Press for Progress. And what it clearly lets us
know as women is that we still have much work to do
as we strive for gender equality. The World Economic
Forum’s latest finding shows that we are 200- plus
years away from being considered equal to our male
colleagues.
So, as we press for progress, I just encourage
women, globally, on our Island, to continue to look for
ways to [narrow] that gender gap, because 200- plus
years means that I will not see it in my lifetime, which
is unfortunate, for all of the strides that we think that
we have made. But, as we contin ue to strive for it, I
am just hopeful that even more of my male colleagues
recognise that there is a need for us to press for pr ogress. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Member.
We now recognise the Honourable Member
from consti tuency 36. Honourable Member Scott, you
have the floor.

Hon. Michael J. Scott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, to the degree and level that
members of families who are bereaving the loss of
members of their family listen to these comments of
condolences in the House and derive some comfort
from them, I want to, notwithstanding the fact that many Members of the Government, starting with the
Deputy Speaker, have stood in relation to and offered
condolences for the family of Ruth Paynter, add my
persona l condolences to the family of Mrs. Paynter,
just yesterday, I was meeting with her brother and chatting with him, Mr. Arthur Hodgson.
And so, I offer my sincere condolences to the
family of Mrs. Paynter, to her husband and children,
and especially to my colleague and friend and me mber of the bar, Mr. Arthur Hodgson, as we keep them
in thoughts and prayers during these sad days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would just like to be assoc iated with the congratulatory remarks concerning the
International Wom en’s Day. And in particular, I would
like to recognise Elaine Butterfield, of the Women’s
Resource Centre. She hosted a most interesting evening for a large roomful of women at the US Consulate. And we had an opportunity to learn more about
the research, i n particular around the theatre and tel evision.
And I also want to send out the exact [same]
congratulatory remarks to Elaine for her hosting of the
breakfast yesterday morning to mark the beginning of
International Women’s Day, at which time she had an
intriguing panel discussion. So, all the best, and we
will press for progress.

Thank you, Honourable Member.
Does any other —
We recognise the Honourable Leader of the
Opposition. Honourable Member, you have the floor.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden : Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated
with all of the remarks that have been mentioned t oday in terms of congratulations with respect to wom1540 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly en. And I would like to take this opportunity, because
one of the themes that kept c oming through was that
women should start to do things to make themselves
have greater opportunity with respect to business,
greater opportunity with respect to self -empowerment,
greater opportunity with respect to even self -esteem.
But there is one thing that came up, and I
must admit I . . . this lady who came to me afterwards,
and she reminded me that we still have an issue with
respect to women who need shelters. And I believe
that all of us women should be recognising that we all know someone who has b een subjected to a woman’s
problem in terms of abuse or needing to take care of
her family.
So I would like to think that, as women, when
we get together and start to talk about it, what can we
do to help women who are in need get some sort of
assistance? And with respect to the women in this
House here, I know that we have all been down to the
Commonwealth Women’s Parliamentary Association.
And we have promised that we are going to do things with respect to getting more women in Parliament. So
I am saying to all of us here, Let’s get it on!
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to
be associated with the comments that have been
made in regard to International Women’s Day. But all
of the gentlemen in the House should know that it is
actually Women’s History Month. And so, for the
month of March, we should be celebrating the accomplishments of women in Bermuda’s history and women all over the world.
Women, particularly in politics ––[in] 2010,
there were seven women in the House of Assembly.
And in 2018, there are now eight. So, when we talk about the progress of women in politics, within the
past eight years the growth has been, I would say,
kind of small. But I would just like to congratulate all of
the women in this Hous e and salute them for their
contributions in the area of politics.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Premier. Continue on to
your next one.

PARTNERSHIP, EXEMPTED PARTNERSHIPS AND
LIMIT ED PARTNERSHIP (BENEFICIAL
OWNERSHIP) AMENDMENT ACT 2018
Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following
Bill for its first reading, so that it may be placed on the
Order Paper for the next day of meeting: the Partnerships, Exempted Partnerships and Limited Partnership (Beneficial Ownership) Amendment Act 2018.


Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Thank you, Premier.
Minister Brown.

MUNICIPALITIES AMENDMENT ACT 2018

Hon. Walton Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following
Bill for the first reading so that it may be placed on the
Order Paper for the next day of meeting: Municipal ities Amendment Act 2018.

Orders of the Day.
The first Order of the day is the resumption in
Committee of Supply for the further consideration of
the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year 2018/19.
Minister of Finance, Mr. Premier, would you
like to take us to that?

Hon. E. David Burt: Yes. Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I move that the Ho use do now
resume in Committee of Supply to consider the Est imates of Revenue and Expenditure for 2018/19.

Thank you, Mr. Premier.
And before we go into that, before I call on the
Member to take the Chair, I will do as is customary.
For the listening audience, today is day 6 of
the Budget Debate. The first Ministry that is up for debate this morning is the Ministry of Planning and Env ironment. And there are 2.5 hours allotted for that debate. Once that is completed, we will then go on to the
Ministry of Education, and there are 5.5 hours allotted
for that debate.
Members, we call on the Deputy Speaker to
take the Chair.

House in Committee at 10:41 am

[Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr. , Chairman] COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY

ESTIMATES OF REVENUE AND EXP ENDITURE
FOR THE YEAR 2018/19

[Continuation thereof]

Good morning, Members.
Honourable Members, we are now in Commi ttee of Supply for further consideration of the Est imates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year
2018/19. Heads 32 and 79 are now to be debated.
I call on the Minister in charge to proceed.
Minister, you have the floor.

MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

Hon. Walton Brown: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, I move that the following
heads, Head 32, Department of Planning; and H ead
79, Environment and Natural Resources, be now taken under consideration.

HEAD 32 —DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, I am grateful for
the opportunity to lead the debate and present the
Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Heads
32 and 79, Department of Planning, and Department
of Environment and Natural Resources. I will present
each head in turn.
And if I could hear myself speak clearly, Mr.
Chairman, I will be able to do it quite efficiently.

[Pause , inaudible conversa tions subsided]

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, it gives me great
pleasure to present the budget for Head 32, the D epartment of Planning, found on pages B -316 to B -320
of the Budget Book. The mission, Mr. Chairman, of the Department of Planning is as follows: The D epartment of Planning believes in balancing beauty and
progress to create an enduring Island community. To
that end, the department strives to responsibly serve
the people of Bermuda to ensure the sustainable management of the natural and built environment.
Applying its core values of teamwork, co mmunication, trust, proactivity, integrity, and responsibi lity, the department is accountable for the following:
• preparation of development and local plans ;
• balancing of development demands and env ironm ent protections ;
• monitoring and enforcement of development
regulations ;
• management of building activity through a
building permit system ;
1542 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly • proper implementation of the relevant building
codes to ensure life and safety by way of i nspections of projects under construction; and
• timely intervention with respect to compliance issues.
The department seeks to provide its services
and carry out tasks in an efficient manner, with transparency and consistency and within reasonable time
frames.

Expenditure Overview
Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, the Planning D epartment’s total budget allocation for the fiscal year 2018/19 is estimated to be $3,300,000. The estimate
represents no change over the budget for fiscal year
2017/18. The most significant change in the Subj ect
Analysis of current account estimates found on page
B-317 in the Estimates Budget is an increase of
$15,000 for Training, found on line 3.
This significant increase will allow a greater
number of staff to take advantage of training opport unities. The department intends to send a senior staff member to Leicester, UK, for training with the Leices-ter City Council, for a period of up to two months. The
training will expose the staff member to diverse experiences in the field of planning, notably in the area of
economic development. The building inspectorate will
also benefit from the enhanced budget, with training
opportunities to meet the requirements of the pr oposed changes in the scaffolding regulations. The
training will cover certification on design of scaffolding,
assembly of scaffolding, and inspection of scaffolding.

Professional Services

Hon. Walton Brown: This item increased by $22,000
and is found on line 7. The increase is a reallocation of expenses. A decrease of $62,000 is a reduction in
repai r and maintenance expenses. And that is found
on line 9. This reduction is largely the result of r educed software maintenance expenses associated with the department’s new database management
servers being posted locally versus overseas.

Revenue

Hon. Wa lton Brown: Mr. Chairman, revenue est imates increased by $206,000. This represents a
17 per cent increase over last year. The difference is
the anticipation of an uptick in the economy, spurring
further construction projects, and the progressing of
developments such as the St. Regis Hotel. In addition,
new penalties have been introduced for (1) elevators
that are operating with an expired permit and without
a waiver for an extension of use from the building of-ficer; and (2) failure to display a current elev ator’s certificate within a month of expiration of the previous certificate. Manpower

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, the Department
of Planning employee numbers, outlined on page B -
318, are 33 full -time posts. The number of posts from
fiscal year 2017/1 8 went down by one when the trai nee planner post was vacated due to a promotion. The
department has a total of seven vacant posts, with an
eighth vacancy due to retirement. The Director of
Planning position is now vacant due to the promotion
of the Director of Planning to Permanent Secretary. Recruitment for this post will begin as soon as poss ible. There are three vacancies in the Forward Pla nning Section —two vacant posts in the Development
Management Section; and one vacancy, due to a r etirement, in the E nforcement Section.
The recruitment process for all sections is well
underway. It is anticipated that one of the vacancies in
Forward Planning and the two posts in the Enforc ement Section will be filled by May. The remaining v acancies will be filled later in the year.

Capital Expenditure

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, this is on page
C-15, project number 76392. The Department of
Planning has been allocated $413,000 for the compl etion of a data system, EnerGov, which will replace the
current ageing syst em, BEMIS. Further details are
provided later in this brief.

[Performance] Measures

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, the Planning D epartment’s performance measures are outlined on
pages B -319 and B -320. It is the goal of staff to work
diligently toward achieving the department’s perfor-mance targets. This has been especially challenging
to achieve in those sections where staffing levels are low due to vacancies.
The performance measures, found on page B -
319, line 2, illustrate that the front desk operation, da-ta applications into database, and page B -320, line 4,
the building permit applications screen, have, respec-tively, maintained consistent performance levels. The draft North East Hamilton Local Plan, as seen on
page B -319, line 9, was successfully com pleted.

Plans for the Upcoming Year

Hon. Walton Brown: The Department of Planning in
the fiscal year ahead endeavours to commence the
public consultation process of the Bermuda Plan 2008
Review. The goal here is to assess the effectiveness
of the policies and land use zoning continued in the
Bermuda Plan. It is anticipated that the plan review
public consultation will commence in June. It is also anticipated that the Draft North East Hamilton Local
Plan for the North East Hamilton Economic EmpowBermuda House of Assembly erment Zone will be presented for public consultation
in late spring. The draft local plan sets out the development regulations and procedures for the areas’
property owners and developers to implement the
community’s vision for the future of the area.
The Development and Planning Act Amendment Bill, to update and extend enforcement powers,
will be tabled later this year. The Bill includes a number of changes to the Enforcement Section of the legislation —for example, the introduction of two new n otices and a certific ate in the form of a planning contr avention and breach of condition notice, and a certif icate of lawfulness of existing use development. The
most significant change is the introduction of civil
penalties for offences.
The department’s new database management
system, known as EnerGov, is expected to be oper ational by November of this year. This system is replacing the department’s 20- year-old legacy, BEMIS data
system. EnerGov will possess enhanced features to
allow for improved e- government transactions, better
data access for the public and improved information
security features. It will also provide more efficient
workflows for department staff. The introduction of this
new system is a major step forward for the depar tment’s becoming a paperless organisati on.
Mr. Chairman, in closing, I would like to thank
the dedicated members of staff in the Department of
Planning, including Mr. Larry Williams, Acting Director;
Mr. Chris Bulley, Building Control Officer; and their
respective teams. It has indeed been a pl easure wor king with them.
I would also like to take this opportunity to
congratulate Ms. Aideen Ratteray -Pryse, former Director of Planning, who has now, deservedly, been pr omoted to the position of Permanent Secretary.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

HEAD 79 —ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL
RESOURCES

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, I would now like
to move to Head 79, found on pages B -323 to B -331
in the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure. The
mission of the Department of Environment and Nat ural Resources, Mr. Chairm an, is to protect Bermuda’s
environment and responsibly manage the sustainable
use of its natural resources.
The total current expenditure for the depar tment is estimated to be $8,221,000 for the fiscal year
2018/19. This is the same level of expenditure as
budget year 2017/18.

Analysis by Cost Centre

Hon. Walton Brown: The department has 14 bus iness units, as shown on page B -324 of the Approved
Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure. The cost centres are as follows: cost centre 89000, Administration; 8901 0, Marine Resources; 89020, Marine Conserv ation; 89030, Marine Heritage and Health; 89040, Ma-rine Enforcement; 89050, Terrestrial Conservation;
89060, Veterinary Services; 89070, Animal Control;
89080, Plant Protection; 89090, Agronomy; 89100, Pollution Co ntrol; 89110, the BAM, Bermuda Aquar ium and Marine Zoological Administration; 89120, the
Aquarium and Zoo; and 89130, Museum.
As noted on page B -325, Mr. Chairman, there
has been no change year -on-year in the total depar tment budget. Minor changes have bee n made to several cost centres to maximise efficiencies. In compar ison to the previous year, 2017/18, you see this mini-mal change. For example, similar budgets for fuel,
insurance, and vehicle maintenance have been co nsolidated.

Revenue

Hon. Walton Brown : Mr. Chairman, the department
generates revenue from a variety of licences, permits,
services, and entrance fees, including licences of dogs; lobster and fishing activities; water rights; crop
storage fees; and visitor admissions to the Bermuda
Aquarium, Museum and Zoo. As noted on page B -
326, Mr. Chairman, the total revenue estimate for
2018/19 is $1,638,000. This is a decrease of
$117,000. This is largely attributed to a reduction in the collection of dog licence fees and reductions in
admission to the a quarium.

Capital Development Expenditure

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, as noted on
page C -7 of the Budget Book, a capital minor works
project of $400,000 will provide for the general
maintenance and upgrading of the Headquarters f acility and Plant Protection Laboratory located in the
Botanical Gardens and the Coney Island facility, the
Bermuda Agricultural Marketing Centre on Prospect,
and the Government kennels; and improvements to
200 acres of government nature reserve. In prepar ation for the upcoming international accreditation in
2018, an allocation of $100,000 has been reserved to
the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, for repair to several enclosures within numerous exhibits.

Capital Acquisition Expenditure

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, on pag e C-15, as
noted, $49,000 has been allocated for a replacement
vehicle which will assist the department to deliver its
extensive programmes, including farm visits, field and
port inspections, and general support of the agricu ltural industry.


1544 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Grants and Contributions

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, the department
engages several local entities to undertake specialised studies, as noted on page C -20. Professional
local service contractors and consultants, including
the Bermuda Institute for Ocean Studies (BIOS), for
both the environmental study programme for
$150,000; and Ambient Air/Water Quality Programme
for $200,000; and the Bermuda Zoological Society’s
Amphibian Research Project for $43,000. These funds allow for specific studies to be undertaken that enable
the department to meet the monitoring requirements
mandated by the Clean Air Act 1991 and the Water
Resources Act 1975. The department also provides the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(SPCA) a grant of $10,000 to assist with the delivery
of their programmes.

Manpower

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, the department
has 79 full -time equivalent posts, as shown on page
B-327 of the Estimates Book. This is comparable to
the 2017/18 budget. The department is in the process
of filling three funded vacant posts, including a new
veterinary officer, assistant plant technician, and the
foreman for the Terrestrial Conservation Maintenance
crew. These positions will provide critical capacity for
the department and allow for the effective deli very of
badly needed services and programmes.

Output Measures

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, a complete tab ulation of the output measures for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources can be found on
pages B -328 to B -331 of the Budget Book. I will now
briefly describe notable trends in performance measures from this year’s work programme.
Cost centre 89000, Administration. Mr.
Chairman, 20 protected species licences were issued to local and international researchers in 2017. R esearch topics included investigating coal gardens, cl imate change, temperature impacts on coal, zinc sur-veys, whale fluke identification and videography, sea turtle ecology, and biological control of the very inv asive Indian laurel tree. The most notable permit issued
was the relocation of the sea turtles for America’s Cup
racing. This project was undertaken to reduce the risk of injury to protected green turtles in the vicinity of the
racing event by participants or by spectator boats.
Mr. Chairman, a number of invasive pest sp ecies continue to have a tremendous impact on Bermuda’s ecology and farming sector. So far this year,
the department has received 150 new requests for assistance in culling pest birds from the public, an a verage of 12 every month. This is a slight decrease, in comparison with 2016/17. Unfortunately, there has been a decrease in pest birds control, down from
5,000 . . .

[Audible footsteps and a door opening and closing]

Hon. Walton Brown: I am sorry, Mr. Speaker. I did
not know my presentation was that much of a challenge.

Go ahead.

[Inaudible interjections and laughter ]

Hon. Walton Brown: Let me restart that sentence,
Mr. Speaker, now that everyone has been fully awakened.
Unfortunately, there has been a decrease in
pest birds contr ol, down from 5,000, due to a temporary reduction in department capacity and challenges
with transportation. Efforts are being made to address
this, and next year there will be a marked improv ement.
Cost centre 89080, Plant Protection, noted on
budget page B -329. The number of items inspected
originally forecast in 2017/18 was to be 1,900,968. It
is now being revised down to 1,357,942, a slight
change from the 1,356,145 imported plant items i nspected during the same period in 2016/17. Of these,
a total of 118,850 were intercepted in 2017/18, compared with 102,942 that were intercepted in 2016/17.
Mr. Chairman, in 2017/18, a total of 12 per
cent of these incoming items were found to be infes ted with a plant pest or disease upon arrival. The inter-ception of these international pests at our borders
speaks to the continuing need for vigilance in the front lines to ensure Bermuda’s protection from pests which
can potentially have dramatic impacts on our Island—on our farming, and on our tourist industry —as has
been the case with other island states.
Cost centre 89060, Veterinary Services, noted
on budget page B -329. All service- related performance measures originally forecast have been r evised lower in 2017/18. This is principally a reflection of limited capaci ty to undertake all of the services r equired for this section. It is expected that, with the hi ring of a new veterinary officer, the services provided by the section will all significantly increase in the coming year.
Cost centre 89040, Marine Enforcement, noted on budget page B -329. Approximately 500 vessels
have been stopped and checked, with attention to daily bag limits, size and species restrictions. So far this
year, the wardens investigated 25 complaints from the
general public concerning illegal fis hing activities by
fishermen both licensed and unlicensed. This is up
from the 20 complaints forecast for 2017/18.
Cost centre 89070, Animal Control, noted on
budget page B -329. During the fiscal year 2017/18,
the Animal Control recorded a decrease in over all


Bermuda House of Assembly complaints in comparison to 637 in 2016/17, to a r evised forecast of 600 in 2017/18, and a major decrease in complaints involving public safety.
Mr. Chairman, cost centre 89090, Agronomy,
noted on budget page B -330. The value of produce,
goods, and services handled by the Agricultural Service Centre dropped slightly, from $200,000 originally
forecast to $185,000. However, the number of customers served at the centre is expected to increase
from 1,550, from the original forecast of customers, to
one tho usand . . . hmm. It is expected to decrease
from 1,550, from the original forecast, to 1,250. This
reflects an increased need for . . .

Thank you. Thank you.
Hon. Walton Brown: I caught myself. Let us start
again.
Cost centre 89090, Agronomy, page B -330.
The value of produce, goods, and services handled by
the Agricultural Ser vice Centre dropped slightly from
$200,000, originally forecast to be $185,000. Howe ver, the number of customers served by the centre is expected to increase to 1,550 from the original for ecast of customers of 1,250. (I got that correct.) This
reflects an increased need for the proper storage services provided by the centre. The Agriculture Services
Centre expects to serve 1,600 customers in fiscal year
2018/19.
Cost centre 89110, BAMZ Administration,
noted on budget page B -330. The total visitors expected to visit the facility was originally forecast to be
85,000 in 2017/18, in expectation of increased num-bers from the America’s Cup. However, this has since been revised down to 73,000 for 2017/18. And it is
expected that the trend will continue in 2018/19.
Mr. Chairman, the Bermuda Zoological Soci ety, in combination with the Bermuda Aquarium, Mus eum and Zoo, continues to strongly support schools throughout the Island through conservation and sc ience education classes tied to the Cambridge Curric ulum. A new record of over 8,000 student experiences
were provided on the facility, on Trunk Island, on the
Floating Classrooms, on the Endurance, and on the
MV Calista, engaging students in the natural history of
our Island. Demand for classes continues to be
strong.
Mr. Chairman, cost centre 89130, Museum,
noted on page B -330. The number of specimens added to the natural history collection decreased from 500 in 2017/18 to 400, reflecting a refocusing on education
initiatives.
Mr. Chairman, cost centre 89020, Marine
Conservation, on page B -330. The Marine Conserv ation Section reviewed 23 planning applications pertaining to marine environment and one dredging a pplication, presenting them to the Marine Resources
Board within four weeks of receiving the application.
This is slightly less than the revised forecast of
2017/18. Applications relating to the Morgan’s Point resort and the America’s Cup demanded significant study and consultation through numerous revisions in
order to ensure minimal impact on the marine env ironment. The marine habitat assessment undertaken
by this section has decreased from 200 to 75 in
2017/18. The reduction reflects a reduction in wor kforce capacity, from three to two.
Cost centre 89030, Marine Heritage and
[Ocean Human] Health, on page B -330. Marine Heri tage consultations and information requests decreased from 200 to 150 in 2017/18, with a further decrease to
130 expected in 2018/19. This reflects a surge in i nterest that took place during the America’s Cup. The
percentage of protected dive s ite moorings in place at
the beginning of the season was reduced from
100 per cent to 80 per cent due to increased activity
and subsequent repairs required during the spring and summer of 2017. This year, the team secured and tested a new hydraulic underwater drill to upgrade the
reef pins for many of the moorings in highly sensitive
sites. It is fully expected that the readiness of the
moorings will be at 100 per cent in the coming sea-son. The department and the Ministry are most grat eful to the Stempel Foundation for its support of this important project.
Cost centre 89050, Terrestrial Conservation,
noted on page B -331. An important part of the Terrestrial Conservation Section mission is to provide env ironment and habitat assessment advice to the D epartment of Planning and members of the public for all
matters related to terrestrial conservation zones. Over
the course of the year, the section undertook 151
consultations on planning applications, environmental
impact assessment and scoping reports, conservat ion
management plans, and proposed landscape
schemes. While proposed development application
numbers remain similar to previous years, the d epartment noted that there has been an increase in
large resort and commercial development, for which to
provide oversight in order to mitigate environmental
damage to Bermuda’s sensitive areas.
The number of invasive plants that maint enance teams removed from potential nature reserves
was down significantly, from 18,000 to 12,000, princ ipally due to vehicle downtime and a reduction in the
workforce. This is expected to be remedied in
2018/19.

1546 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Major Policy Changes

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, I would like to
highlight policy changes that were made throughout
the fiscal year, including (1) creating policies to com-bat invasive pest species. A number of invasive pest
species continue to have a tremendous impact on
Bermuda’s ecology and farming sector. With this in
mind, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure. And this is as true today as it was when Benj amin F ranklin made that quote. The department has
been working to identify various pathways by which an invasive alien species can enter Bermuda. The department is currently taking part in a European Unionfunded bio- security project oriented to horizon scanning for identifying potential problems that other cou ntries have faced and the routes these invaders may take, and it has taken note of the effective methods to
control them.
Other policy changes, Mr. Chairman—
management of migratory pelagic fishes. The management of migratory pelagic fishes such as wahoo,
yellowfin tuna, and billfishes is conducted on a r egional basis. These species are a valuable component
of Bermuda’s commercial and chartered fisheries. The
senior marine resources officer participated in meetings with the International Commission for the Co nservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) and led negoti ations for appropriate quotas and catch limits of these species, for Bermuda and for other territories, inclu ding the United States, other Overseas Terri tories of
the United Kingdom, and members of ICCAT. Colla boration with the Sargasso Sea Commission in areas of mutual interest continue.

Other Policy Changes

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, development of
integrated roadside vegetation management strat egy—following its investigation into the use of glyphosate- based herbicide, the department has now been
working in partnership with the Ministry of Public
Works to develop an integrated roadside vegetation management strategy that will identify the most eff ective vegetation treatment to target specific plant spe-cies that pose a risk to roadside safety, while mai ntaining negative impact on the environment and the
public.
Participating in the development of a national
plan to strengthen Bermuda’s efforts tow ards better
stewardship of antimicrobials. Mr. Chairman, the
growing frequency of resistance by microbes to medical treatment, which are the beacon of medicine, is a
major global concern identified by the World Health
Organization. As a result, nations of the world have
been tasked with developing national plans to combat antimicrobial resistance. The Veterinary Services Section has been working closely with colleagues within
the Ministry of Health toward a national plan to strengthen Bermuda’s efforts toward a better stewar dship of antimicrobials, with our focus being in the vet-erinary and agricultural sectors.

Plans for the Upcoming Year

Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Chairman, this year the department will focus its efforts on increasing local food
production and assisting industry in reducing production costs. These efforts will be led by the five- year
National Crop Strategy, National Plan, and the Marine
Resources Strategy. Notable projects will include
plans to improve the Island’s cold storage of crops,
strategies to assist our declining bee population, the
undertaking of pesticide residual studies of crops,
amend legislation to regulate and encourage aquaculture and backyard farming, and the development of an edible landscape strategy aimed at encouraging
home -growing for fruits and vegetables. Further, the
department will complete the Dairy Enhancement Strategy and develop a new lifestyle strategy.
Mr. Chairman, sustaining our local fisheries is
paramount. High priority will be given to improving fish stock assessment and data collection in order to more
effectively guide management decisions concerning
our commercial fish species. Retest projects on commercially important species such as the red hind,
black grouper, and bait fishes will continue.
And final ly, an integrated marine resources
enforcement strategy will be developed, incorporating
new ways and means to more effectively minimise
abuse of our marine resources and protected habitats.
Mr. Chairman, the department will continue its
efforts to ensure the humane care and protection of
our animals. The Dogs Act 2008 and the Care and
Protection of Animals Act 1975 will be amended to
improve the care and control of dogs, provide en-forcement tools to enforcement officers, and to ensure
a robust regulatory framework for the management of
dogs both to protect the public and to protect the wel lbeing of dogs.
Mr. Chairman, work will continue in the monitoring and management of local pests, diseases, and
invasive species that threaten the Island’s economic
and social security. In addition to the ongoing control
of invasive lionfish, pest birds and noxious weeds,
investigation will be undertaken to control established
pest species such as the spiralling whitefly, the Indian
laurel, and Brazil pepper trees. Invest igation will also
be undertaken in an effort to address turf chinch bug
resistance, which has started to impact our golf courses and manicured lawns.
Mr. Chairman, the Bermuda Aquarium, Mus eum, and Zoo will continue its efforts to improve its i nfrastructure, and prepare for re- accreditation with the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums in the fall of 2018. A new exhibit focusing on conservation and research on Nonsuch Island will be open in winter of 2018.
Numerous small jobs are also in process in prepar aBermuda House of Assembly tion to ensure the safety of the animals and enhance
the enjoyment of our visitors to the facility.
Mr. Chairman, the Pollution Control Section
will implement new regulations under the Water R esources Act 1975 to address sewage discharge from
recreational boats, to create no- sewage- discharge
zones, and to identify pesticides known to contam inate groundwater. And we will develop new policies to either eliminate or reduce the use of such chemicals.
Mr. Chairman, in closing, I would like to thank
the hardworking and dedicated members of the staff in the Department of Environment and Natural R esources, including Director Andrew Pettit, Dr. Tammy
Warner , Dr. Sara h Manuel, Dr. Philippe Rouja, Dr.
Jonathan Nisbett, Dr. Ian Walker, Dr. Geoff Smith, Ms. Claire Jessey, Mr. John Edmunds , Mr. Tommy Si nclair, Mr. Jeremy Madeiros, and Ms. Maria Trott , and
the very able team. It has been indeed a pleasure to
work with them.
Mr. Chairman, with this comprehensive overview of the department, I move that the Budget Head
79 be approved.

Thank you, Minister.
Are there any further speakers?
The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Sylvan Richards, from constituency 7.
Mr. Sylvan D. Richards, Jr.: Thank you, Mr. Chai rman.
Mr. Chairman, it is a pleasure to take t o my
feet at this time to review the budget on the Depar tment of Planning, and the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources. As a previous Minister for
these departments, I understand the importance of
both and how critical it is that we get this ri ght in terms
of the proper management and development of our
beautiful, beautiful Island.
So with that, I will start on page B -317, for the
Department of Planning. I made note that the overall
department expenditures are projected to remain flat
at just ov er $3.3 million. And, looking at the object
code description, Salaries, on the same page, B -317,
the 2018/19 estimate of salaries is $3.078, which is
basically flat, so it is a slight increase of $3,000, not hing material. And Professional Services, found on the
same page, for 2018, are projected to increase 73 per
cent, from $30,000 to $52,000. So I was curious, what
are these professional services that are accounting for
the increase? So I would like to get a response from
the Minister for that.
Turning to page B -318, Revenue Summary,
the 2018 revenue for the Planning Department is pr ojected to increase just about 16 per cent, to $1.4 mi llion when comparing the 2017/18 original estimate to
the 2018/19 budgeted estimate. However, when com-pared to the 2017/18 revised estimate, it represents a
22 per cent revenue decrease. Looking at [pr ogramme] 8123, Planning Application Fees, the 2018/19 revenue budgeted is $484,000, which is up
29 per cent from the 2017/18 original estimate. I b elieve the Minister mentioned in his brief that this is due
to increased construction activity on the horizon. I am
curious . . . well, I guess that will come out in due
course. But that is what was noted in the Minister’s
brief, so I will accept that as is.
In looking at [programme] 8127, Building
Permit Fees, 2018/19 revenue is budgeted at $575,000, which is up 31 per cent from 2017/18 orig inal estimate. Once again, I would assume that is due
to increased construction activity in the pipeline. And
[programme] 8133, Searches, the 2018/ 19 revenue is
budgeted at $111,000, up 5.7 per cent from 2017/18
original estimates. So, those are good numbers. So I
am pleased to see that those are going in the right
direction.
On page B -318, the employee numbers, as
the Minister noted, there has been one reduction in
the 2018/19 estimate. There will be 33 employees.
And he mentioned that there were seven vacant
posts. One post will be vacant due to retirement, and the remaining vacancies will be filled later on in the
year. This has always been a chall enge with that department, Mr. Chairman. Staffing has always been an
issue. So I have to commend the department because
they really do an excellent job with what they have, with the number of construction projects that have been ongoing, especially in the last couple of years.
They really do a yeoman’s job. So I want to congrat ulate them on that.
Looking at the performance indicators on
page B -319, looking at the Front Desk Operations, I
was curious, in the second section of that Front Desk
Operations Unit, on page B -319, why the target outcome is shown as “non- applicable.” And this is for the
percentage of claims contacted regarding the need for
additional information within five working days. I do
not know why that is shown as non- applicable. If there
has been a change in function, I do not know. But I
would like to get some clarity on that.

Hon. Walton Brown: What page is that?

Mr. Sylvan D. Richards, Jr.: This is on page B -319,
Front Desk Operations, in the second column. It says,
percentage of clients contacted regarding the need for
additional information within five working days .
Moving along, the next section, Enforcement
and Searches, if you look down to section 3 under that heading, it says, the percentage of complaints actioned by the t echnical officer within 20 days of r eceipt. It is shown as non- applicable, also. So I was
curious about that.
And, under the section right underneath it,
Forward Planning, also on page B -319, it shows nonapplicable. (I am getting ahead of myself. Let me see,
where am I here? Forward Planning.)
1548 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Okay. Why is the target outcome of 30 per
cent, shown under section (one, two, three, four,) five
. . . so why is the target outcome of 30 per cent down
from the 2017/18 original forecast of 80 per cent?
That is a substantia l drop. So I am curious what that
is. And it is for the percentage completion of comm unity engagement with parish councils and initiation of
community action plans. So if I can get some clarific ation around that.
Moving on to page C -15, Acquisitions, pr ogramme 76392, Planning Development —the 2018/19
budget of $413,000 is an increase of 14 per cent from the 2017/18 original estimate. I would be curious and I
would like to get some clarification on what this entails, what type of capital planning development s are
these.
And on page C -20, Grants and Contributions.
Under Planning, under 7026, the Heritage Fund, the
2018/19 fund is budgeted at $10,000. And these are
basically loans to maintain historically listed buildings.
I am curious, what is the uptake on t his loan? And
when I was Minister, the Acting Director and I had
some conversations about this because—and I have
to declare my interest. I live in a historical house. And
I believe it was built in around 1850. It takes a lot of
upkeep. It is like living i n a leaky old ship. But I love it.
It is in a beautiful part of Bermuda.
But because it is a listed building, Mr. Chai rman, I actually feel that I, and others who live in listed
buildings, are being penalised in a way. Because, as
everyone is aware, when you live in a listed building,
before any type of construction is done on it or any
renovations, it has to go before Planning, like all other houses. But then the house has to go before the Hi storical Building Committee. And they look at the
house. And bas ically, if it has wooden windows, you
have to put in wooden windows. And if you want to do an addition, it has to fit in with the overall look of the
house.
And I understand that. It is very important to
preserve Bermuda’s building heritage, which is
unique, very distinctive. I know, even when I was
abroad in the US, I could look at a photograph, whether it was a picture or something online, and automatically know it was Bermuda, just because of the
architecture, a very unique architecture.
But in other places in the world, when you live
in a historical house or building, you have got a financial benefit of some sort. Either your land tax is r educed, or when you go to get a loan from the bank you are given favourable rates. So there is a financial
benefit to living in a historical, listed house. There is
none in Bermuda. So, that $10,000 is not a meaningful amount. And there was something that I wanted to
see progressed, and I do believe that some work had
been started on looking at what can be done here in Bermuda to provide meaningful benefit to individuals
who own and live in listed houses. So I would be cur i-ous to hear from the Minister if anything is being done
in that area.
Other items that I would like to discuss, and it
kind of ties into programme 8517, on page B -318,
which is the regulation of elevators, I believe. I think
many Bermudians would be surprised to learn that,
currently, when you get in an elevator in Bermuda, it is
expected when you see a sticker on it that somebody
has come in and inspect ed the elevator and made
sure it is safe. But from my understanding, there was no regulation of elevators in Bermuda. And I do not know how many elevators there are in Bermuda, but I
am sure that, in the City of Hamilton alone, and in our
hotels and other developments, there are quite a few.
And I believe I heard the Minister mention in his brief
that something is being done in that regard. But I
would like to hear more about it. What does it entail? And more importantly, I guess, or just as importantly,
how will it affect any new construction that may occur
in the future?
And another topic, I guess, that I would like to
discuss is the role of the independent inspector, which
ties in to programme 8123, on page B -318. The general public may be aware that when a planning appl ication is submitted, it goes before the Development Applications Board, and they review the application
and look at the merits of it and whatnot. And then they
give a yea or a nay. In the case of a nay, then the a pplicant is entitled to an appeal. And once that appeal
is made, then it goes back to the Minister. But, in
some cases, an independent inspector, someone outside of Bermuda, gets involved in the process, which is good because, in Bermuda, we are a small comm unity. And it is not unusual for an appeal to come across a Minister’s desk where the Minister knows the
individual, whether it be a friend or relative or coworker, or maybe even someone that the Minister does not feel particularly fond of. So, it is important
that the independent inspector is a part of the process in cases like that, to bring some impartiality to the pr ocess.
The question I have for the Minister is, when
there is an appeal and the independent inspector is
brought into the process, is he brought into the pr ocess for 100 per cent of the appeals? Or are there
appeals where the Minister will make a decision wit hout the independent inspector being brought into the
process? So that is my question. Is the independent
inspector utilised in 100 per cent of the appeals? O r
are there appeals where the Minister can make the decision without the independent inspector being i nvolved?
I am just going to refer to my book because I
was making notes as the Minister was speaking. I want to make sure I covered everything.

[Pause]



Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Sylvan D. Richards, Jr.: I did make note of the
Minister’s saying in his brief that there will be a greater
number of staff to be trained, as shown on page B -
317 under the section Training. I support that. We need employees in the department to be pr ofessional.
I am not saying that they are not. But increased trai ning—if money is going to be spent on increased trai ning, I support that. That is a good thing.
I noted on page B -319, under Forward Planning, that the North East Hamilton plan has been suc-cessfully completed. That is a very positive develo pment. And I am getting someone whispering in my
ear, saying, When will that be made public? So, it has
been successfully completed; when will it be made
public?
I also noted that there will be public cons ultation, staying on page B -319 under Forward Planning. I
wrote this in the section: Percentage completion of
resolved objection by objectors, tribunal and final approval of the North East Hamilton local plan. So, yeah.
When is the public consultation going to occur? And I
also noted that the implementation of the new Ene rgov system for promoting land management applic ations will be operative in November of 2018. I know
this has been a substantial project that has been g oing on in the department from before my time in the
department. So that is very positive. It is going to be
more efficient and environmentally friendly because
the department will be paperless. So that is a very,
very good development.
So I am going to move on at this time to
Head 79, Envir onment and Natural Resources. Once
again, a very, very important department which man-ages our beautiful Island. When we drive around
Bermuda and we look at what we have here, we take
it for granted. There is a lot of work, a lot of manpo wer, and a lot of m oney that are spent to keep our I sland looking the way that it does. So it is my pleasure to go through this Head 79. And I am starting on page
B-324. I noted that the overall 2018/19 department
expenditures are projected to remain flat at just over
$8.2 m illion.
On section 89040, Marine Enforcement, the
2018/19 budget estimate of $410,000 represents a
5 per cent increase over the original estimate of
2017/18. I would like to get a little bit more colour
around that, if I can.
Section 89707, Animal Control. The 2018/19
budget estimate of $292,000 is up 2 per cent from the original 2017/18 budget. This slight increase has gi ven me concern because . . . and if I am wrong I can
be corrected by the Minister when he answers my question. I think this may be a li ttle bit of a bold figure,
due to the increased oversight that is going to be r equired when the Dog Act is amended. I know that the dog wardens have a difficult job out there dealing with this issue, which is a very emotive one in Bermuda. It
took up a hec k of a lot of my time when I was Minister. And I am sure that, now that the Honourable Member
is in that seat, he is getting the phone calls, too.

Hon. Walton Brown: Amazing. Absolutely.

Mr. Sylvan D. Richards, Jr.: It is amazing. It is ama zing. People r eally, really love their dogs. Sometimes, I
think they love their dogs more than they love people.
But, as the Minister mentioned in his brief, the
Dog Act of 2008 is going to be amended. And it is going to require, frankly speaking, more work on the be-half of the dog wardens, because, as I think how the
Act is going to work, it is going to take more inspections. It is going to take just more effort overall to
make sure that the amended Act is going to be enforced. So, I would like to hear a little bit more from
the Minister on how that 2 per cent increase is going to affect their ability to do their job.
[Section] 89120, the Bermuda Aquarium and
Zoo, the 2018/19 budget estimate is $2.044 million,
which is a 3 per cent increase over the original. And,
you know, the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo is probably the most visited tourist attraction that we have in
Bermuda. The roof was repaired and replaced a few
years ago. And I am very pleased to hear that there is
continuing investment in the Aquarium. And I am going to move on, but I will come back to that a bit later,
as I made some notes when the Minister was doing his wrap- up.
On page B -326, the Revenue Summary,
2018/19 revenue is projected to decrease 6.6 per cent, to $1.638 million. Section 8253, Admissions, the
2018/19 revenue is budgeted at $416,000, which is an
18 per cent decrease. I am curious. I would like to
hear from the Minister, what is driving this decrease? I would assume that it is primarily admissions to the
Bermuda Aquarium and Museum down there in Flatts.
In section 8493, on the same page, B -226,
Dog Licences, the 2018/19 revenue budgeted at
$536,000 is a 2.5 per cent decrease. I would like to
hear what accounts for this decrease. Once again,
tying it into the amended dog legislation, hopefully ,
there will be increased penalties in there for unl icensed dogs. I would assume that more people would
be enticed to license their dogs that are currently unl icensed. So when I see the revenue is budgeted at a
2.5 per cent decrease, it gives me some concern. So I
would like to hear a little bit more about that number.
Section 8499, Breeders Licence, the 2018/19
revenue is budgeted at $28,000, which is up from
$7,000. And this figure seems more in line, in my view, when contemplating the effects of the impending
amended dog legislation. I think the fees are going to
be increased. If they are not, then they should be. So I
would like to get some more information about that.
Moving to page B -327, Employee Numbers,
there is no change in the number of employees in 2018/19. It will remain at 79 full -time equivalents. I did
note from the Minister’s brief that there are three v a1550 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly cant posts in that amount that will be filled. So that
should bring them back up to strength.
Moving to page . . . well, let us do the perfo rmance indicators. On page B -328 of the Budget Book,
and I am looking at section 89000, Administration. It
mentions 6,000 feral animals were removed. I would
assume these are mostly chickens. And if not, I would
be curious what other feral animals are i nvolved in
that. Maybe pigeons, but I would just like to get a bit
more information about that. Also, in that same section, the number of PATI requests received. (Let me make sure I get this right, now.) The number of PATI
requests received, the 2018/19 target outcome is
shown as unknown. And it has been shown that way
since 2017/18. And I cannot, for the life of me, r emember why. So I would like to get some background
on why that outcome is showing as “unknown” when it
comes to PATI requests.
Continuing on, page B -329, Performance
Measures. I am looking at Plant Protection, 89080. The total number of items inspected for 2018/19, the target outcome is 1,334,787, which is a 29.7 per cent
decrease. I am curious, why the decrease? And I must say they do a grea t job down there, you know,
all of the flowers that come in here, all of the Chris tmas trees, they inspect them for pests. And as the Minister mentioned in his brief, our whole environment could be put at risk if they miss something. To think
there is a li ttle mite or something small which could
wreak havoc on our agriculture here. So I am just c urious why the inspection numbers are down by almost 30 per cent.
In the same section, the total infested items
intercepted, which would be plant and fruit, the 2018/19 target outcome of 150,785 is down 43 per
cent from the original estimate, I believe. So I am c urious, what is the reason for that substantial decrease?
Moving on to Veterinary Services, section
89060, on page B -329 of the Budget Book, it states
that the number of farm visits for 2018/19, the target
outcome is 30. And my question is, is this mainly cow
inspections? If I can get a little more colour around that, it would be helpful.
Moving on to section 89040, the Marine E nforcement. It shows the number of call -in fish tips for
2018/19 is shown as non- applicable, whereas in the
revised book for 2017/18, the number was 20. So I am
curious why that is shown as non- applicable. Are they
expecting no one to call in about illegal fishing? That is highly unrealistic. I believe the Minister mentioned
in his budget brief that, so far this year, there have been, I think, 25 call -ins reporting illegal fishing. So I
am just curious why, in the Budget Book, it is shown
as non- applicable.
Also, in the same section, the number of ill egal fish traps, lobster, and guinea chick traps recov-ered is shown as non- applicable for 2018/19. So I
would like to know why that is. Moving on to 89070, Animal Control, dog l icences, the 2018/19 target outcome is 4,050 dogs
licensed in Bermuda. And in the same section, it
shows a percentage—dogs licensed as a percentage of eligible dogs. So, in the universe of dogs out there
that should be licensed, but which are licensed, for
2018 is 55 per cent. In my view, this reflects a real problem with either the current dog licensing regime
or the enforcement. If you have only got 55 per cent of
all of the dogs out there licensed, why is that? There
has got to be a reason for that. And once again, this ties, in my view, into the importance of amending the
dog legislation and the importance of enforcement of
the current dog laws. So, I would be curious why that
target outcome is only at 55 per cent. In my view, it
should be a bit higher.
And in section 89110, the Bermuda Aquarium,
Museum and Zoo ( BMZ) Administration, the total
number of visitors for 2018/19, the target outcome of
75,000 visitors is down from 85,000. I believe the Mi nister mentioned in his brief that the revised number
from 2017/18 was due to, I guess, the decreased pr ojections of v isitors that were initially given because of
the America’s Cup. So, basically, anticipating the
America’s Cup, I guess it was estimated that the
numbers would be higher than they actually were. So,
the number was revised down. But I would be interested to hear about what can be done to increase these admissions. Because, once again, the Aquar ium is one of the most visited sites, if not the most vi sited site, for our visitors, our tourists, in Bermuda. So I am curious if there is any thought being given to boosting those admission numbers.
I am going to refer to page C -15 of the Budget
Book, Capital Acquisitions. The replacement truck —
as mentioned in section 76683, there is a number,
$49,000, for a replacement truck. I believe the Mini ster mentioned this in his brief. I would like to know what kind of truck that is and what it is going to be used for. And, on page C -20, Grants and Contributions, section 7004, the BIOS Environmental Study,
the 2018/19 budget is $150,000, which is unchanged
from prior years, as is section 7006, BIOS Air/Water
Quality Study, for 2018/19 budgeted at $200,000, u nchanged from prior years. So I am fine with that.
At the end of the Minister’s brief, Mr. Chai rman, the Minister made reference to a number of pol icy changes. I made some notes based off of his
comments. Regarding invasive species, and at this
point I guess it would be a good time to discuss the
lionfish invasion that has actually been ongoing in Bermuda since the 1920s. You know, many Bermudians will believe that the lionf ish appeared on our reef
maybe last week Thursday. But there were actually
photographs of this fish in Bermuda’s waters from
quite a while back. But now it is a real issue because
the lionfish, as people may know, reproduces rapidly. It eats voraciously th e young reef fish. So it is a real,
real problem with our offshore environment.


Bermuda House of Assembly And I guess my question is . . . and I talked to
divers, local divers who have licenc es to go out and
spear lionfish. I am curious if there has been any
thought to actually increasing the number of licences
that could be given out to local divers, maybe lobster
divers and others , so that we can increase the number
of residents who are able to go out and legally hunt
lionfish , because it is going to be an ongoing issue for
Bermu da. I do not think we are ever going to be able
to eradicate them; at this point, it is more about managing what is there and trying to keep the numbers to a manageable level, if that can be done. So I would
like to hear a bit more about what is being done to
perhaps increase the number of licences that can be
given out.
Because I do remember hearing from local divers who were complaining that they would like to hunt lionfish, but they could not because they did not
have the prerequisite licence.
Also, that brings to mind, last year I met with a
group that was in Bermuda. They were a pretty interesting, group, Mr. Chairman. Some of them were from
the US military. And basically, what they were doing is
they were working on a project for an underwater r emote operating vehicle [ROV] to hunt lionfish. And
they were down at Ariel Sands, basically testing this
device out in the saltwater pool there. And it was rea lly interesting, because if you can picture— it was a
robot that was designed to swim underwater, con-trolled remotely with a joystick from the operator on
land, with a computer screen in front of him. There
was a camera mounted on the device so that the o perator on land could operate the device and see
where it was going. And it had two protrusions at the
front of the robot, and it was propelled by four motors,
so it could go up and down, forward and backwards. It
was very mobile.
And these two protrusions on the front, bas ically, the robot could be manoeuvred to sneak up on a
lionfish, and once the lionfish was in between the two,
I guess, probes, an electrical charge would be sent
from one side to the other, and it would stun the lionfish. And it would not kill it, but it would stun it. And then, the robot, this ROV, underwater ROV could be
manipulated so that the lionfish would be captured in
a chamber that was part of the—I guess the biggest part of this ROV. So I am curious if there have been
any further developments with that ROV. And the goal
was to build this robot, this lionfish- catching robot, so
that it would not be very expensive for regular indivi duals to purchase and to use and operate. And it was
being designed to appeal to what I call the videogame generation, who are very adept at manipulating devi ces and whatnot with joysticks. It was kind of l ike flying
a drone, but underwater instead of in the air.
So it was a very exciting project. The developers, like I said, they came from quite a diverse
spectrum of the scientific community. They had developed this machine, tested it in the pool, caught li on-fish. And, you know, it was working. So I am curious
about where that project is right now.
The Minister mentioned the management of
migratory pelagic fish species such as Atlantic tuna. I
would like to hear a bit more about that.

[Inaudible interjectio n]

Mr. Sylvan D. Richards, Jr.: Yes, I would like to hear
a bit more about that. He mentioned it in his brief.
Another policy change was the development
of an integrated roadside vegetation management
strategy. This is a positive development, once again
managing our roadside verges. You know, Bermuda is
a place where, especially in the summertime when it
rains and the sun is shining, it is amazing how quickly
the vegetation on the roadside verges —plants gro wing up through the sidewalk —it is amazing how q uickly that can get out of control. And I know, during the
summer months when the vegetation is growing pr ofusely, that is when the MPs tend to get the calls from
their constituents about the way the constituency looks. So I would be curious to hear a bit more about
that roadside vegetation management strategy.
The Minister mentioned in his brief (let me get
this right) the resistance by microbes to medical
treatment. This is the first I am hearing of that. And I would like to hear a little bit more about t hat, what that
entails. And I guess my imagination could run wild
because we live in an environment where you have
microbes and germs that are not responding to Pen icillin and whatnot. That is not my wheelhouse, so I
would like to hear a little bit more about that particular
strategy.
The Minister mentioned plans for the upco ming year, increasing the local food production. This is
something that is always on the Minister’s radar; it is
always on the department’s radar. Because, as a
country, we are basicall y completely, at this point, d epending on getting our food from outside of Bermuda.
And God forbid that anything should happen that
would prevent the weekly and biweekly container
ships from getting in here with our food. If that did not
happen, I guess we would all be looking at each other
a little differently. But I am curious if there were any
new initiatives to increase the local food production,
because we have the community gardens in the constituencies. I know that there have been some pr ojects ongoi ng to increase the agriculture and backyard
farming. I believe Sandys Middle School had a project
going on up there, they still may, around agriculture. So I would like to hear a bit more about that in terms
of what is being done to encourage locals to gro w
more of their own food.
The Minister mentioned steps being taken or
being looked at to address our declining bee popul ation. This is a very, very important one, because as
people out there listening may know, should know,
without bees we do not have flow ers. Without bees we
1552 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly do not have fruit. Without bees we do not have vegetables. I mean, around the world, the bee populations
have been stressed. And the science, I assume, is
kind of mixed on this, what exactly it is causing the
stress levels. Is it incre ased use of pesticides? Is it a
mite of some sort that infects the bees? Or is it global
warming? What is it? But, around the world, there
have been cases of collapse of hives, beehives, co llapse of bee populations. And I would like to hear a bit
more about what is being done in Bermuda to address
that. What is being done to address the declining bee population in Bermuda?
The Minister mentioned that a Dairy E nhancement Strategy is being looked at as part of the plans for the upcoming year. I would like to hear a bit
more about that. What does that entail?
The Minister mentioned that Bermuda’s fish
stocks will continue to be managed and that there is a
marine enforcement strategy that is being developed.
I would lik e to hear a bit more about that also, because there is an ongoing issue in Bermuda with the
illegal fishing. You know, it is interesting, because
everybody in Bermuda knows who the bad apples are.
There are not many, in my view. But they are there,
and they are known.
And, sometimes, they act without impunity.
You could take their licence away from them. You can
strip them of their fishing licence. They are still out
there, catching fish illegally and almost daring the
wardens to do anything about it. So, I cannot recall
the last time I saw someone in court charged with ill egal fishing and paying a penalty. So I would really like
to hear what is being done in that regard to deal with the illegal fishing in our marine environment.
The Minister noted that the Aquarium is going
through a re- accreditatio n process. I would like to hear
a bit more about that, to kind of put it in some context. Okay, you have an aquarium; it has got to get accredited. What does that mean to the general public? Will
it mean that we have got access to better animals,
better di splays? Will we be able to get funding from
outside of Bermuda? What exactly does the accredit ation process do? What is the benefit? So I would like
to hear a bit more about that.
And I made a note here again that the Dog
Act of 2008 will be amended. And I am curious as to
when that Bill is going to be brought to the House. I
know that the Minister and I have talked briefly about
it. The [Premier] and I have talked briefly about it. This
is something that is long overdue. And I want to take
this opportunity to speak to that a bit, because, I
guess, whenever you start talking about managing
dogs and illegal dogs and whatnot, people automat ically think of pit bulls.
I recently bumped into someone, a dog handler of note in Bermuda, who has been involved with this process for many, many years. And we had a
conversation fairly recently. And he brought som ething to my attention. And if I am incorrect, then, you know, I stand to be corrected. But, basically, this
whole banning of dogs came about not because of the
pit bull in particular, but because at some point in the
past there were individuals who were looking to bring in large dogs that were, I guess, deemed to be poten-tially aggressive. And they were not pit bulls. You
have dogs such as the Presa Canario and ot her large
dog breeds, mastiffs, and others. So there were ind ividuals who were looking to bring in these dogs into Bermuda, and there were no, I guess, prohibitions on
doing it at that time.
So, the Minister at that time basically listened
and said, Okay. Let’s put together a list of banned
breeds that would not be allowed into Bermuda. And it
was done. But that was so long ago that people now
believe that the ban was put in place to prevent ow nership of pit bulls. So, unfortunately, the pit bull has
become the poster child for the banned list. And I am
not saying that all pit bulls are nice and warm and
friendly animals. Because we know that they are not
in some cases. But I think it is important that we get
on with amending this dog legislation because, and as the Minister has said in the past, you know, there has
got to be a better way to do this.
Let us not punish the breed; let us punish the
deed. Because I am convinced now . . . and I have
had a chance of thinking on this. You know, when I
first became the Minister, I was not in favour of taking
restrictions off of pit bulls. But as I looked at the information, as I looked at studies that had been done, it
became apparent to me that in a lot of instances it is
the ownership of the dog. You have bad owner s. And,
unfortunately, it is still a situation in Bermuda where
you have pit bulls that are kept underground, kept in
people’s basements, kept in people’s sheds or whatever, because they are afraid to bring them out in public because they will be confiscat ed. That is not
healthy for the dog, and that is not healthy, period.
So I am pleased. I will be looking forward to
when this amended dog legislation comes to the House. And I hope a part of it involves making
amendments to the restricted list of dogs. Let us put
the onus on the owners, as it should be. And that
means that the dog wardens are going to have to do
more work. They are going to have to get out there and really, really make sure that this policy is adhered
to and enforced.
I think, at this point , I made a note here based
on the Minister’s policy changes about managing po llution. Now, there is something that is going on in our
country that nobody wants to talk about. We all want to act like it is not happening. And it is happening. And
I think it is time that we dealt with it. And that is the
piping of raw sewage into our offshore marine env ironment. There are two places in Bermuda where this
happens. And I am not going to say where they are.
But in 2018, this is something that needs to be a ddressed. We had issues with greasy sewage balls, for
want of calling them anything else, washing up on


Bermuda House of Assembly some of our beaches. There has to be a way to deal
with this issue.
So, I am hoping. I know when we were the
Government it was something that we looked at. And
it all boiled down to dollars and cents. It costs money
to put in sewage treatment plants and whatnot to deal
with this issue. And it became almost like an international scandal, in a way. And I know people do not
want to talk about it because we are in the tourism
business and whatnot. But this needs to be addressed.
So I would like to hear if anything is being
looked at in that regard because if we are going to
manage our marine environment, if we are going to
conserve our fish stocks, and if we are goi ng to manage our fishing regime and whatnot, we have got to
have a pristine, clean environment for our marine
species to live in. So, I would like to hear something
about that. If something is being done, if it is even being looked at or studied, let us tr y and figure out a way
to deal with this. Because it is an embarrassment to
me when I go to certain beaches in Bermuda and I
see locals and tourists in the water, and I am like,
Well, you know what? They’re lucky the wind is blow-ing a certain way or the current is going a certain way.
It is ridiculous! We need to sort this out. So, I am posing that to the current Government. Let us do som ething about this.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I am going to take
my seat.

Thank you, thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
A lot has been said about the Dog Act this
morning. But let us put this into perspec tive. This i ssue has been going on for a number of years. Mr.
Chairman, we are currently operating under the Dog
Act 1978. In 2008, a replacement Act was approved in this House. We are 10 years on, and that Act has not
been enacted or actuated. And we stil l have these
Amendments that are due to come.
I know when I was in that seat, I made that
issue a priority. Legislation was drafted, and I am still confused as to why it has yet to come to this House,
10 years later. To me, is there a will to bring it to this
House? I think it is important that we get it done as quickly as possible, Mr. Speaker, because it is caus-ing anxiety for the staff and the Ministry, for the dog
owners, and the animals themselves. We have enforcement issues, regulations being made. W e have
complaints that the inspectors are being partial. And
so, I am saying this because if we had the regulations
tied down, there would be no discretion in the activ i-ties allowed. And everyone’s interests will be protec ted, including the department.
So, I am rising today to make sure that this is
a top priority. It is not good enough that we are opera ting under a 40- year-old Act. And a subsequent Act
was passed in 2008, and the 2008 Act has still not been enacted. We took advice from the Canine Committe e. We took advice from veterinarians and other
people in the industry. And yet, we are where we are
today. This is unacceptable.
Mr. Speaker, we also spoke about veterinary
services. I have spoken to a number of farmers, and I think it is time that we pro vide them with the support
that they rightly deserve. Now, I will say that the Mini ster has spoken about providing more support to the dairy industry. And I applaud him for that. But I think
what we need now is a bovine vet who can help in the breeding programme for our dairy industry. I am sa ying that because there is no bovine vet on the Island.
What happens is, all of the farmers have to pool their
money to bring in somebody from overseas, every so
often, maybe twice a year.
I think, somehow, the Ministr y needs to do
something with the veterinary team down there to pr ovide far more support for the dairy industry. I mean, if we have a cow that is having problems delivering a
calf at two o’clock in the morning . . . SOL, because
there is no bovine vet around to support . . . the days
of Dr. Paddy Heslop are gone—are gone! And so, the
assets that these farmers have are put at risk. And we
need to ensure that we provide them with the r esources and the veterinary support that they rightfully
deserve, if we are going to support the dairy industry
and its development.
The other issue that I would like to speak to is
the issue of plant protection. The team there are doing
a phenomenal job under strenuous circumstances. On
page B -329, you see that they inspected 1,334,767
items. There are four employees in that department.
Mr. Chairman, if you take the four employees, let us
say 260 workdays, and divide that out, they are r equired to inspect over 1,250 to 1,300 plants per day —
unreasonable! Are they operating as effic iently and
proficiently as they should be? The answer is no.
They are doing their best, and I support them
for doing their best. But I think it is time that more r esources are provided to this department. I have been
down there when I have seen them test. And you see
that they just take a bunch of flowers up, put them on
a white tablecloth, and bang- bang- bang to see what
drops out. And if there are any microbes or little
aphids or whatever, then they will, obviously, ban or
destroy those plants. But I am sure that there is a
more scientific way of addressing that. And I think that
we need to get up to scratch with the best practices in
that area, and support that department.
I spoke about it when I was there. I know that
they are working on their best -practi ces procedures.
And I would like to give them more support because,
1554 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly at the end of the day, they are on the front line. They
are protecting our plants, our fruit from invasive species. And as you know, when invasive species come
in, they multiply, and that is the end of our citrus i ndustry and other fruit and plants. And so, they need to
be brought into the [21st] century as far as support,
equipment and protocol.
Mr. Chairman, the other issue that I would like
to speak to is the marine enforcement. I see that they have collected a number of illegal fish traps, lobster
and guinea chick traps. My question is, this issue has
been going on for quite some time. How many of those people who have flagrantly violated the laws
been sanctioned? How many have we taken to court?
That should be in the output measures so that we can
send a message that we want our marine environment to be respected and the laws adhered to.
Licensing— the animal control output measure
says that, out of all of the eligible dogs that are eligi ble
for licensing, only 55 per cent are licensed. I would like for the Minister to tell us what protocols he has in place or procedures he has in place to ensure that we
raise this number and that we go after those people
who have flagrantly violated the l aw and have not l icensed their animals. Fifty -five per cent, as my co lleague said earlier, is not good enough. We should
have 70– 80 per cent of the dogs licensed. And we
have to go out on a campaign. It could be a public relations campaign, it can be an enforcement ca mpaign. We have to get these animals licensed b ecause, if we are to control illegal breeding, if we are
controlling animals that come into the country, then
we need to ensure that they are registered with the Ministry.
Bees . . . this is an int eresting one, Mr.
Speaker. Yes, I agree that bees are very crucial to the
production of fruit, flowers, flora, basically. And I think
we all have a role to play in that. I know that I have a
little garden in the back of my house. And I call it my
bee garden . Because any weekend, I can go outside
and see bees. And so, hopefully, I am encouraging
them to stay in Jennings Road, to stay around my
house.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. C hairman, I am delighted to learn under
Head 32, Administration, that the North East Hamilton
Development Plan is complete. It represents a doc ument that has been in the pipes for quite some time
and I look forward to seeing it and I look forward to
public discourse. As you know, North Hamilton is the
heartbeat of the City of Hamilton, it is the spirit of
Hamilton, and I think it should have just as much
prominence as the City of Hamilton Plan. So I am delighted that this is done and I look forward to suppor ting the Minister in his endeavours in this space, and I
look forward to public discussion.
While on Planning, I know that the Bermuda
Development Plan spoke to having . . . given [that]
during the downturn in the economy from 2008– 2013,
2014 some of our commercial buildings were left em pty, and so a decision —I think it was a policy decision
was made—to have mixed- use commercial buildings;
“mixed -use” meaning residential and commercial. The
question that I ask the Minister is: Are we going to
have this mix ed-use feature embedded in our planning codes? Because I think if we have more people


Bermuda House of Assembly living in the City of Hamilton it would be more ec onomically viable, it would be lively, and there would be
more things to do, and you would have more people
investing in Hamilton because people will live there
and there will be more of a buzz in Hamilton at night.
So I implore the Minister to consider, if he has not
done so already, having mixed- use commercial buil dings encoded in some type of legislation and regul ations.

[Inaudible interjection]

It is item 3203, okay?
Mr. Chairman, the other issue I note is that
they have a draft version of the 2017 Bermuda Plan.
Obviously, that is updated regularly and that is also
completed and I look forward to discussions to see
how that has evolved to ensure that our planning
codes and planning restrictions and planning gui dance dovetails with where Bermuda is today as a
country economically and socially. So, again, I look forward to seeing that plan out for public discussion.
Line item 7903, Terrestrial Conservation. Mr.
Chairman, there has been a lot of talk about glypho-sate and so- called we ed killers. Will the Minister give
this Government’s position and policy position on
glyphosates? Is the ban still in place and will he be
lifting the ban? Just for clarity, because I think there is some confusion as to the direction in which the Mini stry is going in regard to the use of glyphosates in this
country.
Back to Administration, Mr. Chairman, in 2014
the Government of Bermuda, together with a number
of other countries, formed the Sargasso Sea Alliance
and crafted the Hamilton Declaration on Coll aboration
for the Conservation of the Sargasso Sea. Basically,
the Sargasso Sea is an ecosystem known for its m igratory purposes. It is an ecosystem of marine life. It
is a place for feeding and it is very important in the
marine life of the North Atlantic . And so we have a
Declaration in place whereby member countries are
making a commitment to advocate and be a steward
of the Sargasso Sea. As you know, Bermuda sits in
the midst of the Sargasso Sea and right now we have
nine members, and I know when I was Minister I
signed up the Caymans, the Bahamas, and Canada.
I ask that the current Government give a sim ilar commitment to sign up other members to ensure
that the membership of the Hamilton Declaration is
expanded so that we can ensure that the Sargasso
Sea remains a world- class ecosystem and, in fact, the
UN is interested in making it a World Heritage Site.
And so I think we need to do more to promote this
Alliance, given the impact on the marine environment. Mr. Chairman, the other external event that I
am delighted to talk about today is the Ocean Risk [Summit]. When I was Minister of the Environment,
Mr. Chairman, I went to a meeting at the BUEI and
those in attendance said that they were going to D over, so I said to myself, We are out in the middle of
the ocean, we have a lot of ocean research here in
Bermuda and, as a consequence, why can’t we be the
epicentre of ocean research and ocean risk management with our reinsurance? So I embarked upon this
journey with XL Catlin to see if we could have an
Ocean Risk Summit here in Bermuda. And that Summit will be just as prestigious as the Dover Summit for
the economic advisors.
Well, Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to confirm
that this conference, with the support of Government, I
might add, will be held in May of this year at Sout hampton Princess.

[Inaudible interjection]

No, it is not the “Simons
Summit”; it is the Ocean Risk Summit. And they have
some world- class leaders who will be basically talking
about the changing state of our oceans and how this
changing state and the risks associated therein will
impact cultures, economies, businesses, and other
economic initiatives. They have chosen political lea ders, economic leaders, risk managers, and environmental people from around the world.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to share with you
some of the blue- ribbon speakers that they have coming.

We have His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco and he is a patron of
the IUCN [International Union for Conservation of N ature]. We have Queen Noor coming. We have the founders of Oceans Unite. We have the Deputy Prem-ier of BVI [British Virgin Islands]. We have various
senior members of the United Nations, our local Mike
McGavick. We have the President and CEO of BIOS
[Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences], Professor Bill
Curry. And we have the Professor of Atmospheric
Science from MIT [ Massachusetts Institute of Tec hnology] .
So, as you see, these are well -respected
people in their field and I am delighted that Bermuda is able to host this event. And hopefully this will be the
first of many events of this nature and that Bermuda
will be on the map as the “Dover” of ocean risk and ocean science.
1556 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly With those few words I will take my seat.
Thank you.

Thank you, Honourable Member .
It is now 2:11 [pm] and the Chair recognises
. . . any other Members wishing to speak on this
head?
If not, Minister, would you like to answer the
questions?

Hon. Walton Brown: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I will be happy to answer all of the questions
because I have now been made to understand that all
questions are relevant and important.
Let me first of all, Mr. Chairman, speak to
some of the questions that were asked earlier about
the Independent Inspector for Planning.
The Independent Inspector for Planning does
not assess all appeals, only those which are deemed
to be complex or of particular significance that r equires an outside and objective assessor.

[Inaudible interjection]

Hon. Walton Brown: Well, I did say I would answer
all the questions.
Mr. Chairman, moving on to some of the
questions posed for the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources referring to [item] 89000. What
are the animal spec ies referred to in the indicator?
The feral animals involved include chickens, feral pigeons, and crows only.
With regard to the number of PATI requests
and why the indicator says unknown, well, it is be-cause the department —quite rightly —cannot antic ipate how many PATI requests it will receive.
[Item] 89040, Marine Enforcement. Why does
the target outcome for the number of calls into Fishtips say N/A? Again, the department cannot anti cipate how many calls it will receive.
Referring to [item] 89070, Animal Control.
What is the target outcome for dogs licensed and why
is the target for dogs licensed only 55 per cent? Well, this is a realistic target, Mr. Chairman, based on past
trends. When the system went into the E -1 based sy stem it dropped from 60 / 70 p er cent to the 50 per cent
mark. The department, obviously, continues to strive
for better capture of licences because it sends out
three mail reminders to owners on an annual basis.
The department is moving to a web- based online sy stem as a means of increasing the licensing capture and it anticipates that with the amendments to the Dog Act, which will come before this parliament this
parliamentary session, that this will also assist.
[Line item] 89080, Plant Protection. Why are
the revised forecasts for i tems suspected or intercepted much lower? The answer for this —and you will see
a trend here, Mr. Chairman—the expected bump in importation of material for the America’s Cup event did not materialise.
[Line item] 89120, the Aquarium and Zoo.
Why has the re vised forecast for 2017/18 decreased?
Again, the expected bump in attendance for the America’s Cup did not materialise.
[Line item] 76683, Capital Acquisitions to r eplace a vehicle. Someone wanted to know what the purpose of the $49,000 vehicle was. That is one of
those questions that I will even answer today, Mr.
Chairman. The department is going to procure a sui table 4- wheel drive vehicle (pick -up truck) to allow it to
easily go to make farm visits and off -road maint enance work in the Nature Reserve.
Policy changes, there was a question posed
about the evasive pest species and the thought to i ncreasing the number of licences for lionfish spear
fishers. We already have over 1,000 licence holders
who do the lionfish culling, Mr. Chairman, but only a
small percentage of these cullers are very active. A nyone wishing to participate in the programme must
take a safe handling course and should visit the web-site www.lionfish.bm
for more information. There is
also a commercial lionfish culler programme that has
recently been expanded from 5 to 10, which allows
those who are carefully vetted to sell their catch to the
local market.
New initiatives, Mr. Chairman, we were asked
to expand on . . . I just sometimes wonder if my co lleagues on the other side just throw questions just
because they have the right to ask questions. But
please expand and provide information on the follo wing: increasing local food production, dairy enhanc ement strategy, addressing declining bee populations, marine enforcement strategy, microbial resistance,
integrated roadside vegetation management, et
cetera.
I am pleased to report to this Honourable
House, Mr. Chairman, that the public and this Parli ament will be informed of all of our efforts by way of
Ministerial Statements. This is not the opportunity, given all our time constraints, to properly and fully go
through all of these matters.
The BAMZ Accreditation with the Association
of Zoos and Aquariums: what does this process offer to BAMZ and the pu blic? This is a critical international
recognition which allows BAMZ to participate in zoo
animal exchange programmes, provides an access to
animals that it otherwise would not be able to have
access to, to science and research programmes; as well as acces s to critical expertise for rare and endangered animal care.
Those are the first set of sensible questions,
Mr. Chairman, and now I will go into the second set regarding Planning.
On page B -317, Professional Services, there
was an error in the Budget Book as there was no i ncrease over 2017/18; the budget for 2018/19 stands at $30,000 for Professional Services.


Bermuda House of Assembly Page B -319, the question is, Why is there a
non-applicable indication for 2018/19 for percentages
of clients contacted regarding the need for addi tional
information within five days? Well, the response is, the
department normally contacts clients within a 24- to
48-hour period. So the figure will always be 100 per
cent. The department opted not to include this.
Why is there a non- applicable indicat ion for
2018/19 of complaints actioned by technical officers
within 20 days of receipt? The answer: Unfortunately,
the department does not currently have the data to monitor this accurately under the present BEMIS IT
system. With the introduction of the ne w EnerGov IT
system, the department will be able to more accurat ely provide this data.
Another question, why is the completion of the
community engagement with parish councils and init iation of community action plans now 30 per cent? The reduction in per centage is largely due to reduced staff
in the Forward Planning Section.
Page B -320 the question is, How many elev ators are there on the Island? Really, Mr. Chairman? Come on. But I am answering because I have got to
answer all the questions. I got told off by my technical
staff last time for calling certain questions silly, so I am
here to answer all the questions, right PS? Yes. And
the PS is smiling at me because she knows. And it is her birthday today, so we should all wish our PS a
happy birthday.

[Desk thumping]

Hon. Walton Brown: And she gets to spend it with
us.

[Inaudible interjections and laughter ]
Hon. Walton Brown: So, how many elevators are
there on the Island? The press are here to record it?
Yes. The Island has approximately 600 licensed el evators . . . or is it elevations? Elevators. It says 602,
but you cannot say “approximately” and put 602 next to it, so you have to say “approximately 600.”

That is a lot.
Hon. Walton Brown: That is a lot? Compared to
what? It is a lot compared to what? I do not know what
is a lot or what is a little.
[Inaudible interjections ]
Hon. Walton Brown: Are there any regulations that
cover the Island’s elevators? Yes. The Building A uthority Act 1962 covers the Island’s elevators. These
regulations are presently under review.
Section C -20 Heritage Fund, the question is,
Why has the current fund not been increased from $10,000? The $10,000 is sufficient funding to cover the interest on the existing interest -free loan that has
been secured. The public can review the funds set
aside with a view towards increasing the amount in
the future.
And I answered this question already, but let
me just see . . . oh, and that is why I have to get my
technical people to make sure I get back with a nswers. I mi sspoke earlier when I said that . . . about
the overseas inspectors. Does the Minister or the Overseas Independent Inspector review the planning
appeals? One hundred per cent of the planning ap-peals are reviewed by the Overseas Planning Inspector. And, oka y, I will leave that there.
And the question, When will the draft North
East Hamilton Plan go to the public for consultation? That will take place in late spring of this year, before
June 21, 2018.
And the final question, When will the draft
North East H amilton Plan public consultation be completed? We anticipate that this public consultation will
be completed by August of this year.
Those are all of the very appropriate questions presented to me, Mr. Chairman.

Yes. Where 90 per cent of
our world’s fishes stock is fully exploited, it is our r esponsibi lity to manage our marine resources and, in
particular, our EEZ.
Mr. Chairman, I know that there was a study
done through Catapult in regard to the satellite company that monitored our EEZ for a certain period of
time and came up with some results and som e findings.

Thank you. Continue on.

1558 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. N. H. Cole Simons: So, obviously, the results
were that there was some fishing done in our EEZ, but
not much. So my qu estion is, Have we done any follow-up investigations of that nature? As our EEZ is
our national resource, it is an asset, and if we are able to do it through the contributions of a benefactor, is it
possible that we can do a follow -up study on historic
data to see and make sure that there is no other illicit
activity in our EEZ? So can the Minister give us an update as to where things stand as a result, and follow-up on the Satellite Applications Catapult study of
our EEZ?
The other issue that is close to my heart —

[Inaudible interjection]

Are there any regulations in
place that will enable us to study the possibility of having tag and release? Because personally I am di sgusted that you see these fish hanging there after the billfish tournament —300, 400 pounds, 25- year-old
fish—just to have a picture taken and weighed. And
then the carcasses are discarded. From an environ-mental point of view, there has to be another way for the competition. Can the Minister give an undertaking
that can basically see what can be done with the bil lfish tournament so that the fish are more humanely
treated —

The Chair recognises the Minister.

Hon. Walton Brown: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Let me just say, M r. Chairman, that I have
empathy with those who believe we should not engage in the wanton killing of animals, hence, my dec ision to try to reduce the acts of euthanasia of our
dogs when they have been captured. And I have not
yet focused my attention to t he issue of the billfish. It
is an issue to look at because men—and I say “men”
in a very exclusive way —tend to engage in this just
wanton killing in the pursuit of happiness, and this is
something worth looking at. And I do not have a firm
position on it as yet, but we will look at it.
With regard to the monitoring of our EEZ and
the potential abuse, because we do not have the c apacity currently to properly monitor our waters for
those who are engaged in illegal fishing, we do know
that we need to do more to properly identify it. We did
have some satellite data but, unfortunately, the sate llite data is not as conclusive as we would like for it to be, and we need to assess [any abuse].
Speaking about the fish population more generally, in the past we have been making policy on
what to do with our fish in the inshore areas as well, without any accurate information. So we have just
now commissioned a study to properly determine the
nature and extent of our fish supply. Good data is the
foundation on which all good policy is based. And so
we will, in the first instance, get good data, and then formulate the appropriate policies.

It has been moved that Heads 32 and
79 be approved.
Any objections?
No objections.
So mo ved.
[Motion carrie d: The Ministry of Home Affairs : Head
32, Department of Planning and Head 79, Environment and Natural Resources were approved and
stand part of the Estimates of Revenue and Expend iture for the year 2018/19.]


Bermuda House of Assembly The Chairman: This debate concluded at 2:29 pm.
And we will move to the next head, which is Edu cation
and Workforce Development, Heads 16, 17, 18, 41,
and 60. There are five and a half hours that have
been reserved for this debate and the Clerk will calc ulate the completion time, but we are ready to start.
The Honourable Minister Rabain, you have
the floor. This debate will conclude at eight o’clock.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. C hairman, I move the following: Head 16,
Ministry of Education and Workforce Development;
Head 17, Department of Education; Head 18, Libraries and Archives; Head 41, Bermuda College; and
Head 60, Workforce Development be now taken u nder consideration.

Thank you, Honourable Member .
Proceed. Page B -124, for all those listening, is
where it starts.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, today I am
delighted to present my first budget for the Ministry of
Education and Workforce Development, wh ich co mprises the Ministry of Education Headquarters, Head
16; the Department of Education, Head 17; the Bermuda National Library, Head 18; the Department of
Archives, Head 19; the Department of Workforce D evelopment, Head 60; and the Bermuda College, Head
41.
Mr. Chairman, the 2018/19 budget for the
Ministry of Education and Workforce Development of
$140,560,000 is found on page B -124 the Estimates
of Revenue and Expenditure Book. This represents an
increase of $5,869,000 compared to the 2018/19 r evised b udget. However, after removing the expenditure allocation of $560,000 for the labour section of
the Department of Workforce Development, which
remains under the remit of the Ministry of Home A ffairs, the net increase in the budget for the Ministry of
Education and Workforce Development is $5,000,309.

HEAD 16 —MINISTRY HEADQUARTERS

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, I will co mmence the budget debate by detailing the expenditure
for the Ministry of Education and Workforce Development Headquarters.
The mission of the Ministry, which is found on
page B -124 is, To provide strategic leadership, supervision , and policy direction that supports quality deli very in teaching, and an inclusive and progressive
learning environment to improve student learning and achievement for every child .
Mr. Chairman, the Ministry of Education and
Workforce Development Headquarters has been all o-cated a budget of $3,340,000 for the 2018/19 fiscal
year. The higher level of funding of $889,000 primarily
includes the expenditure as sociated with the Comm unity Education Development Programme (CEDP).
Mr. Chairman, you will recall that the Go vernment’s platform spoke to the alignment of the
Community Education Development Programme with
the Ministry of Education to ensure life- long learning
and accessibility to education. Thus, the CEDP now
falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Educ ation and Workforce Development Headquarters and,
for the first time, within the Ministry’s budget.
Mr. Chairman, the CEDP consists of three
business units, namely: Community Outreach, under
which the summer internship programme is admini stered; Community Education C ourses or the Comm unity Education Schools; and the Community Education General Administration Unit.
Mr. Chairman, on page B -125 the y ear over
year expenditure increase is shown from the line item on Salaries to Other Expenses, all account for money
budgeted to administer the Community Education D evelopment Programme. The higher salaries include the seven additional CEDP positions that now reside
within the Ministry, while the increase in Professional
Services, in particular, reflects the money allocated to
offer community education courses and the summer internship programme for students aged 15 to 18.
Mr. Chairman, the last line of $1,000,737 has
been budgeted for the distribution of external grants
and scholarships and awards. Of this total $537,000
has been budgeted as grants to external bodies,
$37,000 below the revised expenditure of [$574,000]. The decline of $37,000 is due to an ad hoc grant pr ovided to an external body during fiscal years 2015–2018 that is not required in 2018/19.
Mr. Chairman, the remaining $1,200,000 has
been allocated for scholarships and awards. Let me take some time here to share details of the Ministry’s scho larship and awards offerings. It is critical to understand that scholarships and awards change lives.
They can make a difference in whether or not st udents actually complete their studies, or even have
the lifetime opportunity to attend college or universi ty
to further their education. We know that investing in our children’s education today will pay huge dividends
in the future for Bermuda’s social and economic capital. As such, the Ministry of Education and Workforce
Development Headquarters has solidifie d its commi tment to: 1) provide scholarships and awards to a diverse range of Bermudians; and 2) continuously i mprove our approach and offerings for increased oppor-tunities for Bermudians to have access to post -
secondary education and training.
While the M inistry provides scholarships and
awards for a broad range of Bermudians, an intentional focus has been on underserved and under -
represented persons of all ages. Embedded in this
work is an effort to reduce barriers —whether social or
1560 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly financial —so that more Bermudians can achieve their
dreams of attending university or college. During the
fiscal year, the Ministry expanded the range of scholarships and awards as a response to our needs in the
community. In doing so, we engage with our Scholar-ship Committees, senior schools, other Government
Departments, the Bermuda College, non- profit organ isations, and scholarship and awards recipients them-selves. Their feedback was invaluable and contributed
to a number of improvements in our offerings.
The Ministry Headquarters offers scholarships
for a range of students including, but not limited to: Bermuda’s top scholars from both public and private
schools; students already working towards completion
of their degrees; students pursuing technical or voc ational studies; and students with disabilities.
The Ministry has also expanded offerings to
fund four dual enrolment students at the Applied
Technology Programme at the Bermuda College.
These scholarships will allow dual enrolment students
to complete their associate’s degree at no cost. Once they graduate from senior school, additionally, the
Ministry recently introduced awards to help cover the
cost of books for 10 Bermuda College students in f inancial need of up to $500 each.
The Ministry Headquarters has transformed a
number of awards to make them more accessible by expanding age- range criteria and, in some instances,
reducing or eliminating the number of university cred-its required for eligibility. This has broadened opport unities for a larger number of persons to appl y and be
considered for several scholarships and awards.
Mr. Chairman, in 2017 approximately 228 applications were received from students requesting f inancial support. The Ministry funded a total of: 18
Bermuda Government Scholarships, comprising new
and existing scholarships; 5 mature student awards; 7
teacher training awards; and 26 further education
awards.
Additionally, in response to community feedback received, Minister’s awards were both developed and awarded to include: two Minister Achievement
Scho larships; two Merit Scholarships; two Exceptional
Student awards; and one Technical and Vocational
award.
Mr. Chairman, the deadline for applying for
any scholarship and award offered by the Ministry of Education will be extended until April 5, 2018 to giv e
students more time during their school break to gather
all the documents required for the application. I encourage students, parents, and guardians to visit
www.bermudascholarships.com
and, where eligibl e,
apply for all offerings listed from the Ministry of Educ ation as well as other organisations.
Mr. Chairman, this fiscal year the Ministry of
Education Headquarters was also directly focused in
bringing the formulation of the new Strategic Plan for
Public Education to closure. The Board of Education, as legislated under the Education Act 1996, makes recommendations regarding a statement of vision,
values, and strategy for public education. The Board
embarked on this mandate just under a year ago and,
through the Ministry Headquarters, provided oversight for the formation of a new multi -year Strategic Plan for
our Public High School system developed by Berm udians, [which are] internationally relevant.
Mr. Chairman, the Board of Education deli vered on its mandate and on December 1, 2017 the
completed Plan 2022: Bermuda’s Strategic Plan for Public Education was shared with the general public.
Plan 2022 was written by a diverse group of persons
in the community who support and advocate for public
school educati on. More than 3,000 pieces of information from the general community helped shape the
content of Plan 2022, which has a life span of five
years, from 2018 to 2022.
Mr. Chairman, I will reiterate what I shared in
December when I presented Plan 2022— it will not sit
on a shelf and collect dust. Plan 2022 will be a living,
working document and will steer the direction of public
education in years to come. The Department of Ed ucation has already commenced the initial operational isation of the plan for the remainder of the school year,
and the next aspect of the delivery plan for operatio nalisation in Plan 2022 will be shared in my present ation on the Department of Education.
Mr. Chairman, at this time I would like to
commend Lisa Smith, who worked assiduously wit h all
community stakeholders and the Board of Education to keep the formulation of Plan 2022 focused and on
track. As a result of her sustained leadership and
commitment, Plan 2022 was completed and delivered
within 12 months. There is a lot of work ahead and we are determined to collaborate, work together, and put
in place what is needed to transform our public school
system.
Additionally, Mr. Chairman , let me thank the
Ministry Headquarters team which comprises the
Permanent Secretary, a Policy Analyst, and my Exec-utive Assistant for their continued support and commitment to deliver the Ministry’s mandate and policy
initiatives.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and this concludes
my presentation for the budget for the Ministry of Ed ucation and Workforce Development Headquarters.

HEAD 17 —DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, I will now
present the budget for Head 17, the Department of
Education, and also speak to the Department of Education’s plans for the upcoming year.
Page B -130 shows that a total of
$114,243,000 has been allocated to the Department
of Education for fiscal year 2018/19. This is an i ncrease of $5,184,000 to support the work that is to be
carried out during the fiscal year to ensure the best
possible education experience for our children. This


Bermuda House of Assembly increase also accounts for the salary uplift of 2.5 per
cent as a result of the recent negotiations between
Government and the unions.
The mission of the Department of Education is
outlined on page B -127 and it is: To provide all s tudents with a credible access to holistic and high qual ity instruction that is culturally relevant and empowers
students to reach their full potential.
Mr. Chairman, as stated earlier in my brief, a
multi- year 2018– 2022 Strategic Plan will steer public
school education for the next five years. Plan 2022 will
enable the achievement of the department’s mission
through the execution of its five priority areas, these
being:
1. Increase academic rigour and student engagement;
2. Ensure career and college and workfor ce
readiness;
3. Enhance the quality of teacher practice and
system leadership;
4. Improve infrastructure and instructional r esources; and
5. Ensure system success.
Mr. Chairman, we are confident that Plan
2022: Bermuda’s Strategic Plan for Public Education,
a plan that was developed through the collation of
over 3,000 pieces of information from participants and
stakeholders in a consultative process and one which
identifies the way forward for education in Bermuda,
will help to better meet the needs of our children and
create the best possible school system for them. Plan
2022, with its adaptive and technical strategies
aligned to meet international best practices, will also transform public school education in Bermuda and
ultimately lead to greater success of our s tudents.
Mr. Chairman, I move on to highlight the expenditures of each business unit that falls under Head
17 and will begin with Central Administration on page
B-128.

Programme 1701—Central Administration

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: The money budgeted for
Central Administration include costs of salaries for the administrative personnel and system leaders who
function to lead, support, and monitor the work that takes place at the Department of Education and in our
schools.
Mr. Chairman, the money budgeted for the
upcoming year for business unit 27000, General A dministration, will cover the inventory purchases of educational and office supplies for the school year. Ot her administrative expenses covered include freight
charges, customs duties, and shipping costs. There is
no change in expenditure for the fiscal year 2018/19.
Mr. Chairman, business unit, 27001, holds the
budget for the Office of the Commissioner and pr imarily funds the salaries of the Commissioner of Education and two direct reports, the Direc tor of Academ-ics, and the Director of Educational Standards and
Accountability. The administrative and operational
costs to support the Office of the Commissioner are
also included. A total of $912,000 is budgeted for fi scal year 2018/19, an increase of $1 94,000. This hig her level of funding will be used to support the initial implementation of delivery plans for Plan 2022. The
Commissioner of Education and direct reports will be
responsible for overseeing, monitoring, and reporting
on the progress of the delivery of plans as executed
by the Department of Education sections and our schools.
Mr. Chairman, business unit 27030, Human
Resources, funds the salaries of professional, tec hnical, and administrative staff in the Human R esources Section who deliver HR functions and services for the Education Department and public schools. These services included annual recruitment
of operational and recruitment of educational staff,
employee relations, employee appraisals, succession
planning, staff recognition, and tr aining and development. During 2018/19 the HR section will:
1. ensure timely recruitment and placement of staff for the Department and educational
schools;
2. oversee the orientation of new staff for the
Bermuda Public School system;
3. play a pivotal role in negot iations with our
three unions; and
4. oversee a job performance evaluation for the
Department of Education and all school pos itions.
Mr. Chairman, further with regard to Plan
2022, this section will partner with the Bermuda Educators Council (BEC) to:
• develop standards for professional learning
that are aligned with [inter]national standards
for teachers and leaders;
• develop a list of approved universities and co lleges for prospective teachers;
• lead the recruitment process for a qualified
professional developm ent officer; and
• administer an employee engagement survey.
A total of $1,016,000 has been allocated to
this section to support these initiatives. The increase
of $52,000 covers the cost of additional administrative
support that will be needed.
Mr. Chairman, the 2018/19 budget for bus iness unit 27031, School Improvement, increased by $165,000. These funds will be used to provide a major
source of funding for training and professional development arising from Plan 2022 and school improv ement programmes, training which is necessary to e nhance the skills and competency of our teachers, ed-ucational staff, and leaders.
School Improvement plans from the last cycle
of 2015– 2018 will conclude in June 2018. Principals
and preschool administrators will develop new scho ol
improvement programmes which will be aligned with
1562 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly the strategies and key outcomes identified in Plan
2022, which will also address specific areas identified
for improvement at their schools. All schools will be
expected —will be required—to implement str ategies
and initiatives to improve Cambridge Checkpoint and
IGCSE results for English, mathematics, and science
with an added focus on improving results for mathematics.
This week the department has two consul tants from Cambridge International on- Island vi siting
our schools to observe the delivery of the curriculum
in our three core subjects. Professional development
activities for enhancing the quality of teaching mathematics will also be delivered by the Cambridge repr esentatives. Also, a comprehensive pl an will be developed and focused on improving the teaching of math.
The general public will be kept updated on our pr ogress.
Further the Department of Education and
school leaders will support the delivery of customised,
data- driven, professional learning at the school level.
Professional learning experiences will include, but are
not limited to:
• standard based grading;
• formative assessments;
• project -based learning;
• teaching of mathematics at the primary, mi ddle, and senior school levels; and
• inquiry -based learning and teaching strat egies—goal training —for the preschool level.
Additionally, over the next few months we will
continue with professional learning sessions for
STEAM education in preparation for the formal i mplementation at the primary level in September 2018.
Leadership training will also be provided for
school and Department of Education leaders.
Mr. Chairman, business unit 27090, Educ ational Standards and Accountability, has oversight for our 18 primary schools, 5 middle schools, 2 senior secondary schools, 1 special school, and 2 alternative
programmes. This team comprises three assistant
directors, who supervise school principals and pr ogramme coordinators to ensure quality standards of teaching and leadership at our schools and pr ogrammes.
The work carried out by the assistant directors
is essential to the growth and development of school
leaders and overall school improvement. Further, the
assistant directors will play a vital role in overseeing
the implementation of strategies in Plan 2022, wh ich
focuses on holding school leaders and teachers ac-countable for delivering high quality instructional prac-tices for students who are rigorous and which foster
knowledge, comprehension, creative and critical thinking, application, and communication using best pra ctice instructional and leadership adaptive strategies.
The decline in the 2018/19 budgeted funds of
$216,000—I wish for the Opposition to listen because
they mentioned that in their Budget Reply —is primar i-ly due to the end of temporary contracts that occurred
in August 2017 for two content -specialist teachers
who returned to their substantive positions as clas sroom teachers in September 2017. These substantive positions are reflected in the Office Support, business unit 27071, that I will speak to later.
Mr. Chairman, business unit 27095, School
Attendance, funds the salaries of a school registration and attendance coordinator and four school atten dance officers. It is the responsibility of this section to ensure that children of compulsory school age are in school on a daily basis. The school registration and
attendance coordinator also oversees the annual
school registration process for the enrolment of st udents in all government public schools. This year the
school registration and attendance counsellor will also
be responsible for conducting regular audits of school attendance data to determine each school’s progress
with meeting key outcomes for attendance listed in
Plan 2022 and the Department of Education’s performance measures for school atte ndance. In 2018/19
the budget for this unit remains relatively the same as
it was in 2017/18.
Mr. Chairman, schools need to ensure that
quality teaching and learning experiences continue to take place when teachers are sick or on leave, as per
their collec tive bargaining agreement. Given this, the
funds allocated for business unit 27160, Substitutes,
has been increased by $955,000. This reflects a near
return to expected expenditures noted for 2016/17
actual expenditures after experiencing underfunding
for this programme due to annual hiring freezes that
required supplementals by the previous Government
every single year.
Mr. Chairman, the overall budget for the Ce ntral Administration programme is $6,930,000 for the
fiscal year 2018/19, a 20 per cent increas e in expend iture for the delivery of public school education and the
execution of one of the action tasks for Plan 2022.

Programme 1702— Student Services

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, let me shift
to 1702, Student Services. The Student Services section facilitates the provision of 11 programmes that
support the diverse and exceptional needs of our st udent population.
Mr. Chairman, business unit 27061, Behavioural Management, funds behaviour therapists for
preschool and primary schools, as well as one Educ ation Officer for Behaviour Management. In addition,
this cost centre funds our Alternative Education Pr ogramme, which facilitates suitable alternative educ ation environments for students with behaviour chal-lenges.
As we implement Plan 2022, ed ucational
therapists will play a critical role in creating a compr ehensive, system -wide, positive behaviour framework
based on international best practice. Further, as outBermuda House of Assembly lined in Plan 2022, this year we will begin the research
of alternative school models in preparation for transforming our current Alternative Education Pr ogrammes. The ultimate aim of this process is to ensure that our alternative models are aligned with r esearch and based on student needs.
Mr. Chairman, business unit 27063 includes
our s chool psychologists, who support administrators
and address student needs in areas of behaviour,
mental health, and learning. They deliver comprehensive psycho- educational evaluations, provide consultations, short -term counselling, and intervention and
preventive services across the system.
Mr. Chairman, the Adaptive Physical Educ ation programme provides adaptive support from three staff who function to personalise learning experiences
for students who require adaptive physical education
and, when it is deemed appropriate, integrate st udents into the regular physical education programme.
The Deaf and Hard- of-Hearing Programme
provides students with academic instruction from the preschool to senior school level. A team of three persons provide direct in- class support which meets each
student’s learning needs as determined by the individual education plans. Funds budgeted for this bus iness unit are for salaries, disability specific resources
and materials, hearing aids and equipment, and con-sultant audiology services. Some funds will also be
used for professional development.
Mr. Chairman, line item 27066 is the Vision
business unit. Students with visual impairment have unique educational needs. In order to meet their
unique needs students must have specialis ed services, books, and materials in appropriate media i ncluding Braille, as well as specialised equipment and
technology, to ensure equal access to the core and
specialised curricula, and to enable them to most e ffectively compete with their peers in school and, ult imately, in society.
This year, Mr. Chairman, seven visually i mpaired students were equipped with laptops and Wi -Fi
access to work on their curriculum. These laptops
were a generous donation from Athene Holding Ltd. to whom we extend our thanks for their support of our
public school system. In addition to those seven, Mr.
Chairman, two students were issued with laptops —
one was issued a laptop at East End Primary as
well—and that was done for September [2017].
Mr. Chairman, the business unit 27071, Office
Support, serves as the Secretariat for the Student
Services Section and funds the salaries of the Assi stant Director of Student Services, two administrative
assistants, and three support teachers. As previously
shared when I explained the decline in expenditure for
business unit 27090, Educational Standards and A ccountability, the two content specialists formerly under
business unit 27090 returned to their substantive pos itions as classroom teachers in September 2017. Thus, the increase of $199,000 for this business unit
27071 accounts for the return of those teachers.
The Department of Education’s Counselling
Programme, 27072, is a comprehensive developmen-tal school counselling programme based on an inter-national model with four components: classr oom
guidance, core curriculum; individual planning; r esponse services; and system support.
More specifically, school -based counselling
programmes provide early intervention, crisis interven-tion and prevention, treatment and promotion of pos itive social and emotional development.
Business unit 27072, Counselling, funds the
salaries of one education officer, counselling; 15 pr eschool/primary school counsellors; 10 middle school
counsellors; and two heads of student services at the
senior school level that are reflected within their r espective school budgets. Counsellors at the senior
level are presently engaged in completing global c areer training for officer certification.
Mr. Chairman, business unit 27074, Learning
Support, funds three education officers for special education and learning support, in addition to close to 40 learning support teachers who provide services to our
preschool, primary, and middle schools, Dame Marj orie Bean Hope Academy, and our trauma responsive
programmes at our primary, middle, and senior Success Academies.
This funding also includes assessment mat erials needed to ensure appropriate diagnosis of st udents with special needs, and the continued support of the Unique Learning System, a special education curriculum used for all studen ts in our autistic and
functional skills programme. The dip in funding of $255,000 corrects an error made in the 2017/18 orig inal budget estimate where two posts were funded
twice.
In the upcoming year the department will
begin to focus on laying a foundat ion for the impl ementation of the inclusive and special education pol icy, and strengthen the framework to ensure students
with exceptionalities have their needs better addressed.
Mr. Chairman, business unit 27076 reflects
the funding for the salary of the Education Officer for Early Childhood Education and an operational budget
for the Early Childhood Section. Funds will be used to
hire an Early Childhood Quality Assurance Officer to
support preschools and to provide professional trai ning and coaching. Prof essional development will focus
on implementing the creative curriculum, the inquiry model, authentic assessment, and training to
strengthen the MTSS process for children on the autism spectrum.
The decrease in spending of $122,000 r eflects reduced spending for overseas travel, purchase
of periodicals, subscriptions, and educational supplies that were budgeted in fiscal year 2017/18.
1564 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Chairman, business unit 27079 provides
for the delivery of Paraprofessional services to our
students who have a diverse r ange of learning needs.
The paraprofessionals provide instructional support, ensure protection and safety, and provide support for transition and life skills for children with special needs.
This includes providing adequate support for students
with physic al exceptionalities, including deafness and
visual impairments. Further, during the school year
and in alignment with Plan 2022, we will lay the
groundwork for developing standards for paraprofes-sionals who also participate in specialised training to
better equip them for supporting students with exceptionalities. The expenditure for this business unit has
increased in the amount of $108,000 directly reflecting the salary uplift. Monies budgeted cover the amount of
salaries for roughly 88 paraprofessionals.
Mr. Chairman, the business unit 27083, A utism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, funds salaries for the
autism spectrum disorder teachers and those
paraprofessionals who serve students with autism within the ASD programmes at three primary schools,
one middle school, and one senior school. The fun ding also covers operational costs for equipment r epairs, maintenance, and supplies. The 2018/19 fund-ing of $667,000 will also be used to provide autism
training for all teachers and paraprofessionals.
Mr. Chairman, the business unit 27084, Alternative Education, funds the operation of both the A lternative Education Programme and the two Success
Academies, which were established in September
2016. The funds will be used for the Department of
Education partner programmes wh ich offer additional
alternative programme choices for our students. During this year, as outlined in Plan 2022, staff will begin
to explore alternative education school models that
are based on research and the evidenced needs of
students.
Mr. Chairman, the Student Services section
provides an extensive range of educational services
for our students with exceptionalities. The total budget
allocation for programme 1702 for the 2018/19 fiscal
year is $16,670,000.

Programme 1703—Finance and Corporate

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, I would now
like to focus on programme 1703, the Finance and
Corporate section of the Department of Education.
Business unit 27002, Finance and Corporate
Services, supports the staff in the financial administr ation secti on of the department. They include a d epartment comptroller, financial services manager, a
payments supervisor, a salaries supervisor, a salaries
clerk, three accounts clerks, and a messenger. This
section is responsible for providing financial advice to senior management; cost -effective and responsive
financial services; procurement and contracting ser-vices; and corporate planning solutions to the Mini s-try’s management, employees, and schools. This i ncludes payroll administration and processing, scholar-ship and grant disbursements, and financial reporting.
Under the direction of the comptroller, this office coor-dinates the payment of salaries for approximately 1,130 educators and department staff, and pays all
suppliers and vendors for goods and services purchased, as well as organises the collection of receiv ables.
As we implement Plan 2022, we will seek to
reduce non- instructional costs and begin the groundwork to identifying cost inefficiencies.
Mr. Chairman, Office Accommodation, bus iness unit 27003, funds the salary of the receptionist,
annual rent, office maintenance, electricity and communication costs of the Southside Building at the Waller’s Point Road in St. David’s, where the Ministry Headquarters and Department of Education are phy sically locat ed.
Business 27040, Educational Stores, supports
the salaries of the Stores manager and six staff. The Stores Section provides centralised purchasing, i nventory management and distribution services to all
public schools, the Bermuda College, and other go vernment departments such as the Ministry of Youth and Sport. An increase of $172,000 reflects money
budgeted for a pending physical relocation. This year
as we look to review operational effectiveness and efficiency, as referenced in Plan 2022, we will con duct
an independent review of stores operations to determine the most efficient and effective way of delivering
services.
Mr. Chairman, business unit 27041 funds the
salaries for three bus drivers and two bus attendants, who provide transportation to chil dren who attend the
Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy; two groundsmen, who maintain school sports fields; and one Labour, Transport, and Safety Officer. The centre also
funds the costs to maintain the department’s motor fleet.
Mr. Chairman, I would also lik e to take this
time to apologise for the inconvenience of the bus be-ing out of commission for Dame Marjorie Bean [Hope
Academy], but I do understand it is now fixed and
back on the road, so the transportation for those that depend on that bus will be resum ed as per normal,
and we will not be using minibuses.
Mr. Chairman, business unit 27042, Buildings,
Grounds, and Equipment funds the salary of the Faci lities Manager. However, in 2018/19 the increase of $135,000 will fund additional human resources for supporting the delivery of strategies stated in School
Buildings as outlined in Plan 2022. The facilities team
will play a pivotal role as we begin to research guidelines for modern education facilities as stated in Plan
2022.
Mr. Chairman, the final busines s unit, 27050,
for the Finance and Corporate Programme is Infor-mation Technology Support. The IT Section in the


Bermuda House of Assembly Department of Education manages over 90 servers
and 25 apps in 33 locations. This team also supports
over 13,000 users as it works to provide su pport for all
schools, programmes, and administrative sites that fall under the Department of Education Public School sy stem. The IT team supports the hardware and software
maintenance of over 2,200 computers and 1,000 peripherals across the public school system. During the
2018/19 school year, the IT Section will upgrade
hardware and software, increase Internet speeds in all
schools, improve technical support, increase access to IT tools and resources, and develop end- user pol icies and procedures as outlined in Plan 2022.
Mr. Chairman, the Finance and Corporate
Section provides key services to our public schools and has been allocated $6,382,000 for the 2018/19
fiscal year, an overall increase of $357,000.

Programme 1704— Preschools

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, I now turn to
page B -129 with line item 1704, which is the pr ogramme for our 10 preschools.
The 2018 budget for all preschools is
$4,758,000. Ninety per cent of the preschools budget funds salaries. Ten per cent of the budget is used for
operational costs such as electricity, part -time clea ners, phones, office equipment rental, and drinking w ater. Funds will be used for training and developing our preschool administrators and teachers.

Programme 1705— Primary Schools

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rab ain: Mr. Chairman, the next
programme is 1705, Primary Schools, for which we
have a budget allocation for 2018/19 of $30,413,000.
The higher level of spending for the Victor Scott Pr imary School reflects the funding for the school princ ipal post after two years of being frozen as a result of
early retirement offerings .

[Inaudible interjection]

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Yes, we had a school pri ncipal post that was frozen. The remainder of the i ncreased funding covers two teacher posts. In the u pcoming school year primary schools will begin the formal implementation of STEAM education in accordance with Plan 2022. They will also be expected
to demonstrate improvements in Checkpoint English,
mathematics, and science results.

Programme 1706— Special School (Da me Marjorie
Bean Hope Academy)

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Business unit 27120 refers
to the Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy. Mr. Chairman, Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy pr ovides services to students who have severe to pr o-found multiple challenges. The main focus of the pr ogramme at Dame [Academy] is to increase students’
independence and to help them achieve their ultimate
potential. During the fiscal year 2018/19, this cost centre will be funded with a budget of $589,000 to provide quality services for our students.

Programme 1707—Middle Schools

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: We now turn to page B -
130, line item 1701, relating to Middle Schools. The Bermuda Public [School] System has five middle
schools that are collectively working to implement
standard- based grading and are individually providing
their students with unique opportunities for enrichment
and varied learning experiences, including experiences with STEAM education, which will be expanded in the future.
Mr. Chairman, I will now take my time reading
this next section because I want it to be crystal clear
to everyone that is listening.

Continue on, Minister, you have the
floor.

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, you will recall that this Go vernment promised in its election platform to reform
public education by phasing out middle schools and introducing signature schools at the secondary level to
focus on the learning styles and interests of our chi ldren including: academic, technical and the trades,
business, sports, arts, and special needs education.
1566 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Let me share that initial meetings have been
held with technical officers to discuss the most effective approach for developing a policy that will steer a
consultation process that is inclusive. We are currently
working on this and will continue to have planning meetings until a comprehensive framework has been
developed that will achieve system reform.
Mr. Ch airman, the total 2018/19 budget all ocation for our five middle schools is $17,300,000. The increased budget for Clearwater Middle School r eflects underfunding in the school’s 2017/18 budget in
electricity spending and educational supplies.

Programme 1708— Senior Schools

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, programme
1708 refers to our two senior secondary schools, the
Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy. T ogether the senior schools service close to 1,200 st udents with just under 200 staff. Each senior school is
provided with an annual grant for the operational management of their respective school and the school
curriculum.
Students at the senior level continue to benefit
from a diverse local and international curricula and programmes which prepare them for post -secondary
education. Students also have opportunity to take advanced level courses and participate in dual enro lment courses at the Bermuda College, such as the Associates Degree Programme, the Applied Technology Programme, the Culinary A rts Programme, and
the Nursing Assistants Programme. And I might add,
Mr. Chairman, that the dual enrolment programme is progressing very, very well. I would also like to add,
for the listening public and for Members that are in the
Chamber, that the dual enrolment programme is part
of the Bermuda Public School System’s curriculum. It
is not a programme that is administered by the Bermuda College. As I have informed all persons that
come and ask, all private schools and non- Bermuda
public secondary schools are free to approach the
college and develop MOUs the same way the D epartment of Education did, and the Bermuda College
has said they will gladly listen to anyone who wants to
partner with them for dual enrolment for their individual schools.
At this poin t I will also share that the CedarBridge Academy was re- accredited by the Middle
States Association of Colleges and Schools in Oct ober 2017. This re- accreditation is a confirmation that
CedarBridge Academy continues to meet all of the international standar ds and indicators of quality r equired for re- accreditation and for accreditation that
will span a period of seven years ending in December
2024.
For fiscal year 2018/19, the Berkeley Institute
has received an increase of funding in the amount of $1,573,000 and CedarBridge Academy in the amount
of $670,000. These funds are in response to the on-going requests over the last three years from both
schools for funding to fully cover their operational costs. I might add, Mr. Chairman, as I mentioned earlier, both schools have been the recipient of suppl ementals for the last three years because they have been severely underfunded during those periods.

Programme 1709—Curriculum Assessment

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, programme
1709, Curriculum Assessment, funds the Cambridge International Curriculum and related initiatives, sal aries of subject -specific education officers for curric ulum and assessment, and the Career Pathways Pr ogramme. The department pays an annual fee to Cambridge International for the curriculum and for students
to sit the annual Checkpoint and IGCSE examinations.
Mr. Chairman, we are in our seventh year i mplementing the Cambridge International Examinations
at P6, M3, and S2. The examinations are funded from
business unit 27020, Assess ment and Evaluation.
Additionally, this unit funds the salary of a senior education officer, research, measurement, and evaluation.
As we continue to invest in Cambridge assessments, it is with the understanding that our results
for these assessments must improve.
Mr. Chairman, business unit 27520, Design,
Development, and Implementation funds salaries for
seven education officers who are responsible to ensure the effective delivery and ongoing development of the Cambridge Curriculum in the core and non- core
subjects, Cambridge subjects, school examinations, the Career Pathways Programme, and all other curricula. In September 2018, the department will have in
place education officers for mathematics, information technology, science, and reading to provide leadership and technical support for teachers for the delivery
of the Cambridge Curriculum.
As I just stated, Mr. Chairman, the education
officers are responsible to ensure the effective deli very and ongoing development of the Cambridge Curriculum for cor e and non- core subjects. Unfortunately,
under the previous Administration, education officers
for our core subjects of mathematics and science
posts remained unfilled since 2012.
Mr. Chairman, the Curriculum Assessment
Programme 1709 has been allocated a 2018/19
budget of $2,659,000 for continued delivery of these
educational programmes and services through the next fiscal year.

Programme 1712— Early Childhood Education

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, the final
programme on page B -130 is 1712, Ear ly Childhood
Education. This programme funds the Child Development and After School Care sub- programmes. Early


Bermuda House of Assembly Childhood Education represents the foundation for
student success in the primary, middle, and senior
levels.
Business unit 27175, Child Development Pr ogramme (CDP) currently funds the salaries of the CDP staff and programmes implemented by this team. With
the implementation of Plan 2022 the CDP will work to
maintain accreditation, hire a full complement of high
quality staff to fill vacant posts, ensure professional
development for staff, and continue to provide clinical supervision for clinical staff. The increase in funding of $126,000 will in part fund a quality assurance officer
to ensure operational standards are maintained with
the delivery of services.
Mr. Chairman, the final line item on page B -
130 is business unit 27000, After School Care, which
funds the wages of part -time employees who provide
supervision and organised activities to children at four pre-schools and one school for students with special
needs.
In summary, the continued delivery for services for programme 1712 for the fiscal year 2018/19 has been allocated a total budget of $1,932,000.

Subjective Analysis of Current Account Estimates

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman , I now refer
to page B -131, the Subjective Analysis of Current A ccount Estimates for the Department of Education.
Note that we have already covered these expend itures as this page provides an aggregate of the d etailed line item expenditures previously mentioned. The variances of significance for the categories are as follows:
• Salaries and Wages increased by $2,547,000,
or 4 per cent; and $61,000, or 2 per cent, r espectively, mainly due to the increase in funding for substitutes and additional resources for
facilities and curriculum sections.
• Training costs are $18,000, or 5 per cent, lower due to a reduced allocation in money for
overseas training.
• Transportation decreased by $5,000, or 6 per
cent, largely due to the reduction in overseas
freight and assoc iated costs.
• Travel costs associated with overseas training
decreased by $94,000, or 59 per cent, as
mentioned previously.
• Communication costs decreased by $24,000,
or 3 per cent, in part reflecting a completion in
the number of projects linked to Informat ion
Technology Support.
• Professional Services costs are $130,000, or
9 per cent higher, reflecting money allocated
to support Plan 2022.
• Rental costs are higher by $176,000, or 23 per cent, to cover increased rental costs
pending a physical relocation. • Repair and Maintenance costs declined by
$70,000, or 4 per cent, due to a dip in expenditure for software maintenance.
• Energy costs increased by $111,000, or 9 per
cent, mainly reflecting an underfunded budget
in 2017/18 for electricity costs at some
schools.
• Material and Supplies expenditure is
$106,000, or 6 per cent higher as a result of
increased assessment materials.
• Grants and Contributions increased by
$2,273,000, or 9 per cent, due to increased
funding of the two senior schools.

Employee Numbers —Full -Time Equivalents

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, pages B -
132 and B -133 show that there 1,126 full -time equiv alent posts, a net change of 10 compared with the
1,116 full -time equivalent [posts] measured in the r evised 2017/18 [budget].
The increas ed number of full -time equivalents
primarily reflects the previously vacant posts that are
now funded to provide the much- needed operational
support for several of the business units that were
chronically under -staffed. The department will conti nue to moni tor and review the number of full -time
equivalents ensuring both efficiency and effectiveness with staff resources.

Performance Measures

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, pages B -
134 and B -137 list the Performance Measures for the
Department of Education. These measures reflect the
diversity of programmes and initiatives currently being
undertaken by schools and areas for which they will
be monitored and held accountable. Schools will be
held accountable for meeting attendance, international
assessm ent, MTSS [ Multi -Tier System of Support] ,
graduation and performance evaluation targets.
Mr. Chairman, let me acknowledge all staff at
the Department of Education—our teachers, our pri ncipals, our administrators, our other educators, our
support staff —for their commitment to public school
education and our children. And Mr. Chairman, I
would be remiss if I did not say I wish to acknowledge
our parents as well.
There is a lot of work ahead with the impl ementation of Plan 2022 that will keep all of us focused
and intentional as we work. However, I am confident
that as a team our efforts will bear much fruit in i mproving the delivery of education for our children to experience successful outcomes.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my presentation
on Head 17, the Department of Education. I will now
move to Heads 18 and 19, the Department of Libraries and Archives.

1568 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly The Chairman: We are moving to B -138. It is 3:20
pm. We are dealing with now Heads 18 and 19.
Minister Diallo Rabain, you have the floor.

HEAD 18 —DEPART MENT OF LIBRARIES
AND ARCHIVES

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, effective April 1, 2018 the
Bermuda Archives and the Bermuda National Library
will officially amalgamate to form one Government department to be called the Department of Libraries
and Archives. The amalgamation resulted from the
undertaking of an organisational review of the Berm uda Archives that was conducted by [the] Management
Consultant Section. The Bermuda Archives comprised
a staff of only 10 officers and, therefore, fell within the
established staff -size threshold, forming the reason for
the review in alignment with streamlining and impl ementing efficiencies.
Therefore, Mr. Chairman, the 2018/19 Est imates of Revenue and Expenditure I will now present
are for the new amalgamated Department of Libraries
and Archives, Head 18, found on pages B -138
through B -140 in the Estimates Book. Additionally, Mr.
Chairman, pages B -144 and B -145 have been inclu ded to show the 2016/17 actual estimates and FTEs
along with the 2017/18 original and revised estimates
and FTEs for the abolished Archives Department.
Mr. Chairman, the mission statement of the
Department of Libraries and Archives reads as follows: The Department of Libraries and Archives is
committed to conserv e and preserve the printed hist ory and culture of Bermuda; to collect, arrange, and
preserve the essential historical records of Bermuda,
the administrative records of the Bermuda Gover nment, and to facilitate access to documents for pr esent and future generations. We will provide for the
current and potential educational and recreational
needs of our diverse community.
Mr. Chairman, on page B -139 the 2018/19
budget allocation for the Department of Libraries and Archives is set at $3,222,000. The increase of
$1,296,000 is attributed to the funds allocated for A rchives. Overall there is no change in expenditure le vel. Also, page B -139 shows the General Summary
table of the department and the department’s six pr ogrammes are listed.
The 2018/19 budget allocat ion for business
unit 28000, Collection Management, of $537,000 represents a decrease of $50,000 compared with the
2017/18 revised budget. This decrease represents the transfer of one post to Administration, cost centre
28130, to create a post for a trainee librarian.
There was an increase in the number of general reference questions answered, but a decrease in
the number of people using the library PCs for Internet
access. This decrease in the use of PCs can be attributed to the number of people bringing t heir per-sonal devices to the library and accessing the library’s
free Wi -Fi. During the year over 25,000 people accessed the Wi -Fi.
Mr. Chairman, the 2018/19 budget allocation
for Adult Services, business unit 28060, is $508,000.
The increase of $8,000 is largely due to salaries as
funds are included for a public service librarian post
that will be filled in 2018/19. This cost centre compri ses of salaries for six full -time equivalents, one less
than 2017/18, as the curricula assistant position was
abolished (see page B -140).
Mr. Chairman, page B -139 shows a 2018/19
budget allocation for business unit 28100, Archival
Services of $408,000. The full -time equivalent count
for this cost centre is four, as shown on page B -140.
Business unit 28110, Youth Services, includes
programmes catering to the youth, which continue to
be popular with families and children younger than
age 14. The 2018/19 budget is $508,000 surpassing
the 2017/18 revised budget and reflecting additional
funds budgeted for hiring a curriculum supervisor.
Business unit 28120, Records Management
Services, totals $764,000. This reflects [the] expend iture for the Archives’ Government Records Centre
located in Southside, St. David’s. It also provides
storage for the Government’s non- current records i n
one building. This has created more efficiency in the ability of staff to undertake day -to-day operations
management, and has eliminated the need for staff to
travel between facilities to store and retrieve reques ted records.
Mr. Chairman, business units 28100 and
28120 were created primarily as a result of the amal-gamation of Libraries and Archives. The total budgeted allocation for these two business units in 2018/19
reflects a savings of $124,000 directly due to the abo lishment of the post Director of Archives.
Mr. Chairman, the last line item in the General
Summary table on page B -139 shows a net increase
of expenditure estimates for business unit Administr ation, 28130, of $82,000 for fiscal year 2018/19 as
compared to the revised estimate of 2017/18. This
increase is due to the transfer of one post from the
Collection Management business unit, increasing the
FTE count to three persons. Again, see page B -140.
Mr. Chairman, as seen on page C -10, the
Capital Acquisitions budget for the National Library for
fiscal year 2018/19 is $51,000. These funds will be
used for the acquisition of a photocopier and an industrial shredder for the Government’s Record Centre, in
addition to furniture and software upgrades for the main library.
Mr. Chairman, page B -140 sho ws that the
FTE count for both Libraries and Archives will be 26 persons for 2018/19. The Library comprises entirely of
Bermudian professionals and constitutes the follo wing: one director, five librarians, two appraisal archivists, two records officers, three supervisors, three
information desk assistants, two record assistants,


Bermuda House of Assembly two archive assistants, four curriculum assistants, one
local studies assistant, and one administrative officer.
Mr. Chairman, the operation of the Bermuda
National Library and Arch ives is not a major source of
revenue for the Government. Fees charged for dupl ication of archival materials, book fines, library pr ogramme fees, computer fees, and photocopy charges and revenue generated is minimally estimated at
$17,000 for fiscal year 2 018/19.

Subjective Analysis for Current
Account Estimates

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, I will now
present the combined Subjective Analysis for Current
Account Estimates for the Department of Libraries and
Archives found on page B -139.
Salary related expenses show an increase of
$687,000. This is due to the amalgamation of A rchives and Libraries.
Also, funding allocated for Training, Transport,
Travel, Communications, Advertising, and Promotion remain marginally the same as in 2017/18.
On the other hand, the 2018/19 budget alloc ation for Professional Services, Rentals, Repairs and Maintenance, Energy, Materials and Supplies all i ncreased, directly reflecting the amalgamation of the
Libraries and Archives.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this time to
sincerely thank the staff at the Department of Libraries
and Archives for their commitment to provide mater ials for the recreational and educational needs of our
community and to preserve the essential administr ative records of the Bermuda Governm ent and the hi storical records of Bermuda while facilitating access to
those records for members of the public.
Mr. Chairman, this ends my presentation on
the 2018/19 budget for Head 18, Department of Libraries and Archives. I will now move on to the D epartment of Workforce Development, Head 60.

HEAD 60 —DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, the 2018/19
Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the D epartment of Workforce Development are found on pages B -147 to B -152 of the Budget Book.
The mission of the Department of Workforce
Development, found on page B -147, is: To provide
services to employees, employers, and job searchers
which strengthen the workforce in alignment with i nternational standards, and promote sustainability and
stability within the community.
Mr. Chairman, as noted on page B -148, the
Department of Workforce Development has been all ocated a budget of $3,849,000 for fiscal year 2018/19.
This budget is $629,000 less than the 2017/18 revised
budget alloc ation, reflecting a 14 per cent reduction. This reduction is primarily due to programme 6002,
Labour Relations, which remained under the remit of
the Ministry of Home Affairs when the Department of
Workforce Development was transferred to the Mini stry of E ducation. The budget for Labour Relations t otalled $554,000.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Workforce
Development now comprises of three remaining pr ogrammes, as noted on page B -148: General Admi nistration, Career Development, and Training.

Programme 6001 —General Administration

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Programme 6001, General
Administration, is responsible for the overall management and administration of the Department of Wor kforce Development.
As seen on page B -148, business unit 70000,
Administration, has been allocated a budget of
$586,000 for fiscal year 2018/19. This budget is
$30,000 less than the 2017/18 revised allocation due
to a reduction in expenditures for overseas consultant services and advertising and print media.
Mr. Chairman, business u nit 70300, Career
Development Administration, has been allocated a budget of $189,000 for the fiscal year 2018/19, r emaining unchanged from the 2017/18 revised budget.
Career Development, business unit 70400,
has been allocated a budget of $444,000 for fis cal
year 2018/19, an increase of $50,000 against the lo wer 2017/18 revised estimate of $394,000.

Programme 6004—Training

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, the purpose
of programme 6004, Training, is to provide administr ation and oversight of the National Training Board activities. This section supports the entrepreneurship
programmes, the distribution of scholarships, professional designation training schemes, [and] a national
certification of designated trades.
The 2018/19 budget allocation for th e entire
Training programme is $2,630,000, a net decrease of $89,000 compared with 2017/18.
Monies budgeted for business unit 70014,
Training Administration, remains relatively the same at $239,000 for fiscal year 2018/19. This section is
staffed by a training manager and an administrative
assistant, as stated on page B -150.
Mr. Chairman, the business unit 70015, Cert ification, has been allocated a budget of $615,000 for the fiscal year 2018/19. This budget is $43,000 more
than the revised 2017/18 estimat e. The staff compl ement in this business unit is two standards and enforcement officers as noted on page B -150.
Mr. Chairman, the business unit 70016, A pprenticeships and Professional Development, has been allocated a budget of $1,776,000 for fiscal year
2018/19, a reduction of $133,000. This decline r e1570 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly flected, in part, money shifted to support the Certific ation Training Programme. The staff complement in this
business unit is three training assessment officers, as
noted on page B -150.

Subjective Analysi s of the Current Account
Estimates

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, the Subjective Analysis of the Current Account Estimates is
found on page B -149, with significant variances outlined as follows:
• Salaries decreased by $464,000 which is directly at tributable to the separation of the L abour Relations programme.
• Professional Services decreased by $28,000 as a result of staff providing in- house emplo yability skills training rather than contracting out
these services.
• A decrease of $40,000 in Rental due to the
end of a rental agreement that will occur in
September 2018 for the Brown and Brangman
building.
• An increase of $19,000 in Repair and Maint enance represents the cost of upkeep of the department’s offices at the old Magistrates’ Court building.
• A de crease of $8,000 in Materials and Supplies reflects a reduction in money allocated to purchase office supplies and materials.

[Mrs. Renee Ming, Chairman]

Grants and Contributions

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Chairman, at this time I
will now shift to p age C -17, Grants and Contributions.
I am sorry, Madam Chai rman, I did not even
see the change, sorry, I do apologise.
Madam Chairman, at this time I will shift to
page C -17, Grants and Contributions, which outlines
additional money budgeted of $1,843,000 for fiscal
year 2018/19. This money will fund Government
sponsored apprenticeships, certification, and training
programmes, inclusive of providing scholarships as
follows.
Money budgeted for scholarship funds are
$525,000. Approximately 20 new scholarship awards
will be funded in 2018/19. The revised 2017/18 i ncreased estimate of $895,000 reflects money moved
into this account to provide a [$300,000] grant to Bermuda College to fund students in financial need want-ing to attend the college. In 2018/19 this m oney has
been removed from Workforce Development’s budget
and given directly to the Bermuda College for ease of
distributing to students in need.
The funds allocated for the apprenticeship
scheme increased by $275,000 for the purpose of supporting young Bermudians to gain access to the
workforce.
Funds allocated for Sponsorship Trainees is
$114,000 and remains the same as for 2017/18.
Funding for the National Certification Pr ogramme increased by $20,000 to $358,000. The cert ification training programme is steered by legislation and is designed to be an ongoing process.
A total of $400,000 is allocated to the Summer
Student Programme. It will fund approximately 80 st udents, giving them the opportunity to participate in job
placement for a 10- week period duri ng the summer
months.

Capital Expenditure

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: The funds budgeted, Madam Chairman, in 2018/19 to cover Capital Acquisitions
amounts to $104,000. The budget is listed on page C -
11.
There is a need to upgrade the current case
management system. The last revision occurred dur-ing the 2012/13 fiscal year. As the department pr ogresses to become a one- stop career centre, it will
become necessary to improve internal processes and procedures.

Revenue

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Madam Chairman, revenue
from 2018/19 is listed on page B -149 and is estimated
to be $28,000. The purpose of this budget is to show revenues expected from fees charged to applicants
for National Certification and apprenticeship training
for 2018/19. The statutory applicat ion fee for each
applicant for certification is $265, and $50 for apprenticeships. The budget for 2018/19 expects 100 new
certifications at $[265] each and 20 new apprentic eships at $50 each.

Manpower

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Madam Chairman, the
manpower estimates for the department, as outlined
on page B -150, represents 16 full -time posts, 5 fewer
than in fiscal year 2017/18 due to the removal of the
Labour Relations section.

Performance Measures

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Madam Chairman, the Performance Measures for the Department of Workforce
Development are found on pages B -151 and B -152.
I now shift to highlight the work that will be
undertaken during the 2018/19 fiscal year.
The Career Development section plans to
elevate the level of in- house t raining offered to clients
and the general public during fiscal year 2018/19. I nterest and participation has increased for employabi lBermuda House of Assembly ity skills workshops currently offered by this section.
Funds have been appropriated to utilise experienced
facilitators to deliver employability skills and additional
training.
Madam Chairman, there is a need for custo mised professional development for staff in order to
meet the increased demands and needs of our clients.
Customer service, facilitation skills, coaching skill s,
and working with specific challenging populations will
be the focus of staff training in the Career Development section.
This section will also work towards organising
pop-up job fairs, reversed job fairs, to provide employers and clients with opportun ities to market themselves.
Madam Chairman, the department received
$225,000 that will be used for new initiatives, inclusive of workforce development and apprenticeship training
programmes, to ensure individuals are suitably job
ready, requiring a long- term vision of the requisite
training to advance to a stable career with opportun ities for promotion and growth.
The department will move away from a strat egy of rapid job placement to one that builds skills for viable career development and a liveable inc ome. F ocusing on growth industries and building on Career
Pathways will be a major part of the department’s ef-forts to address sustainable employment and income
inequality.
The department is currently collaborating with
industry to introduce essential on- the-job training r equired by industry for the development of Bermuda
workers. Some of the areas identified are: automotive service technicians, carpentry, plumbing, electricians,
power engineers, millwrights, culinary, landscape gardeners, welders, engineers (civil, mechanical and architectural), and others as determined.
Also, young Bermudians preparing to enter
the workforce in their final year at the Bermuda Co llege will be encouraged to enter the newly developed
apprenticeship programmes to obtain entr y-level work
opportunities while simultaneously developing their
skills and knowledge.
In undertaking these initiatives, the depar tment will be helping to bridge the gap to some of the sustainability issues currently facing industry as the baby boomers ar e now retiring or near retirement. Al though it generally takes between 7 and 10 years for
one to become an experienced journeyperson, we
must start them on the journey and support their
growth through mentorship and coaching to ensure
success.
As the department aligns its training with i ndustry needs it will be better placed to connect people
with jobs.
Madam Chairman, as I conclude my present ation I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the hard- working staff at the Department
of Workforce D evelopment, led by the Director and his management team. This group is at the forefront of
assisting Bermudians during these inspiring economic
times. I would also like to take this opportunity to give
a very special thank you to Ms. Pandora Glasford who
has left the department as of yesterday. She has put
in a yeoman’s work at the Department as the Manager
of the Training section.
Madam Chairman, this concludes the presentation for Head 60. I will now move to the Bermuda College, Head 41, found on page B -146.

HEAD 41 —BERMUDA COLLEGE

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Business unit 4101, 51000,
Operation Grant (B -146).
Madam Chairman, the College receives a
grant from the Ministry of Education and Workforce
Development, and the allocation for fiscal year
2018/19 is $15,906,000 which represents an increase
of 2.7 per cent or $425,000.
Madam Chairman, Dr. Duranda Greene is the
President of the Bermuda College, which is governed
by the Board of Governors. The Chair of the Board is

Mrs. Romelle Warner, Deputy Chair; Ms. Cherie
Dill; Mr. Fanon Khaldun; Mr. Marshall Minors; Mr. J erome Reid, Jr.; Mr. Bruce Sharpe; Mrs. Kathleen Sharpe Keane; Mr. Nasir Wade; Mrs. Valerie Robi nson-James, Permanent Secretary of Education, ex
officio; Mrs. Malika Cartwright, National Training
Board Representative; The Honourable Randolph
Horton, Chairman of the Honorary Fellows; Mrs. Ann Parsons, Faculty Representative; Mrs. Karmeta Hendrickson, Support Staff Representative; and Ms. Zaire
Hart, Student Representative.
Madam Chairman, Bermuda College as an
accredited institution with the newly named New England Commission on Institutes of Higher Education
continues to be the most economical choice for Ber-mudians to start their journey in hi gher education. Not
only does it afford great value for money when compared to the first two years of any four -year institution
in the United Kingdom, America, or the Caribbean, but
it offers a safe, personal, and student -oriented lear ning environment.

2017/18 Highlights

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Madam Chairman, the College graduated its first cohort of 12 students from its
new Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Pr ogramme. At the end of the programme students were
eligible to take the United States National Registry
Emergency Medical Technicians Certification Exam ination, which will allow them to serve as an EMT
throughout the United States. Bermuda is the first
overseas jurisdiction to be designated as an author isation agency for the United States National Registry
of Emergency Medical Technicians. It is worth noting
1572 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly two things with this programme: Part of the grant of
$300,000 enabled many students to take this pr ogramme and graduate in the last semester; and it is
worthy of note that two of the graduates from the pr ogramme that benefited from that grant have now s ecured employment with the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service; once again, providing people with funding to
enable them to increase their stock in life.
The Dual Enrolment Programme is a partnership between the Department of Education and the
Bermuda College. It continues to be a success and is
increasing in popularity. This past year Bermuda Co llege saw 10 dual enrolment students from the public
education system graduate with their associate’s degree and high school diploma in the same year.
Amongst the graduates were the first dual enrolment
students to graduate from the Associate in Graphic
Design and the Associate in Culinary Arts. These st udents, along with other part -time dual enrolment st udents, join the more than 1.2 million students in the
US who are earning college credit while in high school.
Bermuda College continued to showcase their
talent in the local community in this past year. Twelve
culinary arts students took part in the America’s Cup
Celebrity Chefs #EatLionFish Chefs’ Throwdown. The
nursing students organised and hosted their Third A nnual Health Fair in partnership with Lahey Hospital
and Medical Centre. Fourteen Bermuda College st udents also had an opportunity to compete in the I LS
Bermuda Convergence 2017 Conference. Networking opportunities like these are one of the benefits that
students attending Bermuda College are afforded throughout the year.
Bermuda’s College continues to establish i nternational partnerships to maximise the benefits of its
students when they transfer to four -year institutions. In
collaboration with the Bermuda Hospitals Board and
the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust, two recent
nursing graduates will be transferring to Northampton
University in the United Kingdom to study psychiatric
nursing on full scholarships.
During the past year Bermuda College has
signed agreements with Nova Scotia School of Art and Design, St. Lawrence College, Berkeley College,
and the St. George’s University.
Madam Chairman, as B ermuda’s community
college, Bermuda College continues to do its part not
only to educate students, but to also educate and i nform the community at large through various events organised through the year. Such events include the
College’s annual Science Wee k activities and its pu blic forums.
During this year’s Science Week events the
College welcomed more than 800 potential students and members of the general public to its campus. The public forum featured Bermudian, Dr. Lynette Gibson,
Professor and Director of Research in Nursing at the
Mary Black School of Nursing at the University of South Carolina Upstate. Her lecture entitled “There is
hope: Saving Breasts and [Surviving] Breast Cancer”
was based on her years of research looking at breast
cancer from a cultural perspective. The Science Demo
Day [was] attended by more than 250 middle school students, while the master class saw participation by
more than 200 high school students. Other events
included the increasingly popular Live, Love, Eat culinary arts demonstration with Chef Teneika Eve which
packed the cafeteria with more than 200 individuals.
Madam Chairman, the Bermuda College Faculty Association hosted two well -attended community
events as part of its lecture series during the past
year. The first “ The Bermuda Triangle of Celebrity
Chefs” featured: Marcus Samuelsson, celebrity chef,
author and restaurateur; Bermudian Executive Chef
Keith DeShields from Cambridge Beach Resort & Spa; and Dennis McIntosh from Moon Palace Jamaica Grande.
The second lecture organised by the Faculty
Association was entitled “Debunking the Myths Ass ociated with Cannabis: An Academic Perspective” pr esented by Dr. Marcia Williams from the University of Technology in Jamaica.
Madam Chairman, the Bermuda College published its th ird volume of its peer review journal, Voices in Education, this past year. The theme of the volume was: “Educational Sustainability: Cultural, Ec onomic, and Environmental.” It also included articles from various educators.
Three new Honorary Fellows were inducted in
the Bermuda College Company of Honorary Fellows:
Ms. Martha Dismont; Mr. Robert Horton; and Mr. Le opold Mills. They were celebrated for the significant contributions they had made in their respective fields.
During this past year the college l ibrary cel ebrated its 25
th anniversary on the Stonington Campus
with a series of events that included a cupcake and
cabernet event with a silent auction.

Output Measures

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Madam Chairman, suppor ting output measures for the college activities are as
follows:
In 2017 Bermuda College graduated 137 st udents with associate degrees, diplomas, or certif icates. And these can be broken down as such: technical education, 11 graduates; business, 51 grad uates; hospitality, 18 graduates; arts and science, 57
graduates.
In addition, five additional students received
bachelor of administration degrees, and one student
received her bachelor of arts in child and youth studies through the College’s long- standing partnership
with Mt. St. Vincent University.
The College also had seven students receive
their master of education in special education in colBermuda House of Assembly laboration with a Bermuda College degree from Miami
University in Ohio.
Madam Chairman, in December the division
on Professional and Career Education (PACE)
awarded 159 external certificates and professional
designations to individuals through external pr ogrammes and Workforce Development training. This
number does not include the 11 dual enrolment st udents who earned their certificates in nursing assi stant, and 168 high school students who earned their
City & Guilds entry level award in Employability Skills at their high school graduations. These awards repr esent 18 different areas of specialisations.
Madam Chairman, in the fall of [2017] the College enrolled 652 students. There were 327 students
registered through PACE in the same period. It is i mportant to note that the $300,000 in additional money allocated to the Bermuda College have been of great
benefit to the non- traditional students who are nor mally underemployed or unemployed as this —

Excuse me one second.
Just be mindful that we have someone speaking, please. Thank you.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: —was the first time Bermuda College has offered funding for PACE students.
PACE re gistration increased from 198 in fall 2016 to
327 in fall 2017, an additional 129 registrants.
Madam Chairman, the Bermuda College continues to utilise external stakeholders as part of its
annual budget process. The Budget Committee i ncludes representativ es from the Student Government
Council, faculty, support staff, members of the exec utive, and a selection of budget managers. The goal of
the Budget Committee is to prepare a balanced bud get to present to the Board of Finance Committee and
ultimately to th e Board for final approval.
Salaries continued to form the majority of the
College’s budgeted expenses, and the College continues to review its operations seeking ways to decrease its payroll costs.
As the sole tertiary institution on the Island,
Bermuda College is a key stakeholder in the economic growth and development of our Island. During the
2018/19 fiscal year, the College will continue to meet its mission of setting Bermuda students on their path
to success.
Utilising the $300,000 to assist student s with
financial need the College will endeavour to ensure no
student is prohibited from attending Bermuda College
as a result of limited household income. With the fund-ing provided in August 2017, the Bermuda College
was able to provide financial assistance for 189 st udents in the 2017 fall semester and 124 students in
the 2018 spring semester. It is anticipated that a sim ilar number of students will be assisted in 2018/19 with
this 2018/19 financial assistance grant. Madam Chairman, the $125,000 grant tha t is
being provided for Training during the 2018/19 fiscal
year will be used to provide training for three initi atives: gaming industry training; landscape training; and overseas practicums for nursing students.
As Bermuda prepares for the new gaming i ndustry, Bermuda College will be working with the
Bermuda Gaming Commission to ensure that Berm udians are trained for the new career opportunities. The
initial training will include “Train the Trainer” for trai ning potential employees for work on the table gam es.
It is anticipated that $85,000 of the grant will go t owards the gaming industry training.
The remaining $40,000 will be used for trai ning certification for Bermuda landscapers and assis ting Bermudian nursing students to undergo pract icums at overseas hospitals. Both of these industries
currently have a large number of non- Bermudian employees on work permits.
During the 2018/19 fiscal year, the Bermuda
College will continue upgrading classrooms and com-puter labs as it continues to focus on improving teac hing and learning while supporting more active clas sroom environments. The upgrades will allow for more
online learning opportunities for its students. The College will be streamlining its fee structure to bring it in
line with best practices in preparatio n for the next academic year.
Now, looking ahead, Madam Chairman, the
Bermuda College is currently working with a local
consultant to develop its five- year strategic plan that
will go to the Board for approval in August 2018. Bermuda College will continue to work with the Depar tment of Education to increase the number of students in the Dual Enrolment Programme, and it will graduate
its first dual enrolment students from the Certificate in
Applied Science Technology in May.
Bermuda College will continue to forge all iances with professional credentialing and accrediting
agencies for workforce development and professional
certification, such as: the Association of Chartered
and Certified Accountants (ACCA); Chartered Institute
of Legal Executives (CILEx) for l egal executives;
Building Owners and Management Institute (BOMI) for building owners and managers; and City & Guilds for the applied sciences.
The Bermuda College Board recently a pproved the establishment of a new division of Nursing and Allied Health. The new Allied Health Department
will allow Bermuda College to establish programmes to meet the growing need for Bermuda healthcare pr ofessionals on the Island. Programmes under consi deration for development include: diagnostic medical
imaging; exercise and w ellness; nutrition; and dietetics. It is expected that the Allied Health programmes
will be introduced over an extended period, with the
first courses and programmes being offered in fall 2019.
1574 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Madam Chairman, as I close I wish to thank
the Board, the Exec utive, administration, faculty, and
staff of the Bermuda College for their hard work
throughout the year and look forward to working with
them in the coming year.
Thank you, Madam Chairman, this concludes
my remarks for Head 41, the Bermuda College and
my overall presentation of the 2018/19 budget for the
Ministry of Education and Workforce Development.

Thank you , Madam Chairman.
I am going to start where the Minister left off
and that is the Bermuda College, Head 41. I would
like to begin by commending Dr. Duranda Greene for
a sterling job as far as leadership. The Bermuda Col-lege has a prominent role to play in our tertiary educ ation and we are seeing the results of that fine instit ution. Our children are being placed overseas in first -
class institutions and they are becoming more worldly
and better citizens, better students. So, with that as a
precursor, I do not have a lot of questions, but I have
a few, because I think the Minister’s brief was clear
and a number of my questions were answered.
From a cost point of view, can the Minister
provide the cost of a two -year associate’s degree?
From a tuition perspective how much does the pr ogramme cost to deliver versus how much we are
charging for a two- year associate’s degree? Are the
fees at cost or are they loaded f or a little spread? So
are our students getting the base rate of the cost or
are they getting a retail rate to cover other expenses?
As was said earlier, the College continues to
increase its international partnerships to maximise the
benefits for its students when they travel to four -year
institutions. Again, I applaud them for that. They have
a rich history of doing that. The Minister indicated that
we have four new sign- ups this year in Canada and
the US, and we have a new nursing programme in the
UK. Are there any other affiliations on the horizons or
in the pipeline? Because I think the more affiliations
that we have will demonstrate the quality of the instit ution that we have here in Bermuda. If international universities and world- class universities want to affil iate with us, it demonstrates the blue- chip quality service that we provide our students at the Bermuda College. So I think this programme should be ongoing
because it is a testament of the quality of education
provided at the Bermuda College. So, again, my question is, What new affiliations are on the horizon and
what new affiliations are in the pipeline? The other question, Last year we had st udents register with the Regulatory Compliance Ass ociation, where do we stand with that programme? H ow
many students do we have in the Regulatory Compl iance Association Programme? And how many st udents did we graduate? I know, as a person in the financial services industry, that this is probably the
fastest growing industry and there are truly opportunities for our young people. And I think that it should
continue to be high on the agenda because it is an industry that is ever growing and there will be many, many opportunities for our young people. So, again,
how many people have signed up for the Regulat ory
Compliance Association Programme? How many
have graduated? And how many are still there?
Madam Chairman, I note that the Minister has
provided $300,000 for students to attend the College. My question though is this, How many financial aid
scholarships are provided by the College itself based
on need? And how many people actually applied for the financial aid issued by the College?
The next question is on revenues. I know we
have a partnership with the Coco Reef. Last year we enjoyed a $50,000 increase in revenue for electricity
costs. How much are we expected to receive from
Coco Reef in total in regard to our contribution and the
contract that we have with them? And how much are
they reimbursing us for electricity costs? I know there is a lot of devel opment going on at Coco Reef, and I
was wondering if Bermuda College is benefitting from
that development in addition to the reimbursement
required for electricity costs.
I understand that, yes, they have a five- year
strategic plan. That was one of my questions about what the status was and the Minister indicated that the
strategic plan will be complete and available in August
2018. I am happy about that, but I would like to ask the Minister to give us some colour as to the process
involved in crafting the plan and what the current st atus of the plan is. Where are we right now in regards
to the crafting and developing of that plan, even
though it is targeted to be completed and delivered in
August of 2018?
The other question that I have . . . there was
discussion last year about having a National Educ ators Institute in collaboration with key educational
stakeholders. Can the Minister give us an update on
the status of the National Educators Institute? Is it going forward? And if it is, can he give us just an update
as to where we are, what has been achieved, and
what other work needs to be done, or any blueprint that will show the plans moving forward in regard to
the National Educators Institute?
So, Madam Chairman, those are my brief
questions on Bermuda College.
Now I would like to move to Heads 16 and 17.
So much paper here, Madam Chairman, it is such a
big Ministry.


Bermuda House of Assembly The Minister spent quite a bit of time on Head
16, new scholarships and even headquarters. And so
this is on [page] B -124 and we spoke about various
Ministry scholarships. The question that I have is this, How many Government scholarships have we issued? How many further education scholarships have we
issued? How many mature student awards have we
issued? And how many teacher training awards have
been granted?

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Do you mean over time,
Cole, or last year?

And what number of scholarships do we have for academic achievement and not
just based on need? I recognise that, yes, we need to
help the underserved and they are entitled to support,
but if we have a student that is doing exceedingly well
and he has high grades, he is a high- flyer, I think we
need to award that success as well. And so the question that I am asking is how many academic achiev ement awards is the Ministry giving? And this has no
relevance to means whatsoever; it is strictly based on
academic performance.
In regard to the scholarships, I would like to
know how many people applied for the Minister’s
Achievement Scholarship for graduating public school
students. How many applicants did we have for the Minster’s merit scholarship from graduating senior
school students in financial need? How m any gradua ting public school student applicants did we have for
the Minister’s Technical and Vocational Awards? And
how many applicants, graduating students or school
leavers with disabilities, did we have for the Minister’s Exceptional Student Award? And what was the value
of each award?

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Madam Chairman, if the
Member wanted to yield—

Community Education, [pr ogramme] 1602, line 26110. I am delighted that we
have brought community education under the umbrella of the Department of Education because the mandate was similar and it is something t hat should have
occurred a while ago, and it is just a right fit and we
are basically optimising the resources that we have for
educating the people of this country. So, I applaud the
Ministry for that amalgamation. It also will help in r egard to optimising the number of services that we
have because we had some duplication and overlap,
but I will get into that later.
Now, a lot has been said about the 2017–
2022 Strategic Plan. I support that 100 per cent. I am
delighted that it is completed and now it is time for the delivery of the recommendations. My question is this:
Who, Madam Chairman, will be leading this delivery
programme? Who will champion the delivery of this
programme? We need someone that will take the
leadership role and take responsibility for making sure
that the Plan is well -managed and the initiatives listed
therein are delivered. The Minister made a commi tment that it will not just sit on a shelf. But at the end of
the day we know how these things work, if someone is
not held accountable f or the delivery of the recommendations in the Plan, it will not get done. So who can the community hold responsible for the delivery of the recommendations and the management and oversight of the 2022 Educational Strategic Plan?
1576 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Okay, Central Administrati on. I will pass on
that one. I do not want to cause any controversy t oday. I have raised that issue already.
The Office of the Commissioner of Education.
I understand and we all know that we have an Acting
Commissioner who is doing a fine job. My question is,
What is the status of the hiring of the new Commi ssioner, the full -time Commissioner? And when can we
expect to have that permanent position filled?
I also have a question, [about] when the Ac ting Commissioner of Education was appointed. The question that I have is, What instrument did we a dhere to which authorised the appointment of the Ac ting Commissioner of Education? Should it not have gone to the Board of Education? Or is there another instrument that allows the Ministry to appoint an Ac ting Comm issioner of Education until the substantive
position is filled? Can you provide clarity on that i ssue?
Human Resources [HR], [Business unit]
27030, Orientation session for teachers, teacher per-formance evaluation programmes. Can you provide
more details on the mentor teachers and the teacher
performance evaluation programme? How many
teachers are evaluated each year? How many male
teachers are on board because, obviously, we need to
have more male teachers to enhance the performance of our male students? A nd how are we assessing their
effectiveness? What benchmarks are the evaluation programmes aligning themselves with to ensure that
we have the best outcome for the Bermudian teac hers, or teachers, period, and our students?
The next question that I have, w hile on Trai ning, is the SCARS training. I know last year we did
some SCARS training for some of our teachers and
principals. Do we still have this training? Is it still ongoing? And what type of programme do we have in
place to ensure that it reaches all of our schools and
all of our teachers? Because it is crucial that we have
these tools so that we can identify children who are in
a traumatic situation and that we take the necessary
steps to help them. I think that it is important that we
qualify our teachers to identify the challenges in kids that are from broken homes or are in traumatic situ ations.
The next question that I have is, again, to the
Department of Education, Do we have a succession
plan? Like any other business, especially a large organisation, we should have a succession plan so that
the organisation continues. We have gone through the
process of having the new Strategic Plan and one of
the beauties of that Plan is it is a multi -year plan, it is
to last 10 years —it is 5 years in the paper, but it is
going to last forever once it is in place, basically. And
the question that I have is this, parties may come and
go but that Plan will continue and we have to ensure that we have the best people managing and leading
the Plan and that all feeds t o the infrastructure, the
organisation of the executive team of the Ministry of Education and a sound succession plan, so I would
like for the Minister to speak about the succession
plan that he has for the executive team in the Ministry
of Education so that we can assure ourselves that the
department is well -managed and held accountable
going forward.
School improvements. We have a number of
mentor teachers and I think they do a superb job. I have met a number of them and I want to say you
could not have found any more committed individuals.
They are passionate about education, they are pas-sionate about young people, they are passionate
about teaching, and those are, in my estimation, the
best teachers that you should have in mentor teacher
positions. So m y question now is, How many mentor
teachers do we now have? And what resources do we have to support them? How can we make them better mentors so that at the end of the day the quality of the
delivery of our teaching services increases dramatically?
Bear with me, Madam Chairman.
[Inaudible interjection]

Thank you very much. We
have five and a half hours.
Now I would like to go on to the topic of St udent Services, programme 1702. Obviously, this bas ically is to provide support for the diverse special
needs of our student population and so our students
with different learning needs. My question is this, How
many special needs students do we have in our sy stem? Can you confirm that there is an individual education plan for each student? And how often do we
meet with the parents of these students to go over
these individual education plans for our special needs
students? And what type of support do we give our parents who may find it challenging to provide the educational support at hom e like they get in school with
their special needs children? Along that line—

[Inaudible interjection]

You can respond.
The other question I have is for the special
needs teachers. What professional development and
training programmes do we have for them? And what
training programmes do we have for the paraprofessionals? Because at the end of the day the infrastructure needs the support if we are going to do a worldclass job in helping these students with learning chal-lenges.
Moving on to [programme] 1702, Adapted
Physical Education, B -128, how many students are
involved in the Adapted Physical Education Pr ogramme? And is there a special development plan for each one of the students so that they are customised to their individual needs and their individual capabil ities? And how are the teachers assessed against deB ermuda House of Assembly livering on these personal development plans? It is
fine to have them, but somebody has got to be held
accountable to deliver on the programmes.
Moving on to [programme] 1702, line item
27066, Vision. I understand, and the Minister made it clear, that the Cambridge Curriculum has been de-signed to include compensatory skills to support the
visually impaired. What type of training do we have in
place for the teachers that support these young pe ople? Are they up to scratch in regard to understanding how best to deliver the Cambridge Curriculum given these physical constraints of our students? I am de-lighted that the private sector has provided laptops
and Wi -Fi to our students and to them I say thank you .
Okay, I am moving on to Early Childhood Education, [programme] 1702, line item 27076. I am delighted that we have a new Education Officer and Quality Assurance Officer that will provide for profes-sional development. My question to the Minister now
is, Where do we stand with the development of a national proper preschool curriculum? Where do we stand on the full implementation of the Inquiring Minds Framework? Have they been . . . has that programme been delivered to all of the qualifying young people of
all of the institutions, of all of the schools that require it? How many teachers have been trained in the I nquiring Minds Framework? And is there ongoing trai ning for the teachers and the parents to support these students? How many students are enrolled and have graduated from the Inquiring Minds Framework?
Paraprofessionals, [programme] 1702, [line
item] 27079. Again, I questioned earlier about what training programmes you have for paraprofessionals. I mean, if my memory serves me, there are maybe 50 to 100 paraprofessionals in our system, and so we need to ensure that we provide them with the support
so that they can have the best outcome for themselves as professionals and also for our students.
[
Inaudible interjections]

Eighty -eight, okay. Because
there is so much going on. Thank you very much.
So, again, my question on that one is, What
type of training do we have? Is it ongoing training? And what standards are we using in regard to trai ning?
Autis m Spectrum. When is the Government
going to provide a designated classroom at Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy for autistic students? I know we were working on it last year and I was wo ndering what progress has been made in delivering that because, again, that will provide better opportunities
for success for the students at Dame Marjorie Bean
Hope Academy.
The Autistic Diagnostic Observation Sche dule, basically that is the screening done by the Child Development Programme. How many new students were identified with the autistic challenges in 2017/18 and where did they fall on the scales? And just give us
a summary of the findings of the assessment and survey that was done by the Child Development Pr ogramme.
Alternative Education. Can the Minister give
us an update on the curriculum in that Success Acad-emy and how many students graduated from the Success Academy, and what are they doing now?
Educational Stores. The Minister spoke briefly
about the Educational Stores area. That has been a
sensitive issue, and he is doing a review on the deliv-ery of those services to ensure efficiency. The ques-tion I have is, When will that review begin? And when
does he expect for it to be completed? Because
teachers are still complaining about buying supplies out of their pocket. I am bombarded with comments in that regard. The PS will know that was the thorn in my side when I was sitting in that seat. We had manage-ment issues at the time and we said that we needed
to review the management and the delivery of these
supplies to our teachers.
Obviously, the process is broken and I we lcome the review because we have to make that pr ocess more user -friendly so that the teachers can think,
I can get all the supplies that I need from the supplies area within the Department of Education and not go into my pocket to the tune of a thousand dollars -plus
per year for teaching our students. Again, this should
be a priority because this issue is a vexing issue for the community and for our teachers.
I know that we have supplies in the Stores
Department, but given the state of the mould situation there, some of the supplies are not worthy of use and so we have to start from scratch. And the Minister has done that by moving the Stores area to another space at the BLDC. So I commend him for taking that step
and, hopefully, within the coming year the supplies
team will be up and running and the ordering process will be user -friendly so that our teachers will not have
to go into their own pockets to provide and underwrite the cost of supplies so that they can teach their st udents.
Facilities. Building and Controls and Equi pment. The Facilities Manager, I am pleased that we have hired an additional employee for the Facilities Management team at the Department of Education.
[
Inaudible interjectio n]

Funded. Okay, funded, because that is a colossal job. That gentleman that is there now is stretched so far it is a shame, because we have so many properties, so many campuses. And I even wonder whether two is going to be enough. I
would support even three because the job is colossal and, again, we have to put an infrastructure in place, protocols in place, that will feed up to him from each
school, from the custodian to the principal to him, so
that we can be proactive in addressing plant issues
1578 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly before they present themselves and we are caught
with our pants down after the fact.
And I understand from the Works and Eng ineering Minister that he has a plan for the schools,
and I applaud him for having a plan for each school. Hopefully , the two employees on the facilities team
will be part of that process so that they can be supported and held accountable in their role as custodians and facilities managers. Facilities management is
a specialised career. Most businesses in the Town of
Hamilton have a facilities management team, and you
cannot underestimate the importance of that role. So,
again, I am delighted that we are hiring another person in that area, but I still question whether that will be
enough.
How many preschool students do we have?
Did you say that in your brief?
[Inaudible interjection]

Not on here? Okay, I will
pass that.
The middle schools. The Minister made it
clear that there is an interes t in reviewing the efficacy
of our middle schools and that he will be having di scussions with the community so that they can help
craft a plan forward for our middle schools. My question to him is this, The 2022 Strategic Plan has a
prominent role for our middle school —STEM training,
soft skills training, academic training—and it will form
a vital role in the academic mix of Bermuda. Having
spent all this money with all that . . . with the comm unity input —it is not a top- down document, it is a bottom-up doc ument —

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Will the Shadow Minister
yield for a point of clarification?

Thank you very much for the
clarification, but I will still continue.
The middle school has a role to play in this
community, and I understand the PLP Government is
assessing the validity of the role that the middle
school plays. But my question to them is this, and it is
a question t hat I presented when I first became Shadow Minister when the PLP took power, What evidence
do you have to demonstrate that the middle schools in
Bermuda are not working? What analytics are you
basing your decisions on in regard to questioning the
capabilit ies of our middle schools?
Middle schools have proven to be effective if
you have proper teaching. When I was researching this issue, one of the challenges that we had in middle
school was not the students and not the principals. In
teaching, most of the teachers who qualify are pr eschool teachers, primary school, secondary school
teachers, or tertiary educators. Not many universities have degrees that specialise in middle school educ ation. So my question becomes, What are we doing to
find those qualified middle school educators to load up
the team that we have here in our middle schools so
that we can enhance the positive performance that we
have?
So, Madam Chairman, [as] part of our educ ation programme, our educational teacher scholarships
could be to pr ovide more scholarships for middle
school teachers so that they could have more support
to do a far more effective role.
Madam Chairman, I believe that there is a role
for middle school students. It has been proven developmentally by psychologists and paediatricians that
this is the way to go because kids are not mature enough to be in high school and they are over -mature
to remain in primary school. So this is a transition that
will prepare them for secondary school and prepare
them to be more mature and take on more respons ibilities—a transition year mentally, physically, and academically. So it is a role that needs to be played and
it has done its role successfully.
But somehow the PLP Government feels that
the middle school model is not working and tha t performance is not up to scratch. And I would like for
them to come back to this House and give us the an alytics that support their decision to assess whether
middle schools are effective in this country.
While on middle schools, last week we had a
contract whereby the Sandys Middle School property
was purchased by the Government of Bermuda. That
poses an interesting question for Sandys Middle
School, Madam Chairman. Heretofore Sandys Middle
School has been an aided school.

And so with the purchase of
the property the school do es not qualify to be a mai ntained school . . . sorry, yes, it does not qualify to be
an aided school. That is what I am thinking of, an ai ded school. And as an aided school it was able to have
its own board of directors, its own trustees. The land
that the trustees held is no longer owned by them. So
somehow there has to be a transition from an aided
school to a maintained school. Where do we stand on that transition? Do we have a template in place that
will address the transition from an aided school to a
maintained school? Because this is an issue that
needs to be addressed.
Again, we may have to look at the situation
across all aided schools because, at the end of the
day, the Department of Education is funding 99.9 per
cent of their expenses. If you reme mber the history of
aided schools, they were built and funded by wealthy
residents in the area for their students, for their chi ldren, and they had a number of benefactors through
the years that ensured that the schools were succes sful. But those days have passed. Today’s people, t oday’s benefactors, are not as committed to education as those people who started this —the Whitney’s, the
Sandys’ and the Berkeley’s —they put their resources
where their mouths were and they did their best to ensure that the children in the neighbourhood had an education and they had the facilities there. Today,
very few benefactors share that same commitment.
And so given that we are spending a lot of
money on education, a lot of money is granted to
these aided schools, maybe we s hould have more say
in the management of the aided schools. You can delegate the management, but in that delegation there
should be some control in regard to how funds are
managed and dispersed within the school. So I am
just saying that maybe it is time f or the Ministry to entertain the direction of aided schools versus mai ntained schools.
The Literacy Initiatives, cost centre 1709, line
27010. Where do we stand on training our secondary
teachers on the subject of the Level Literacy Interve ntion Programme? How many students are enrolled in
this programme? How many students are enrolled in
the primary schools, middle schools, and secondary
schools? Can the Minister give an update in that r egard?
I am going to leave the Cambridge mathematics and professional development because the Mini ster made it clear where things stood, so I will pass over those questions because he has already commented. We were going to also talk about an Early
Childhood Education Green Paper. Where do we
stand on that? And who will produce that?
After School Care. It is interesting that we
have an after school campus at Devonshire Pr eschool, Prospect Preschool, Victor Scott Preschool,
Warwick Preschool, and Dame Marjorie Bean Hope
Academy. My question is, What about the services for
the students and parents in the East End and West
End of the Island, is there a plan to provide pr eschools in Somerset and St. George’s? Both areas are highly dense areas and we have the preschools —

[Inaudible interjection]

—I am talki ng about after
school. That is what I said, after school. So I am sa ying that we should provide after school care for the
students and parents of Somerset and St. George’s.
Right now they are all located in the central parishes.
The Minister indicated the cost of energy i ncreasing and he talked about wastage. The reality is
the energy cost reduced in 2017 because we had
more energy efficient equipment. And so it was managed from an energy efficiency perspective, so maybe
the Minister can continue with that initiative to help
reduce some of the costs. He kept saying that it was underfunded. Well, it was underfunded for a reason, because we were more energy efficient. Okay, I think
that is it for my questions on Education.
Workforce Development. This is a new Ministry and it has been included in the Ministry of Educ ation. And I would like to start by thanking the team for their fine work. Mr. Outerbridge is in the House and he
leads the team. He has done a sterling job. And I am
sorry to see Ms. Pandora Glasford leave the position.
I know she has taken up a responsible job in another
area of Government and I wish her all the best. But I
think the department will continue the fine level of ser-vice and I wish them all the very best.
While on the administration si de, let us speak
to the National Training Plan. The National Training Plan was initiated in 2014 and, basically, what it did
was coordinate workforce planning and brought a
comprehensive gathering of key data on types of pr ofessionals, training, and what t he community needed.
The report has a number of recommendations in it
and I think it is being well managed. And some of
those recommendations have been delivered and they
continue to be delivered. My question to the Minister
is: Where do we stand on Part 2?

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: You guys never finished it.
That is where we stand.

We never finished it, but just
because we left Government does not mean the work
stops. The work will continue. The work will continue.
You were the ones that said last year, Oh!
Where is Part 2? You were jumping up and down sa ying we need Part 2 of the National Training Pr ogramme. Well, continue. It is your opportunity to deli ver on Part 2 to see what the business community wants, to speak to them, to see what their needs are,
to see how we can be of service to them so that they
will feel confident in hiring Bermudians and graduates of the National Training Programme.
So, again, I implore the Minister to roll up his
sleeves and to move forward with Part 2 of the N ational Training Programme.

[Inaudible interjections ]

[Gavel]

On the career development
side, that is [programme] 603, page [B -]148, I know
that we worked with Financial Assistance. Can the
Minister tell us how many Financial Assistance clients
applied for career opportunities or jobs in the Depar tment of Workforce Development? And how many
were successful in securing full -time positions? And
for those who were not successful, what are we doing
to help them re- tool and get back on the employment
ladder and prepare themselves to take their rightful
place?
So, again, if the Minister can provide me with
details on how many Financial Assistance clients a pplied for jobs at NTB and how many were successful in securing full -time positions?

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: If the [Shadow] Minister will
allow a point of clarification?

Member?

POINT OF CLARIFICATION

Hon. Di allo V. S. Rabain: [The] National Training
Board does not accept applications for employment. I
believe he is trying to refer to the Department of Wor kforce Development. The Department of Workforce Development is a career preparation centre, not an employm ent agency. They cannot give jobs to an yone. They can only help them get prepared for jobs.

The National Training Board
has an employment arm and my question is, again,
how many people ap plied to the employment arm of
the National Training Board from Financial Assi stance?
They have the training . . . the Outreach Pr ogramme used to have one in community affairs, that
has been collapsed into National Training, and we had
another training an d apprenticeship placement in
Bermuda College, and now we have the same ap-prenticeship and training in the National Training Board —three arms of education doing the same
thing —and this is why I give the Minister credit that we
need to consolidate and have it all under one area, get rid of the silos, and have one team that is responsible for career placement within the Ministry and
have the appropriate resources. And I am certain that you will have better results.
In regard to the Summer Employment Pr ogramm e, 6004, [page] B -148, I know we had a rel ationship with the Bermuda Institute of Long Term I nsurers and Reinsurers and they provided support to our college and university students. My question is,
What other professional bodies have the National
Training Board team visited to enrol their support in
the Summer Employment Programme?
I am thinking of the professional organisations
like the CFA, the CGA, the Captive Managers, the
Teaching Council, the Sports Governing Bodies, and
the Construction Industry. Do we continue to reach
out to these professional organisations to get them
involved in our Summer Employment Programme? Because I am certain they would like to hire Bermudians if we provide them with quality candidates. And
they are keen to help where they can—most of these
industries —because at the end of the day their bus inesses will benefit from qualified Bermudians.
Again, the Apprenticeship Programme, and I
touched upon it earlier, what type of outreach do we have with the business community for appren ticeship
programmes and scholarships? And, again, we are
competing with each other. Historically ,we have competed with each other. Now we have to work together
under one umbrella and have one agency going out to
these businesses to provide apprenticeship programmes.
I mean, if you have one department —the
Bermuda College going out to businesses; you have the community education going out to businesses; you
have the Training Board going out to businesses and
asking for scholarships —it just shows that we are not
organised. We need to consolidate and manage this
strategically because if we are not organised, the
business community will see that we are not orga nised. So we have to consolidate our efforts and work
as a team for the whole education department and
find opportunities in the business community for apprenticeship programmes and scholarships. We have
to speak with one united voice.


Bermuda House of Assembly The interesting thing that I can speak to is the
2017 Job Market Employment Survey. And, yes, it
gave some news, and some news that I was not ha ppy with as a Bermudian. A cause for worry is that the report highlights that jobs held by Bermudians dropped from 23,576 in 2015 to 23,494 in 2016, a decline of 82 positions. And this was for Bermudians and
Bermudian spouses, while the expatriate community
went up by 269 additional jobs. I am not happy with
that. And the question becomes, Why is this happening? And what are we doing to remedy that situation? Because I know, I have been working in business for
30, 40 years and I find that some of our guest workers
are just as qualified or less qualified than us.
The other issue that I find disturbing from that
report is they gave a report on the disparity of medium-growth salaries across various industries. And this
is where I invite the enforcement team of the Immigr ation Department to get involved. I will give you an example and this is from the Workforce Development
Survey 2017, and these are the differences:
A general Bermudian waiter gets paid a salary
of $31,345. For that same j ob a guest worker gets
paid $42,000.
For an underwriter, a Bermudian gets paid
$150,000 on average; and the expatriate gets paid $200 —

You had 25 years. And I will
just continue because these numbers are startling,
Madam Chairman, they are startling.
An automotive mechanic: a Bermudian motor
mechanic gets paid $55,568; an expatriate one gets paid $65,430; a difference of 17 per cent.
An actuary: a Bermudian Actuary, their mean
salary is $120,000; the expatriate is $188,000; a 57 per cent difference.
Internal auditor: a Bermudian gets paid
$74,000; an expatriate gets paid $108,000.
[Inaudible interjections]

And I implore the leadership
of this Government to hav e that tough conversation
with our business leaders in the international sector
and local sector to say that this disparity ought not to
continue. There should be equitable treatment of our
employees, Bermudian and guest workers, because
most of these peop le are no further qualified than we
are.

[Inaudible interjections ]

[Gavel]

I will give you a year to come
back to give me an update to see what you have done
. . . what your Government has done to ensure that
there is equity in salaries for Bermudians and expatr iates.
Okay. That is all I have in the Education . . .
on the Workforce Development.
The Libraries and Archives, Head 18, item
28130, Administration.

[Inaudible interjections]

No, I want to ask you to pr ovide details on the digitisation strategy for the depar tments in the Library and Archives. What digitisation strate gy exists? I would like for the Minister to provide
more details.
Would he also provide details of how they are
mitigating the mould that is found in some of these
areas?
1582 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly On the records management side, [pr ogramme] 1801, line item 281020, where are Berm uda’s historical records stored for the long term? What
protocols do we have in place to protect them? Please
provide a breakdown of the [$]764,000 allotted to the records management team. How many requests have
we received from various government departments for
records management services and advice? How many
of these requests were addressed and completed?
Are there follow -up visits in regard to the services that
we provide to other ministries in regard to records
management?
Education references and res earch. Again, in
the library, what remote access privileges have you in
place for members of the library? What IT protections do you have in place for the remote access privileges
that members have at the library? The other question,
and it is just a quest ion, do they rent out e- books? I
mean, we are a library and, again, digitisation, do we
have a platform for the rental of e- books?
Also, provide more details on the official Government’s Gazette, which I understand is being transferred to your area for ma nagement and administr ation.
[I have] a question mark on the rentals. There
was a fee for $422,000 for rentals. Can the Minister
tell me [to] what these rentals pertain? Because I am not sure what that pertains to.
Output measures, B -141, business units
28000, collection management. We have issued 25
international standard book numbers in 2017/18. We
have projected a number of 40 for 2018[/19.] How
much revenue do we anticipate realising for these i nternational standard book numbers? What is the cost
per book/manuscript to the department to have these
things produced and registered?
Business unit 28060, adult services. In 2017
you indicated that there were 150,000 users in adult services. How do you track the users per annum?
What mechanism do you have in place to track the
number of users? How do you track the general reference questions answer? In 2017 we had 23,500. In
2018 there is a projected number of 26,000. How do we arrive at that number?
As for Internet users and Wi -Fi users, I understand tha t service is free. Has there been any thought
of charging a nominal fee for those services? Now
also under administration, we invigilate and proctor
exams at the Bermuda Library. I think this is a real
opportunity for the Bermuda Library to capitalise in
this space because a number of professional bodies
are looking for places to invigilate exams. I know they
have been to Bermuda College, but I think the library
that is in town should also ramp up its opportunities in
that space because it is just convenient. So my question is, Do you advertise the proctored exam services that are available in the library and do you advertise
them to professional bodies, home school communi-ties, and other agencies within the community that
basically perform exams on a regular basis?
Madam Chairman, that is the extent of my
questions. I will take a seat so another one of my col-leagues can make a contribution.

Thank you, Madam
Chairman.
Madam Chairman, I am actually pleased to
have the opportunity to weigh in and make a contribution on the education heads. I am going to probably focus my comments mostly on education and partic ularly the Department of Education on page B -128.
It has been a couple of years since I had the
pleasure of actually being in the Ministry, and I will be honest, I think from my perspective, education is probably the most important Ministry out there. I am
reminded of a quote that the former President Obama
said. He was talking to some students, and the PS will
probably remember this quote. I think it was in Phil adelphia, actually, and he was addressing some middle
school students at the time. He said to them, How you
perform in school is going to have a huge bearing on
how successful you are in your future, but more i mportantly it is going to have a huge bearing on how we do as a country. I think there is a lot of tr uth in that
particular nugget from the former President. With
apologies, I haven’t got it quite right. But that was
roughly what he said.
I think that is very true. I think this is a service
economy and one which we often like to say relies on
intellectua l capital for our success, whether it be international business or the service industry and tourism.
I think how well we prepare our young Bermudians,
how well we prepare our students really is going to
make a big difference in how we do as a country and
how successful and affluent we are for that matter as
well.
I am going to focus my remarks a little bit, but
I think, suffice it to say, there are no single silver bullets in education. In order to be successful, as an educational system, you have to do a number of things
well. I am going to come back to a couple of very sp ecific things in a few minutes, but it has been probably
a little over two years . . . I’m sorry. It has been a little
over 10 years since the Hopkins report was released
back in May of 2007. And even Professor Hopkins
said at the time, there were 10 recommendations and
each of those recommendations had a number of very
specific pieces to it. So there were a lot of moving
parts there, as I think we like to say in education, that you have g ot to get reasonably well. So I welcome the
[2022] Strategic Plan that has been laid out.


Bermuda House of Assembly And here is where I would like to go with
some of my comments and perhaps questions as well.
I think the Hopkins report, and that also included
Rhonda Woods -Smith, who was one of the members
of that commission who is, I think, still in the Ministry
of Economic Development, and Lou Matthews, who I
think is retired as a senior education officer —

That is tertiary; I [did] a
little bit of secondary school teaching as well but not
for very long.
One of the things that I think was very key for
Professor Hopkins and those that helped write the
report was the recommendation to dramatically i ncrease the quality of teaching. The other was to i mprove the leadership of principals in the schools as
well. And I think both of those are pretty key. I am going to come back to the Department of Education,
Head 17, on that in many respects.
So I was pleased to see that this actually is a
fairly significant part of the [2022] Strategic Plan [for] Education. But it sort of boils down to a rubric that I recall (and I do not remember where it came from): In
order to be successful in education you have got to
get the best teachers, you have to get the best out of
those teachers, and you got to step in when students
get behind. And I will come back to that third point in a
few minutes as well. But there has been quite a bit of
work over the years. Sometimes we get distracted on things like classroom size. And I am not saying that
this is not important, but I think this issue of the quality
of teaching, the performance of teachers, and the per-formance of principals is pretty key.
I remember there was some very interesting
research that was done a few years ago; it has proba-bly been a few years since I mentioned this as well,
the PS will probably remember this as well. There was
a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Educ ation called Professor Chetty and he worked with some people at Columbia. And they did some work on the
impact a single teacher. I think it was grade 5. What they found was that in grade 5 . . . this was the United
States that they did the work on. It was a very large
data sample. But they found out that a teacher in the top quintile, in other words, in the top 20 per cent of
teacher quality, had enormous impact. What they
found was that even at grade 5 it had an enduring i mpact as well. They found that those students who they followed over a period of years, and there were thousands of students in the sample size, were much less
likely to get pregnant, had a much higher rate of college admission, and interestingly enough had a much
higher average salar y even in their late 20s and early
30s. This issue of quality of teaching and preparing
teachers is a very significant one. I think it is one that,
obviously, I know the Ministry Department is concerned about and is one that I would like to spend a
little bit of time on as well.
So I was pleased to see, Madam Chairman,
that . . . and I am looking at Plan 2022, that the . . .
and this is the third priority, the section on page 21 of
that Plan, which the Minister referred to in his brief
earlier on. And priority 3 is “ Enhancing the Quality of
Teacher Practise and System Leadership.” It goes on
to say . . . with your permission. And I quote, “high
quality instruction and school leadership have the si ngle greatest school -based impact on student success.”
It further goes on to say, in terms of this prior ity area, “The effect that teachers and system leader-ship have on student achievement is well documented
across the globe [Elmore, R. F. (2000)]. Improving the
teaching skills and leadership at all levels in the
BPSS” (I am not sure quite what that is, but an yway) —

[Inaudible interjection]

Thank you. Bermuda
Public School System. “can have a sustained and
transformative impact on the academic achievement
of young people. Bermuda must focus on ensuring
educators who are recruited from high quality training
programs, are mentored and supported by master
teachers to improve their practice in the classroom.”
I think that says it very well.
One of the things that I obviously was interested in, having read that and looking at the budget,
was, does the rubber meet the road, in terms of are
we putting money specifically into professional deve lopment, because while we can make an effort to hire
the best teachers we can, we also have a large body
of teachers out there, some of whom are superb.
I do not need to tell you, Madam Chairman,
that we all, I think all of us, probably to a person, will
remember those teachers who had the biggest impact
on our lives, and oftentimes they were life . . . it was
transformational in terms of that. I can still remember some of the ones who helped me, and I sure that you can [remember some] who helped you as well.
But one of the issues here of course is when
you have teachers, and particularly those who have been in the system for a while, there is an old joke
about, You only teach the same course, it just has a
different name to it over many years. One of the
things that I think is really important, and I think this is
touched on in the Plan, is this issue of continuing to
1584 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly upgrade your teaching skills, continuing to essentially
refresh yourself, and particularly those teachers who (I
will just say) may be a little rusty and may be a little bit
jaded about the thing. There needs to be a continuing
effort to make sure that their skills are 21st century
skills that are up to date.
There are also teachers who are just joining
the system as well. I noticed in the Strategic Plan that
there is an emphasis on essentially setting standards
for where teachers will be rec ruited from, and they
have to be from schools that are accredited. I am not sure when that is going into play, so maybe that is a question for the Minister as well. When will the HR
department, which is also on page 128, start to i mplement and put in place this set of standards that are
referred to in the Plan [2022].
I think this issue of professional development
is an important one. I do not know . . . it tends to get
bandied around a lot. I am not sure whether those
who are listening understand what is being talked
about here. There are number of compound issues, at
least from my perspective on this issue of professional
development. Some of them were articulated a few
years ago, but one of them is the ability to be able to
teach critical thinking and reasoning and problem
solving. I think that is something that needs to be
taught. You need to be able to teach that. It does not matter whether it is math, or English, or science, or
social studies, or whatever it is. This issue of being
able, if you are a t eacher, to teach critical thinking is
important.
Another really important issue is what I will
refer to as “questioning techniques.” They are a fun-damental part of teaching and learning. It is a way to provide and/or find information. The level and quali ty
of questioning determines the level and quality of i nformation received. That is another skill that teachers, particularly newer teachers I think need to be taught.
And again, this comes under the issue of professional
development.
We have had over the almost 25 years I have
been up here lots of discussions about classroom
management. And I think we all understand that us ually as a teacher it takes you a little while to find your
feet, but you get better over time in terms of how you actually manage a c lassroom. And how you manage a
classroom and essentially find a way to make sure
that behavioural levels are where they should be and
are not a distraction is a very important skill as well.
And that is a skill that a number of the charter schools have done a very nice job at. I am not saying all the
charter schools, but I think that is something that is
pretty clear. And that is a skill that can also be taught
to teachers through mentor teachers and others who
have had more experience.
I think we all agai n remember teachers who
were able to command attention in a classroom. If we go way back, there was probably a good reason for
some of that, but there were those that did not need to use a short piece of cane. They were able to do that
because they were re ally good at understanding what
adolescents need to do to pay attention.
I think the other issue of professional development of course is the depth of subject matter. I will
come back to that in a little bit, but I think one of the
challenges, and one mi ght almost say it is a crisis
right now , is this issue of math in the schools. So this
issue of how you teach math and how teachers do a better job of doing that seems to me to be pretty i mportant at this particular point in time.
In fact, there were some interesting comments
in the Gazette today on this issue of the Cambridge
assessors who are here right now. But there was a
. . . and I do not know him, but there was a gentleman,
Mr. Sergio Pitcher, who was talking about, and he was related to . . . where was he from? Something about
Planet Math. I think he helps as a consultant, maybe
not to the department. But he was talking about, “ This
is not a new problem. ” And indeed, that is the case.
But it seems to me, based on my memory, that the math situation has deteriorated somewhat over the
last few years. It has always been an issue in some of
the schools, but I think it has obviously reached, one
might say, almost crises proportions.
But, again, Mr. Pitcher, I thought some of his
comments were well taken. He commented about how
you teach it, how you make it interesting, is going to
be pretty important. Obviously you have got to get the basics in there. You got to get the core in there. And
with math you have got to start at a very early age,
probably almost at a preschool level as well. I think
that that was one of the things that intrigued me with
some of the America’s Cup STEAM programmes in
terms of trying to wrap math and science and a little
bit of technology around the excitement of racing catamarans, and so I would be interested to know
whether . . . the Minister did refer to STEAM in his
comments. But this whole issue of science, technol ogy, engineering, art, and math are pretty fundamental
in this day and age to be able to be a functioning cit izen.
Another area which is important in professional development is what is referred to as “data use.” That is important for teachers because how do
you use individual information about students, about
the class, and be able to use that in a way you can
focus on students who need more help, but using data
that comes out of both grades and other issues. I think
that is something that is pretty important as well. O bviously, I am not going to get into it in any depth, but for principals and leadership there, the i ssue of how
you manage your school, how you allocate time, how
you choose people to go into certain areas. I know
there have always been sort of constraints about pri ncipals being able to essentially hire their own teac hers, they can do that. I think in ai ded schools it is
much more difficult than other schools. But this issue of being able to get the right people in place, get the


Bermuda House of Assembly right teachers, and get the best out of them, is pretty
important for teachers as well.
Then of course there was a Green Paper
done a couple of years ago (it was more than a couple, a few years ago), which you may remember, Madam Chairman, on inclusion in the education sy stem and getting that mix right with respect to special
education and also of course building partnerships
with parents and making sure that that interaction
works very well.
You are probably wondering, in addition to the
fact that this is important, why I am going down this
road. So one of the things that sort of stuck out at me
with respect to the [2022 Strategi c] Plan, was on page
23 of the document, and it said a “50% increase in
funds allocated to targeted professional learning to
support Priority Area” which were not only training, but
also some of the other areas in terms of the educator
licensing requirement and the training of principals,
and this highly qualified teacher designation.
When I actually looked to see whether the
rubber meets the road in the budget, what I found,
and I am going to specifically refer to a couple of categories and the Minister certainly will have an opportunity to address this when he gets up, but on page B -
128, under this issue of school improvement, I notice
that there is an increase from $520,000 up to $685,000. Now, that is an increase of 32 per cent,
which is not bad. But I w ould like to put it in context.
When you think about where we are in this
particular process, and you think about the amount of
work with . . . and I do not know how many teachers
we have now. I am guessing it is probably over 600. It
used to be around 60 0 to 700, but I would be interes ted to know what the answer to that is as well. But
when you actually consider what is required here, the
fact that not only does this not meet the 50 per cent
that the Strategic Plan has set out here . . . now, the
Minister may say, Well, that’s not until 2022. But my
sense would be that if this is such a critical area, and
so key in terms of driving educational performance,
my sense would be that you would want to front -load
this. Why haven’t we got a head start on this? Wh y is
it only a $216,000 increase in an area which is so central and so critical to student performance going forward?
Now, just to put it in context, as I said, my
memory is not great, but I did happen to go back and
look. Going back to the 2014/15 year, t here was an
emphasis on professional development at that time. So I went to see how $685,000 as an estimate compared with that particular year, and we did put an em-phasis on professional development. Back in that time
$3.58 million was put into this area of essentially what
is known as school improvement, or professional development. That is five times what we are looking at here.
Now, in fairness, not all of that money was
spent. I think there was probably a reason for that. Education tends to sort of look at pockets of money
when they have a problem. And I think that in that particular year, towards the end of the year, they had a
problem with substitutes. So the inevitable virement
happened and that money was not all spent because a lot of it went into t he substitute line, which I hope is
a problem that has been sorted out right now. But
eventually over a million dollars was spent.
And I guess the bottom line here for me is,
Madam Chairman, $685,000 on professional deve lopment, given the task at hand, gi ven the crises in
math, is simply insufficient. It is not going to get the
baby washed. It is not going to get the job done from
my perspective. Now, you can say, Okay, the Minister
has only been in place for nine months. But I think
everyone knew what was coming out in these prior ities areas for the Strategic Plan 2022. There was
plenty of advance notice on this. We know we have
got an issue in terms of performance in a number of
areas, particularly math and to a lesser degree, in sc ience. We can say that there may have been staffing
or other issues, but I am talking about a much broader
issue. An educational officer can have an impact; a
good one can make a difference. But where the rubber meets the road is in the classroom and that is
where you have got t o put your resources and put
your money in order to make a difference. And that is what happens in a lot of other countries where you have essentially much better performance than we are
showing right now.
Now, do not get me wrong, as I said, I think
there are some superb teachers. There are some s uperb administrators in the Department of Education. But if we are going to be serious here, we have got to
do what is required, and my sense is that we need to
do a lot more to make this particular area happen.
So those are essentially my thoughts on pr iority number three. I think I have touched on most of
the points that I want to make. Do not get me wrong.
This is not just a question of throwing money at som ething. We have been throwing money in a number of
areas for a number of years. It is a question of using
that money effectively too, particularly when it comes
to professional development. And you also need leadership and I think the fact that we [only] have an Acting Commissioner right now probably is not h elping
because this is the kind of area that a commissioner
of education needs to drive. And I think one where
they can be pretty effective.
So the other area . . . as I said, the rubric is
get the best teachers, get the best out of those teac hers, and step in when students get behind. I would be
curious to know where we stand with respect to following the Education Act. Madam Chairman, you will
know that in the Education Act, and this really refers
to behaviour management, which is . . . what is that?
It is line item 27061. It looks like a little over a million
dollars has been allocated. But the Education Act when it was amended a number of years ago has a
1586 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly section 25. In section 25 there are actually legislative
requirements which the department needs to be able
to follow. One of those is, and I will start with [section]
25A, which talks about school based accountability.
One of the things that has always been in sort
of the back of my mind here, and this is not meant to point fingers, I know it will sound that way. Under [section] 25C, there is a category called “Low performing
schools.” The issue of [section] 25C(3) is “ Where a
school has been identified as a low performing school for two consecutive years, the Commissioner of Edu-cation shall take measures aimed at the improvement
of student performance at the school. ”
And it goes on to say what those measures
may be. The Commissioner also needs to have a pr ocedure in place to identify low performing schools on an annual basis.
Now, my memory, Madam Chair man, of the
department was, like everything in life there is a
spread here. Okay? Some schools do actually a very
good job and there are other schools that do not do as good a job as they should be doing. So the question I
have to the Minister is, How many schools have been
identified in 2017 as low performing? And are there
plans in place specifically to address those particular
schools?
The next issue under section 25[D(1)] is the
issue of students at risk of academic failure. Again, a very similar approach, we have gone from a school
level and we now go to an individual student level. It
says, “ Every school shall identify each of its students
who is at risk of academic failure. ”
And of course this is where the individual education plans come into place. And [section 25D(2)]
says, “ Identification shall occur as early as possible
and may be based on grades, observations, curric ulum-based assessment and other factors that impact
student performance as considered appropriate by
principals and teachers at any time, without having to
wait for testing at the end of a school year. ”
So needless to say, Madam Chairman, I am
curious in terms of this academic year that we are in
now, how many students . . . maybe I will be fair here.
What is the average in schools of the number of st udents who have been identified as at risk of academic failure? You know, we have got 18 primary schools, 5 middle schools, 2 secondary schools, but I would be
interested to know, maybe on a primary level, a mi ddle level, and a senior lev el, what the average is for
the number of students. I remember that it was higher
than any of us would like, but I am curious as to what
it is right now. It has been a few years since I looked at that.
The other question, of course, and it comes
under thi s issue of behaviour management, which is
27061 is, Are all of these students who have been identified on individual education plans? Because if
you cannot step in and help them out, if you cannot
get a plan in place and get parents involved in that as well . . . I know sometimes it is pretty difficult. I am not
trying to be critical here of either the teachers, or pri ncipals, or whomever else. But if you do not make a
good effort at this, then you have got another problem
which is once they get behind, it is very difficult to catch them up. So I am not trying to make light of this
and I am not trying to generalise but the Act is very
specific on this. I would be interested where we stand
with respect to that.
Let me shift to the last area, which was always of great interest to me, and that is early chil dhood development. That is covered to some degree in
two areas. One is early childhood education on page
B-128, and there was $114,000 allocated to that.
There was a drop of $122,000, a 52 per cent drop.
And t hen it is also covered under the early childhood
education programme, which is the child development
programme, for the most part, on page B -130. There
was an increase for the child development programme
of $126,000. It looks like about 8 per cent.
So why is this important? I think most of us
recognise now, and certainly I think this is pretty well
known in the broader community as well, in that this
whole issue of school readiness and being prepared
to start school at P1 is pretty critical. It is not just an
issue in Bermuda. It is an issue in the United States. It
is an issue all over the world. I cannot remember the
statistics, but I remember that the OECD a number of years ago (which as I said last Monday, has 35 counties) . . . it was pretty clear that those countries which
had a preschool programme and a good early chil dhood education programme did a lot better. Their st udents did a lot better. It was significant. And we know that because when you get into P1, there are some
kids that have already been, as it were, socialised.
And I won’t go into what that means but I think anyone
who has had a toddler or a young student knows what that means. Things like sitting still, taking instruction,
being able to deal with other people. It is pretty critical.
One of the things that I would like to have a
better sense of is ––in fact, it was Terry Lister, when
he was Minister, going back a number of years, i ncreased the scope of the screening programme for the
child development programme. It was going to be extended over a longer period of time and it was in
terms of ages, and I think there was going to be more
effort put into that area. I would kind of like to know
where that is.
Now, it is not just a question of screening and
identifying a child who may have learn ing deficiencies
or things of that sort, or may have behavioural problems, it is also an issue of follow -up. And that is not so
much education, in some respects this could be Child
and Family Services. I think a different department.
But I would be interes ted to know where we stand in
that particular area because, suffice it to say, and we have all seen it, if a student enters Primary 1, and they are not school -ready, then they are going to get
behind. They are going to get further and further beBermuda House of Assembly hind unless the issues are identified ahead of time
and unless they are followed up on. And that period is
pivotal in terms of an investment in our students because it is the old An ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure. If you do not catch it then, and you do
not deal with it in the first couple of years, then they become a misery to themselves and a burden to ot hers for a very, very long time. So this whole issue of
early childhood education, early childhood learning
support, I think is critical.
Now, I did not hear him . . . I listened to the
Minister’s brief. He may have mentioned it. My ho nourable colleague Cole Simons said he did. Apparen tly there is a Green Paper coming on early childhood
development. I would certainly welcome that. But, again, I think this is an issue where if you believe that
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, then
we should be spending a whole lot more money here,
not just on child development, but making sure that
our preschools . . . and we did put in a curriculum a
number of years ago. I think it was a creative curric ulum. I cannot remember what the name of it was. But
we should be spending a whole lot more money at this
age in order to give these young students a better
foundation.
Those are, I think, two areas that fr om my
perspective are really important. The quality of teac hing, the quality of leadership by principals is sort of
one broad area, and the other is early childhood education. [It] is absolutely key. There is a fellow who got
a Nobel Prize for that, showing that an investment
there paid extraordinary dividends. This work was
done in the United States, but that is something that has always impressed me.
I know the Minister set out a number of what I
will call “new school improvement strategies” which he
said will be identified. This is professional development. Those should have been identified already. You
know, we are already slow in getting off the mark. We
want to improve Cambridge Checkpoint exams. We
should have been working on Cambridge Checkpoint
exams before this, so obviously I think a number of
Governments have to take some responsibility here. I think he said it has been in place now for seven- odd
years, the Cambridge curriculum. I do not have a problem with the Cambridge curriculum. I think it was a good decision by a former Progressive Labour Party
Government to get an internationally recognised curriculum in place. I think that this is key. But since it is
there we have to make the best use out of it.
I think those were the major issues that I
wanted to raise. Just two points and then I will finish
up. I do not know where we stand with respect to the
census. I think it will be out in the next couple of
months. But it will be very interesting to see because
questions about educational attainment are very much a part of that. I will be very interested to see whether
we have made progress since the last one, which was
2010, I believe. Again, that gets back to this issue of former President Obama saying, How we perform in
school . . . but it also a question not so much of paper
credentials, but how well educated we are as a community because that has a huge bearing on our level
of compensation as individuals.
We all know there is a very clear straight line,
increasing graph between educational attainm ent le vel and actual salary or compensation. So that is good for everybody here, and the degree to which we can
improve that is important. But that comes back to doing some of these other things right and there is no new news here. It goes back to Hopkins; it goes back
to many, many years before that. This issue of what
happens in the classroom is absolutely key.
I will make a final comment [about something]
which I was rather disappointed in. I understand that
we have sort of bureaucracy and rules around here, but a couple of years ago I think the Education Commissioner’s grading level, the PS level, was actually
downgraded. From my perspective, that was a big
mistake because, clearly, you want to be able to attract the best possible candidates for that particular position. And I am not going to get into whether they
should be Bermudian or not Bermudian. I do not think
parents care whether the Commissioner is a Berm udian or not Bermudian. I think what they care about is
getting the best possible person into that particular
role.
If we have to pay a little more to get the best
possible Bermudian in that role, so be it. So I think that was a mistake to actually downgrade that. I know
there are sort of levels that need to be looked at, but I think that that is something that maybe the current
Government would like to have another look at be-cause that leadership position in the Department of
Education, I’m not talking about the Ministry, that is
where the PS is, in the Ministry is absolutely critical.
Thank you, Madam Chairman.

Thank you, Madam Chairman.
Madam Chairman, I just have a couple of
questions. There have been questions that have been
asked of the Minister and I think predicated upon what
the responses are will determine whether I have any additional questions. But specifically from the Budget
Book on page C -16, when it comes to the Ministry of
Education and Workforce Development, with respect to grants . . . the one thing that we have heard perennially and certainly over the course of the last five
years, beatin g the drum was how little concerned the
previous administration appeared to have [been] when
1588 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly it came to putting resources into respective required
areas.
The one thing that I note here is that for the
Ministry of Education and Workforce Development
headquarters, with respect to grants, the grants have been decreased from . . . well, on the original grant for
2017/18, we had $1,737,000, which is the same as
the estimate going forward for 2018/19. However, the
briefs have been predicated on the revisions bas ed on
the revised estimates, and the revised estimate act ually showed that we had an increase of grants to external bodies for $1,774,000. So when we look at that
$1,774,000 as against what we were anticipating for
2018/19, there actually is a decrease of $37,000.
Now those decreases in particular, under
[programme] 6864, for teacher training awards, where
the revised estimate for 2017/18 was actually
[$]142[,000] and it is now back down to $60,000. So
that is a significant decrease of $82,000 on a line it em
that in and of itself did not seem to be particularly adequate. But I think when we reach a situation where your revised estimate is higher than your initial est imate, that certainly should be the springboard for your starting point to determine what made up the add itional difference to increase that revised estimate from
the original [$]60[,000] up to 142, and why now are we
having a decrease in that amount of money for teac her training awards?
The second question is very similar. And that
is programm e 6867, our mature student awards.
There was $115,000 awarded to mature student
awards in 2017/18 and that has gone back down to
[$]90[,000] which was the original estimate from the original 2017/18 as well as 2018/19. So on the face of
it it may appear th at there is no difference, but again,
your actual of mature student awards in 2017/18 was
revised upward to $115,000 and now it has gone back
down to $90,000.
Similarly, grants to external bodies on [pr ogramme] 6869, has gone down from $574,000 by
$37,000, down to a new figure of $537,000, which I
agree that it agrees with the original estimates and to
all intents and purposes it may appear that there is no difference, but when you start to look at your rev isions, which means that there is more money that has been afforded in those particular areas, and now you are cutting it back, you cannot on the one hand crit icise somebody for saying that you do not care when,
on the other hand, you are showing that your numbers
are down based on what you physically rev ised your
estimates to be on the prior year. So I think that it is . . . I think when we hear about a travesty then that
would certainly be one that would certainly pique my
attention.
Also, on page C -17 with respect to the Mini stry of Education, scholar ships. The Department of
Workforce Development, under 6866, scholarships,
had an original estimate of $525,000 on the 2017/18
financial year. The revised estimate went up by $370,000, which obviously showed that there was
something that was initiating . . . additional training
that was identified, additional scholarships that were
needed, and additional benefits that would enure to
the young people who have taken advantage of those programmes during that period of time, to the tune of
$370,000. That $370,000 has also now been cut back
down to [$]525[,000], which is the original estimate
from 2017/18.
It is difficult to understand how the Minister
can have spent such an incredible amount of time cri ticising the fact that nobody cares, and then you drop
your scholarships on 6866 by $370,000.
Similarly, on programme 7098, which is the
summer student programme, it was originally at $500,000, a revised estimate has gone down to
[$]422[,000], but then that has been again cut by a nother . . . whether you look at i t on the original est imate, it is cut by [$]100[,000], or if you look at it on the
revised estimate, to be consistent, it is decreased by
$78,000 down to $400,000 for summer student pr ogramme. And that is a programme that has been assisted in great measure by the Department of Wor kforce Development to ensure that when our young
people come home either for the summer, or some of
our high school students, that they are able to be engaged, and many of them on a sort of trainee kind of
level, an apprentice kind of level, just so that they can
get that experience.
The experience ties in with the amount that
we are putting toward ensuring that it is important to have our young people exposed. So we cannot su ggest that, you know, we are showing any particular
level of concern when in fact the money allocation has
gone down.
I wanted to speak to the issue of the National
Training Plan. I did hear the Minister’s interpolation earlier in terms of the fact that [Part] 2 of the Plan had
not yet actually been delivered. You will know, Madam
Chairman, that Part 2 of the National Training Plan
was well advanced in the early part of last year. In
fact, I actually stood in the capacity as Minister for that
department and had intended to see the final plan actually delivered. I actually made a Statement to this
House to that effect.
Well, we had an election that intervened and
the final plan, as much as I would have liked to have
seen it delivered, was not delivered in the timeframe
within which I would have anticipated. It w as not delivered. All we can say is that we take responsibility for
that failure to have delivered it. However, subsequent to that . . . we are talking about nearly another eight or
nine months later, I would have imaged that the new
Government would have been chopping at the bit to
be able to rectify the issue with respect to the nondelivery of the National Training Plan, Part 2, only
from the perspective that this Plan was so important.
And we heard that it was a travesty to not have a N ational Training Plan in place and that the former GovBermuda House of Assembly ernment started it in 2014 and it took forever for it to
be delivered and why have you failed our people, and
our children, and you know, all of that, when, I have to
say, that prior to 2014, it is important to point out,
there was no National Training Plan in place.
So I do not have a problem taking criticism for
something that may have been deficient that we
looked at and may not have delivered on in an appr opriate manner, but if the people who are complaining
that something did not get done, had 14 years prior to
that to at least come up with the idea that it was i mportant, it never hit the radar. So from 2014 when we
were able to have [Part] 1 put in between 2014 and
2016, 2017 . . . as I say, I take personal respons ibility
for the failure to deliver [Part] 2 of that Plan.
However, that having been said, it is no less
important to ensure that this actually is delivered. You
know, as I indicated, the Government would have
been . . . I would have expected when the elec tion
was July 18, that on July 19 we would have seen
something. So whether we have [Part] 2 now at the stage of being able to be delivered to and shared with
the people of Bermuda, then I accept that. All I can
say is that, when I hear a Minister’s interpolation sa ying, You didn’t do anything to complete it , I think it is
unfortunate.
It is unfortunate. Because the nature of Government change is that if something is deemed to be
important and it is not completed by one agency, then
certainly the new agency has an obligation to our
people to be able to maintain the standard that is necessary. That would be my observation there.
I did hear that Pandora Glasford, who has
been an integral part of the Ministry ––and certainly
one whose interests were in the subj ect to which I
spoke earlier, and that is with respect to arranging
scholarships and arranging further education for our
young people–– that she is no longer going to be with
that particular department, I want to extend my per-sonal thanks to Pandora for the work that she has
done and the methodology by which she has been
consistent in ensuring that our young people have not
just exposure to, but have the opportunities that go with that exposure.
She has been dogmatic, she has been like a
dog with a bone in making sure that the relationships
existed between the schools that have those pr ogrammes to which our young people have aspired and
to which they have been assigned. And you know,
New England Institute of Technology [NEIT] comes to
mind. I do recall that the year prior to being respons ible for the Ministry of Workforce Development, I was
actually responsible for the Ministry of Public Works.
And in that capacity I was invited to actually attend the
graduation ceremony at NEIT for the students who
were graduating at that point in time. There were 22 Bermudian students on the roster. There were 14, I
believe, who actually graduated on the day in nursing, in electrical engineering. It was just the most heart -
warming and fascinating experience to go up there.
I will tell you, Madam Chairman, because of
how mindful I am with the expenditure of the public
purse, notwithstanding the criticisms that one would get, I actually paid to go to that on my own dime.
Why? Because under the electrical engineering segment gr aduates, my step- son, who I did not know at
the time, just because of circumstances, did not even
know he was at the school . . . but when I saw that his
name was on the list, I thought, It will never be said
that I was going to somebody’s graduation because
he happened to be a family member. It would never
have happened. I am quite happy to have paid for that
because I believe that to the extent that a Minister is
willing to put his money where his mouth is, to leave
the money in the kitty for young people’s develo pment, I believe it is positive.
So I just wanted to make comments there,
and as I said, I do have a couple of more questions,
but I will allow the Minister, or whomever else may
wish to speak, to have the opportunity to contribute to the debate, and then depending on the answers to
some of the questions, I will have a couple of more
questions. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Madam Chai rman. This is certainly one of the most critical debates
that we are faced with, in consideration of these
heads.
With respect to B -123, the new Government
with the new Minister coming in has demonstrated a
significant commitment to education, translated into the major additional investment in the budget, as we
discussed earlier, to the tune of over $5,184,000 for
the Department of Educati on.
In light of the lack of major investment in the
preceding four or five years, I think both sides of the
aisle can at least offer support for that investment be-cause ultimately it is an investment in the future of our
young people and ultimately an inv estment in Berm uda.
Of course we know that in light of the ongoing
fiscal challenges confronting our Government that it
was not easy finding this investment. But the PLP Government recognises that these types of inves tments always pay off. That this, besi des being an i nvestment in education, more precisely, is also an ec onomic investment in our people because a highly educated workforce accrues to significant benefit for the
country for a number of decades and years. So we commend them for doing that, like I said, to the tune
of $5,184,000.
1590 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly You will also know, with the addition of Wor kforce Development, again on B -123, we are looking at
a combined total of $5,869,000.
So, Madam Chairman, if you go now to C -16,
we have the comments in terms of grants and contr ibutions. The Member . . . and one cannot deny it,
there have been some very modest declines in a couple of line items. She speaks of teacher training
awards, for example, and the one or two other categories. But I just want to take a quick, I guess, jaunt
down memory lane.
For example, a historical analysis of budgets
for substitute teachers reveals that in 2013/14, if I may
Madam Chairman, we had an original budget of
$1,350,000. The actual spend that occurred was $1,890,317. Similarly, in 2014/15, [w e had] an original
budget of $1,221,358, the actual spend resulted in $2,732,550 being expended.
In 2015/16, the original budget was $500,000.
Woefully underestimated I would say. An actual spend for substitute teachers latterly amounted to $2,295,105. Si milarly, again, 2016/17 another
$500,000 was earmarked.
Through supplementals for all of these, of
course, to get the added money that was needed, we
ended up in 2016/17 spending $2,881,000. In
2017/18, under the former Government we had $2,100,000 earmar ked and the spend amounted to
$2,381,717.
And so, the former Minister for another Mini stry who just spoke, talks about these modest decreases here in certain categories while ignoring . . . or just
for myself to remind people that we have had a very
significant amount of expenditures that were woefully
underfunded by way of the budget processes that occurred during those respective years.
We heard earlier from one or two Members
who referenced middle schools. Certainly, we know
that there has been a comm itment to reform that sy stem that would, in time, see the elimination of middle schools in Bermuda. I just would like to push back
somewhat, Madam Chairman. I think it was the Member from constituency 22, and perhaps the Member, Mr. Simons, from constituency 8. And I think what
gets lost here is that they ask for an evidence- based
approach to justify the decision to eliminate middle
schools. There has been talk, of course, on this side
of the aisle about the fact that it can contribute to
some of the antisocial behaviour that we have seen
evolve over the last 15 or 20 years. We know that the
same sort of views have been expressed about the
roles of our senior schools during the same period. I think to some degree . . . and I will be honest myself, I
think sometimes we focus on the symptom while i gnoring the underlying causes.
But what has not been acknowledged here is
that middle schools themselves, in the Bermudian
context, have not been really operating as middle
schools. From my standpoint, I mean, from w hat I have been able to glean from my discussions with
educators, the middle schools have devolved to a certain extent, whereby they can be characterised more
as glorified junior high schools in the Bermudian context as opposed to classic middle schools, w hich we
came to expect as originally proposed. We think this is
problematic. Now, can we fix that? Well, ultimately,
the fix for us is to say, Well, let’s move away from a
system that we think has not been serving our Bermudians all that well.
I would al so, Madam, draw your attention to
the comments that were made not too long ago by the now Minister of Education, where he referenced the
fact (I am going to put it in my words) that so much of
the fix in terms of education, which sometimes escapes most of us, can only be found outside of the
halls or walls of the education system itself, outside of the walls of academia. The fact of the matter is that
ongoing high levels of income inequality can have a
very deleterious impact on educational outcomes. For
example, if I may, Madam Chairman, with your indu lgence, a study, only one of many, from the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, characterises how
economic inequality affects children’s educational ou tcomes.
And I am going to quote: “What happens in
the home is paramount to children’s early develo pment. Economically disadvantaged children’s limited
access to cognitively enriching home environments
may help drive growing gaps in cognitive and noncognitive skills, producing a feedback cycle that leads
to low socioeconomic mobility and further grows inequality. Research increasingly suggests that policy
should identify new targets for programs aimed at enhancing parent -child interactions in low -income fam ilies, such as Early Head Start and Healthy Families
America. All parents want to help their children flourish,” it adds, “but low -income parents often lack the
resources to achieve their parenting goals. Parents
are children’s first teachers and, to equalize the pla ying field, governments need to invest in parents so
that they, in turn, can better invest in their children.”
And we had the Minister and a few others
talking about what I call using the language of ps ychology, to some degree, speaking of what I call this multigenerational trauma. I prefer to s peak in the language of sociology, myself, and talk about how extraordinarily the growth of income inequality has had
impact on these low -income families in Bermuda. And
one of the impacts has been the impact that it has had on educational outcomes from children who come from these low -income households all up and down
Bermuda.
Now, it also has even more pernicious i mpacts, and we have talked about this as well. In any
country where you see an extraordinary growth in i ncome inequality, the whole gang format ion, gang vi olence, the rise in certain kinds of crime begin to ex-plode. These are the by -products. That is why I said


Bermuda House of Assembly we need to focus on cause, as opposed to symptom
as we often do. So, if I may, with your indulgence, just
finish off one paragraph here, Madam, before I turn
more directly to some of the other heads here . . .
“Growing income inequality also increases the
gap in the resources high - and low -income families
can spend on enrichment goods and services for their
children. For instance, Sabino K ornrich and Frank
Furstenberg show that spending on child- enrichment
goods and services jumped for families in the top
quintiles . . .” Where do most of the children in a pr ivate school go to, or come from, I should say? They
come from middle- and upper -middle income and affluent families. So let me say here that low -income
families can spend on enrichment goods and services
for their children, as I said.
“For instance, Sabino Kornrich and Frank
Furstenberg show that spending on child- enrichment
goods and s ervices jumped for families in the top
quintiles but increased much less —in both absolute
and relative terms —for families in bottom -income
quintiles, as reflected in four large consumer expenditure surveys conducted between the early 1970s and
2005 –2006. I n 1972– 1973, high- income families spent
about $2,700 more per year on child enrichment than
did low -income families. By 2005 –2006, this gap had
nearly tripled, to $7,500.”
And so, things like the Cambridge Curriculum
are not a magic bullet. It is not. We need to focus on
what is happening outside of education, those educ ational walls, just as much as we are focusing on what is going on inside of those walls. And now, some are
going to say, Here we go again. But it all tracks very
neatly to Bermuda’s racial disparity; let us be honest
about it. The majority of children in most of those pr ivate schools come from highly affluent white families.
You will see about maybe 10, 15, 20 per cent of the
student body is black Bermudian.
On the other hand, our teachers and educ ators are presiding over largely a black -dominated pu blic education system. And the way that our poverty, [our] low -income tracks very neatly to racial disparity
in Bermuda, it should be no surprise in that, disproportionately, these impacts are fal ling on our low -income
black households all up and down the country. It is not your grandmother’s educational system anymore.
The Minister made mention of Career Pat hways. I am very happy about that. Of course, betra ying my . . . I guess, to some degree it is my ego tal king. You know, I take so much pride in that pr ogramme, as it came directly out of the Mincy report on young black males. The American name of the brand-ing of the programme was Career Academies, which
was the original branding in the American context. We
Bermudianised it somewhat and called it Career
Pathways.
I did not implement fully the full panoply of
training and vocational services that forms part of the American- branded Career Academy. But certainly, from the results that were seen, par ticularly on the
vocational and job- shadowing part, in particular, in
terms of Career Pathways, I have said it before, I will
give it again: The now -Opposition needs to get credit,
because after 2012/13, they migrated it down from the
senior school level t o the middle schools. And I think
that happened under the Member from constituency 22, I believe. And so, they deserve credit for that.
Okay. Moving on, I think the Minister needs to
be also commended. Some of you may remember, in
2015, I did a paper on the impact of technological di sruption on our labour markets, and our economy more
broadly. And also, we talked about how the PLP had
been at the forefront of ensuring that our education
system and training systems were going to be at the
cutting edge of change. We were some of the early
advocates, strong advocates for both STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] and/or
STEAM [science, technology, engineering, art and
mathematics] being totally integrated into our curric ulums. We make no apologies for that, back in, again,
the bad old days of 2012/13.
The Minister has maintained that tradition, or
that forward movement here. And this costs us no
money, Madam Chairman. And I am speaking partic ularly of the coding (what is the term?), the coding curriculum.
Minister, is that how it is phrased, again? Mi nister? With Sister Cora . . .

[Inaudible interjection]

Yes. I am sorry.
The coding programme in the primary
schools. Sister Cora Wells . . . (Excuse me for my f amiliarity by using the term “ Sister. ”) But Ms. Wells has
teamed up with the Ministry of Education under the
Minister here and is doing a fantastic job in taking
coding to, again, a lot of these young children, kids (to
use an American term that some in our communit y do
not like to hear) and teaching them coding at the pr imary school level. This is so critically important be-cause, fundamentally, it is just segueing a little bit into
the area of workforce development, Madam Chai rman. (And just bear with me for a second here.)

Uh-huh. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
Workforce Development, as we see here, has
been one of the cornerstones of our melding the education and tr aining with the real -world economy. And
getting back to Ms. Wells, we have seen this symbi osis taking place to prepare our students for the 21st
century economy as opposed to the 19th or 20th century economy, which still, as a legacy, I think bedevils
our ability to transform education in a way that is going to move us forward as a people.
So, we have had a slight decrease in wor kforce development, but I think that is more than compensated for by the fact, again, by $500,000, by the
twinning under the one ministerial head of Workforce
Development and Education. Certainly, we know that it is going to be important in terms of coding and pr ogramming. We need to get our young people into that
direction. We know, we see the general outlines of the
impact that ar tificial intelligence is going to play in
terms of hiring. The Government itself is making an assiduous effort to move toward FinTech, embracing
it. We know that is going to happen in terms of a
blockchain. And we need to make sure that our young people, w ho at an age in primary school are most
open to learning what the contours of this brave new
world are, can take their place in 10 –15 years within
these emerging industries.
We simply cannot have a Bermuda, as we
had with the growth of international business dom inated by reinsurance, where our people—and I am
not going to be speaking in euphemisms —where
black Bermudians are not playing an intrinsic role at
the highest level of these industries. Not one or two
sprinkled in here and there, but playing a crit ical and
mainstream role within these industries. And this
Government is committed to doing that.
I want to commend the team down there with
Workforce Development, under Mr. George Outer-bridge. I want to also thank Ms. Pandora Glasford for her contribution , as well.
There was some talk about the National Trai ning Plan, which we never saw —Part 2, I might add. It
was a big disappointment. We were led to expect that
we would see major growth there, and forward mov ement. And it did not really occur. So we, not only ourselves in this Chamber but the country at large, had their expectations enhanced by waiting for that doc ument, and it never took place. So I think it is a little
rich to suggest that a new government coming in
would necessarily want to finish all of the unfinished
business by the previous Government. Certainly, a
new government may not share the same philosoph ical view or may wish to enact its own plans. And there will be other occasions or other i nstances, of course, when a plan that has been put in
motion by a previous government is taken up, as in
the case I mentioned earlier about Career Pathways,
for example, which I have given [the OBA Gover nment] credit for the way that programme has been
continued.
Finally, Madam Chairman, I just want to say
that, getting back to education, one of the biggest, of course, and significant expenditures has gone to
begin the process of paying our educators what they are worth. And I am happy about that, because, besides having a greater focus on what is taking pl ace
outside of the classroom, as I spoke earlier, we must
also ensure that our teachers are going to be properly
funded in terms of salaries and benefits, to provide
that added incentive for them to deliver in a way that the country expects. You will note that only a few . . .
In the last week or so, we have had the exp erience of teachers in West Virginia, for example, wo efully underpaid. It was just abominable what the cond itions under which they were working were taking place down there. Belatedly, at the last hurrah, if you
will, they were able to secure a 5 per cent increase.
But teachers, along with other civil servants, of
course, got a 2.2 per cent increase in wages. And
again, I think deservedly so.
Lastly, before I take my seat, I just want to
make reference to the impact of demographics here. I
was reading a New York Times article that spoke to the fact that . . . the headline was more or less along
the lines that South Korea’s biggest problem is not nuclear annihilation. It is the fact that they have an ageing population. And the writer at the New York
Times characterised South Korea’s ageing population
as being the worst in terms of they are 41 years of
age, the worst for any advanced economy in the
world. Well, obviously, he did not do his homewor k,
because in Bermuda we are already at 44 years of
age as being the sort of average age of a Bermudian,
which is a fairly old or ageing population.
Many people may not be aware of this, but for
years now, the black community has been trending
even older, if I may, than the white Bermudian or
white resident population. And a lot of it is because of
immigration trends over the last half -century or more
just favoured the immigration of largely on- average
younger white migrants to the country, many of whom then become permanent residents or have achieved status over the last 50 –60 years. And so, the fertility
rates in Bermuda have gone down. They are probably
at no higher than 1.2 or 1.3, in terms of fertility rate. And the implications of that, for our school system and
government in general, are profound. But, so, I was
happy (if that is a term I can use) to hear the BUT, the Bermuda Union of Teachers, only a couple of weeks
ago state that they are not necessarily opposed to
consolidation of our school system, particularly around
things like the number of schools that we have. But I


Bermuda House of Assembly think they must be aware of the way the demographics are playing into this.
So, I just want to say that I commend them for
being at least open- minded to the fact that, due to the
emerging demographic profile, which is only going to
worsen, that we are going to have to make some hard
choices with respect to the size of a physical plant.
Thank you, Madam.

Thank you, Madam Chairman. I
just have a few questions to ask the Minister.
Education, as everybody has stated, is a crit ical subject and is something that we need to get right
for our c hildren. Yesterday, we heard the Minister for
Community, Culture and Sport talking about the trauma that families are undergoing and that children are undergoing. I am wondering, under line item 27063,
School Psychology, there has been a reduction, from
$810,000—

Page B -128, under the General
Summary. And it is line item 27063.
And it has gone down from $810,000 to
$793,000. I am just wondering why there has been a
decrease, given the fact that we have our children who are so, so challenged, and whether or not there is
a reason for that decrease.
Under 27069, Gifted and Talented, I would
like to know which schools have talented and gifted
programmes, and how many students are enrolled in
those programmes, and how the funding is allocated
amongst the different school programmes.
Under line item 27071, Office Support, I see
that has increased from 526 to 725. And I would like to know the reason for the increase.
Under 27074, Learning Support, that has
gone down from $4,231,000 to $3,976,000. And I would like to know what the reason is for that d ecrease. Is that because we have fewer children e nrolled in schools, so we do not require as much lear ning support? Or what is the reason for t he decrease?
Under item 27072, Counsellors. When I was
going to school many, many years ago, counsellors were an integral part of the education process. And when we went to school, the counsellors were r esponsible for identifying, or helping us to identif y, our
career paths, helping us to go into the areas where we would be able to use our skills to the best of our abi lity.
And we used to have what was called the O ccupational Handbook. And the Occupational Han d-book set out the jobs that were going to be av ailable,
the jurisdictions that those jobs would be available in, what the pay raises would be, and the number of people who would be interested in those jobs. And I am
just wondering if we have something like that for our students here so that students ar e not going out and
learning to be accountants or lawyers, or going out to
be skilled in areas where we already have an abu ndance of people. So, I would like to know whether
there is something that helps people like the students
identify where the areas ar e going to be, where they
can best utilise their skills and make the most money,
and be able to actually get a job when they come back
home to Bermuda.
I am on page B -129. I note that the school in
my constituency, line item 27450, Heron Bay School,
has r eceived an increase, which I am pleased to see.
And I would just like to know whether or not they had
some specific items that needed to be addressed,
which is why they got an increase of $130,000, which
is, I think, the second highest increase, with Victor
Scott getting $330,000.
On page B -130, Early Childhood Education,
line item 27175, the Child Development Project. The
Child Development Project is something that is very
near and dear to me. And they were very helpful with
me when I had my son. I do not know if a lot of people
are aware of the Child Development Project and that they not only come to your home to assess your chi ldren, but they have a toy library. They offer parental
support. They offer autism identification, and we have
a number of childr en who are now showing up on the
autism scale. And they also provide developmental
support. So, I am happy to see that they have had an
increase. But, like my colleague who spoke before
me, MP Gibbons, I would like to see a greater i ncrease. Early Childhood Education is very important in the development of our children. And helping parents
to deal with children in the early stages is also very important.
And there was one more thing— 27083, the
Autism Spectrum Disorder. And there is a reduction in that number from 687 to 667. And I would just like to
know why there was a decrease. I would like to know
what it is that the schools do to prepare or to deal with the children who have autism. I have a niece who actually has autism. She has Asperger syndrome. She
has recently graduated from university, and she is
trying to find a job. Do we do anything to prepare our
children for college? Do we believe that our autistic
children can go to college? And if they do, do we pr epare them for life in college and for life afterwards?
And I have one more, I think, on page B -123,
item 50, Workforce Development. I see that has gone down by over $500,000. This is the agency that helps
overseas career development and training. And it is
critical. It provides job readiness and helps our wor king people for professional development. And I would
like to know why that decrease has taken place.
1594 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly And I think that is it for me. I do not have any
more questions, I do not think.
Oh, one of the things I wanted to ask was,
under item 27063, School Psychology. Given the cha llenges and the trauma that our children are facing,
and we are providing support for our students, do the
teachers get support, and do they get any psychological support for some of the things that they have to
deal with i n the classroom with their students?
I think that it is. Thank you.

Thank you, Member.
Would any other Honourable Member . . . just
before we go on, I just want to say that we are currently in the Committee of Supply for further consideration of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for
the year 2018/19. We are currently debating the Edu-cation and Workforce Development Heads 16, 17, 18,
41, and 60. And we have approximately one hour and
32 minutes left.
I recognise the Member from const ituency 4,
who is on her feet.

But I do want to start off by gi ving kudos to the Ministry of Education and all of the educators who are out there, who provide a great service to our students and our public system. So I would
like to start off by saying that. And I also would just like to highlight that when we speak about this budget
and the commitment that we have made in regard to
the increase in funds for our education, we spoke
about how we are going to fund more leadership pos itions. But we must recognise that every position in
education is a leadership position.
And also, I would like to give kudos to the
Minister of Education, because educatio n is a very
tough ministry, a very emotionally charged ministry.
Anyone in education who is working with children, we all want our children to do well. And so, it makes it
very emotionally charged.
We speak about teachers and educators, and
we do know that the majority of educators in our sy stem are women. And so, a question to the Minister is, with the current education scholarships and awards,
are we looking at encouraging more men to come into
the profession of teaching?
And today’s child is a different child. They are
spending more time in technology, with the iPads and
the televisions, less time outside doing hands -on sort
of activities. And so, when they come into the clas sroom, they are probably craving that sort of feedback.
And so, we see that the literacy area has not been
funded. And I know that we are allocating funds in other areas for that. So, it is just key that we continue to support literacy, not only in school, but at homes,
as well.
I am just going to speak a little bit to —and all
of thi s I am speaking to is from page B -128. But I
would just like to speak to the Strategic Plan of 2022.
Also, I want to congratulate all of the people who participated in this effort. It was a great one, with a lot of
community involvement. But what was key w ithin the
strategic plan, because I did get to participate, myself,
was that parents wanted quality education and they
wanted quality teachers.
But, to be clear what a quality teacher is, it
does not mean that it is a qualification per se, the degree of the teacher. It also means, How well do you
know my child? Can you tell me how my child can
learn? Can you tell me what influences my child to
learn? And I think that the quality teachers of that sort
of magnitude, how well do they know their content?
Can they explain that to the parents? Can they explain
that to other educators and be comfortable doing that
in their presence? And so, the relationships with parents and teachers are paramount in the success of our children. So, you know, if we are going to get a
successful education system, particularly with our
younger students, then the relationships of parents
and our students are very, very key.
As far as the behavioural services, on page B -
128, a colleague spoke about the trauma that a lot of our children are experiencing. And we can relate this
to another area in which we talked about the increase
in domestic violence. I think that our Government is
committed to behavioural management, as that is out-lined in our platform. And looking at the commitment
to what was previously set for behavioural management, in the actual line 27061, for 2017/18, at 916, and then our estimate, as PLP Government, commi tting 1,079.
In the area of psychology, which was mentioned previously, the actual for 2016/17, which was
603, and we are committing 793. And we also spent
810. So we are showing that we have a commitment
to behavioural management and activities or compl iance in our schools. Also, I would just like to congrat ulate the Ministry for maintaining continued support in
the areas of the vision programmes, the hearing pr ogrammes, and the autism spectrum disorder pr ogrammes.
Anyone who has a child with special needs
understands that, in order for them to succeed, they
require accommodations and modifications. And these
acco mmodations and modifications do not come at an
inexpensive price. And so, we must continue to su pport these programmes so that our children . . . we
talk about our students being global and globally competitive all over the world. Well, our students will
need supplies, as far as accommodations and modif ications, so that they can perform globally across the
world, as well. And I would also like to relate that to
the heading on B -129 for the students at Dame Marj oBermuda House of Assembly rie Bean Academy, item number 27120. In 2016/1 7,
the actual was 453. And we as a government are continuing our commitment of 589.
I just want to jump back to behavioural management, because I heard on the floor earlier in r egard to our teachers continuing with the SCARS [Sa ving Children And Revealing Secrets] training. Well, I
also want to highlight another training out there as it
relates to mental illnesses, relating back to . . . with
the SCARS training, we learn to identify what a child looks like who might be abused. But then, what do we
do after? And there is a training out there called Mental Health First Aid. So, just like we have first aid for
physical ailments, there is also a mental health first
aid for identifying such things like anxiety or depres-sion. And so, educators should have this training so
that they know how to deal with students who are experiencing antisocial behaviour or experiencing depression or any anxiety.
Anyone who knows, who works with children,
anxiety can be huge around test -taking. And I can a ttest to that myself. You know, taking a test and kno wing that I had to take a test took a lot of studying and
prompting and preparing myself, you know, trying to
figure out whether or not I am going to do well on this
test. And so, anxiety goes along with test -taking. And
if we ar e not preparing our students to take tests, then
some of them may not do well. It does not mean that they do not know the content. It is just that the test -
taking creates a lot of anxiety. And so, we should definitely be assisting our students when it comes to anxiety around test -taking.
I did have a question in regard to page B -128,
with substitutes. And that question was, Do we have a percentage of teacher absences, as well as a percentage of student absences?
I just wanted to highlight . . . you know, we
talk about STEM and the importance of STEM, and particularly young girls going into the areas of science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics. We have
been hearing recently in regard to our results as it r elates to mathematics. And this is also spill ing over into
what we know about our students going into areas or
fields in the STEM area. So, we know that we lack
Bermudians in the area of accounting. We know that
we lack Bermudians in the area of pharmacy. We know that we lack Bermudians, or students, in the area of nursing. And all of these science sort of degrees
are showing a pattern that our students are feeling
uncomfortable going into these fields.
And so, it must tell us that mathematics and
sciences, for some, can be very uncomfortable. So, how do we bridge the gap in helping our students to
overcome? And I know that there are strategies in the
strategic plan. And I know that teachers and our educators have a commitment to try to make this work for our students.
I did want to bring up a point i n regard to s ocial studies. And it is important that our teachers who are teaching social studies and civics know our Bermuda history well. Going into some of the classrooms,
there still are teachers who do not know the difference
between an MP and a Senat or. You get called different names. But even Bermuda history, I mean, some
of the textbooks that are coming out as it relates to
Bermuda history are still relatively new. And so, it is
important that when, as parents, we are selecting
schools for our stude nts, we understand the curric ulum and content behind social studies and civics, and what is being taught in our schools.
Just thinking back, I attended public school.
And I do not remember . . . I really do not remember
Bermudian history being taught to me. And that is an honest reflection. And so now, you know, as I am ol der, that is something that I have had to take on myself. But it is important that we continue to encourage teachers, or have those quality teachers who are
knowledgeable in the area of Bermudian social studies.
And then, one last area that I would like to
highlight, and that is on page C -16, in regard to the
scholarships and awards. Our Government has made
a commitment to give more funds to the area of
scholarships and awards, and funding and financial
allocation. And that has been demonstrated with the
Ministry’s commitment to the scholarships and awards of 2018, as well as funding through the Bermuda Col-lege to allow our students to advance, or to give opportunities for our students to ad vance. Right away,
some students have in their mind that, I don’t have
access to money. So if I don’t have access to money, then why would I apply to some sort of educational
institution? And so, right away, because they know
that they do not have money an d their parents do not
have access to money, that shuts the door in regard
to their opportunities in applying for further education.
And so, our Government is committed to being able to give funding and financing to scholarships
and awards. And we have als o increased the variation
when it comes to scholarships, because we also know
that books can be expensive. And so, we have made
a commitment to help our students with books.
We have also committed to help our students
in the technical area with the allocat ion of scholarship
funds for students in the public education system, who
are doing the dual enrolment program in the tech area. And so, we have definitely demonstrated our
commitment to helping our students who do not have
opportunity or access to funding.
And with that, I will take my seat. Thank you,

Thank you, Member.
Would any other Member wish to speak?
I recognise the Opposition Leader.

Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Madam
Chairman.
1596 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly First of all, I want to say that I think everyone
agrees that education is very important to the deve lopment of our students. It is very important for us to
make sure we are building the citizens of tomorrow.
And the Government has seen fit to allocate sufficient additional monies t o education, and I think that they
are to be applauded. There are, obviously, some
questions that we have with respect to some of the
things that are happening, because if you do not ask
questions about how money is being spent, you do
not get the opportunity to understand the outputs that are going to result.
So, I will just raise a few questions, I think.
Some of my colleagues have raised some questions earlier. And I keep saying to everyone . . . so you will
hear me being one of those individuals who wi ll always be asking questions about output measures. On B-126, there is an indication, and we are looking now
at 26100, which is talking about community outreach.
This is where we are talking about. So, 26120, and
you are talking about community education courses. And it is indicating there that they were going to offer
200 courses over three terms, but the indication there
is that we are only doing 150.
And the reason I say that is because I know
that a lot of people use the community courses as a way of developing themselves. They might not have
been able to go to university, but this is the way that
they get those extra skills. And so, to have a performance measure that says that you were going to offer
200, and we have only done 150, I just wondered why
that was the case? Also on page B -126, there is a
performance measure there that says grants to external bodies . Now, I do not remember, and if the Mini ster said it, then I will apologise. But I do not remember
that the Minister indicated, on C -16, what t he grants to
external bodies, who are the external bodies that were
granted?
And the reason I am asking is that there are
$574,000 that have been granted to external bodies.
But when you then go back to page C -126, there used
to be a performance measure i n there that says, sati sfaction from key stakeholders —i.e., students, teac hers, and parents —on students’ learning experiences
and acquired skills from external programmes that received a grant. And that was discontinued. And the
reason I am asking about discontinued is because, to
me, if you do have these grants and if there was a situation where the students are supposed to be
learning something from that, I would have thought
that it is very important to know whether it was meet-ing the expectation that the students had and that the expectation of the department had, if it was actually
being given the grant.
And it raises a question in my mind, and ma ybe someone can answer it for me, or the Minister can
answer it for me. Years ago, and I say years ago,
there used to be what I would call day release. And
that sort of tied into something that one of my co l-leagues asked with respect to guidance counsellors
and what they actually did. So, I was trying to determine whether what I would know as day release,
whet her that had been supplemented by something
different, or whether that still took place. And if that
was the case, how one measured how well individuals
learned from that experience.
That, then, ties into something else that I
wanted to ask. There was an indication that (and I am
going to see if I can find it), on page B -152, it was tal king about . . . we were talking about assessing in
terms of the persons assessed for career skills and aptitude. And there was an indication that the Ministry
was potential ly getting together with stakeholders to
talk about careers. And I just wanted to find out, what
was the department doing in terms of assessing how
the job market is progressing— i.e., the number of
non-Bermudians in the pipeline? Because, whether
we like i t or not, if we are going to try and get more
Bermudians to be in the jobs, we have to not only
know the numbers of non- Bermudians who are hol ding jobs, but also the numbers of Bermudians who are
out there ready to fill those jobs, and whether some of
that job market is actually drying up.
And the reason I say that is because I have
seen too many cases where people are getting them-selves educated to fill jobs where the actual market is
drying up because there is something else that is happening. And by the time they find out that the jobs
that they think are going to be there . . . they are a lready gone. So, I was hoping that the Workforce D evelopment Department would be actually not only looking at what jobs are being put on the job market,
but also how the job market is progressing.
With respect to page B -132, this was relating
to the Dame Marjorie Bean Academy. I was curious
because there was an indication that the number of employees, full -time equivalents, had moved from
five, and they were up to six. But I am also mindful of
the fact that, in Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy, there is this issue of whether some of the students in
there, whether they are actually (what is the word I want to say?) ageing out (I think that is the word I
want), where they are getting to a stage where, are
they still eligible to be in Dame Marjorie Bean because of their age? Or whether they are able to stay there a
little bit longer, because technically, although they are
in a chronological age in terms of the development
age, they are still capable of benefiting from those
services?
So I just wondered whether there had been
any indication that the same way it went from five to six, there might have been the need to go further because they were finding more students who fit i nto
that needs category.
On page B -134, there was something that
caused me some concern because it might tie into
something else that I saw. On page B -134, they were
talking about student services. And this is the bus iB ermuda House of Assembly ness unit 1703, Finance and Corporate Services. And
it says percentages of classrooms staffed with full -
time certified teachers by the first week of school . And
according to that, there were only 90 per cent. And
recognising that the kids are going to be there whet her you like it or not, and if we only have 90 per cent of
those teachers on staff at the first day of term, it raises
some concerns about, does that result in something
which I saw on another page which related to subst itute teachers, where the substitute teacher, which is on page B -128, cost centre 27160, that has gone up
percentage- wise almost 45 per cent? And that is a
large increase.
So, it made me wonder whether this was as a
result of the department not being able to turn around and get the teachers sufficiently hired on the first day
of school, and then having to have substitute teachers come in, or whether it was because, during the school year, the teachers who were required, whether they
were not available and therefore the substitutes had to
come in.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Would the Member accept
a point of clarification? Because we do not have to
keep going with that one.

Minister? Yes.
POINT OF CLARIFICATION
Hon. Diallo V . S. Rabain: Okay. T he point of c larific ation is that what s he is speaki ng about was spok en to
in the brief. T he substitutes l ine item had been c hronically un derfunded over t he last three years. A nd the
monies al located to that were to bring i t up to t he
amount that had bee n spent over t he last thr ee years,
with supplementals being added on to the budget. So,
that is the reas on why.

Thank you, Minister.
Member.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Madam Chairman, while
the Minister might have indicated why additional monies were being spent in that area, the Minister is not dealing with my question as to whether, if you only
have 90 per cent of the teachers on staff at the time this school year opens, does that mean that there is
an issue with respect to hiring individuals and making
sure that they are on staff? And I am dealing with the
performance measure now. Okay? So, I still have that
question, because the bottom line is, if the department . . . and it has a performance measure of 90 per cent.
This is saying that the Ministry is acknowledging as a
performance measure that it is not going to have all of
those teachers on staff.
So, I am now going on to the next question
that I had. And I know that some of my other ques-tions have been answered, and I am expecting to get some of those . . . with respect to paraprofessionals, with respect to page B -132, I think everybody is recognising, and I say this because I do not want the Minister to be defensive or the Ministry to be defensive. We understand and we appreciate all of the di fferent categories that have been listed there with r espect to being able to cope with people who have autism, being able to cope with people who have hearing
difficulties and vision difficulties, and gifted and talented, that I applaud the Ministry in terms of trying to make sure that all of these different areas have been dealt with.
I guess my question relates to the paraprofessionals because 91 used to be what we had as the
original number of full -time employees for 2016/17.
Ninety -one was the estimate for 2017/18. Unfortunat ely, that 91 was reduced down to 88 for 2017/18, and it
is continuing for 2018/19. And I say that because I have parents out in the system who are talking about the benefit of having the paraprofessionals, but the
fact is they do not have enough paraprofessionals to
help them. So I know that the parents appreciate it.
So then the question arises, would more of
them be able to help more of the parents? And if that is the case, why the drop from the 91 down to 88?
Because, like I say, I am applauding the Ministry for
doing so much to help the students. But what I am
also understanding, especially those ones who need the paraprofessionals, they are the ones who are playing catch- up, trying to catch up with the rest of the
students who are in their classrooms. And they are
the ones who are then being subjected to feeling like
they are not quite there. And that sometimes results in their reacting in a negative way, because their kids are . . . you know what children are like. If you are b ehind in your work or you are not doing anything, they are ruthless in terms of some of the statements that
they make.
So it is important for us to try and keep ever ybody caught up. And I believe that the Ministry has, if
you will, a sort of philosophy that says, trying to keep
everybody together and then moving them along. But
gone are the days when you would have people in
what I call special categories. So if that is the case, then I just wondered why the paraprofessionals have been reduced.
And I think the other concern I had was the
fact that not only have the paraprofessionals been
reduced, but also the learning support numbers are
reduced, as well. And that, to me . . . now, the Ministry
might turn around and they might say that they have another plan to make sure that the children who are in these categories are sufficiently supported. And if that is the case, then I am going to look forward to being
enlightened.
But I do believe, as I say, because I have parents of children who are in these categories raising
these questions with me, and we are now going into
next year, which means that this is something that I should raise. Because if there is something happe n1598 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly ing, then I will be able to go back and tell them about
what they can look forward to, because I think we all
want to make sure that our students get the best and
that Bermuda can develop everybody to their fullest
individual potential, because I am mindful of the fact that everybody’s potential is different. But if everybody
gets developed to their fullest, then that is all we can
ask for.
I think t hat there was . . . I think the only other
thing that I had, and this relates to something that the
Member from constituency 4 said. She made an o bservation, and it just stuck with me. This is, when we
are looking at what our children are learning, I am
mindful of the fact that it just seems to me that, in February, when it is Black History Month, that at least now
our students are learning more about Bermuda hist ory. But I am concerned that, when I ask questions, maybe there is not enough about Bermuda his tory in
terms of civics, people understanding what everything
is about, whether it be about the legislature, whether it
be about where we came from.
So I just wondered if the Minister is able to e nlighten me and other people out there as to what type of pr ogramme exists in the schools to make people
understand about our history. And I know that there is
a tendency to talk about current people who are e ntrepreneurs or who did whatever else. But history is
history, and where we came from and how we have
evolved, I think is very important. Because if we u nderstand how everybody contributed and the contrib utions made from everybody, then we have a better understanding of where we are.
And, last but not least, the Minister might have
indicated it. But if he did, I did not make a notation.
And because I, obviously, did not have his brief, and I
am just making notations . . . Berkeley ended up ha ving a 14 per cent increase. And I just wondered if
there was something specific that this was designed to deal with. And if it is, then, as I say, I tried to make
a number of notes. And if I missed that out, then I hope that the Minister would not sort of feel that, just
because he said it and I might have missed it, that he
should get upset. He is here to tell everybody about what we are doing, and therefore, I will be pleased for
him to remind, not me, but everybody else. Somebody
else might have missed it.
And, Madam Chairman, I will sit in my seat
after that. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chairman.
I said I would probably have one or two other
questions. My further question comes as a result of a
comment made by the Honourable Member f rom co nstituency 21 during his presentation. He indicated that I seemed to have focused on a $37,000 decrease in
the grants and contributions, which to his mind was de minimis . And I had the opportunity to actually have
a conversation with the Minister who said that he had
explained in his brief which virements created that
change. And I told him that I would accept his expl anation. He may just wish to highlight it.
But I just had one further question. And that
was with respect to Victor Scott on page B -129. And
this is under cost centre 27390 where they have had an uptick of $330,000. And again, it may have been included in his brief; I just failed to make a note about
it. But if he could just underscore that, because there
were only going to be two additi onal personnel going
into that school and I just wondered if the Minister
could just, for my edification and that of the general
public, help us in terms of what is going to take that extra $330,000.
I ask that in the context of whether they are
anticipat ing significant growth in the number of st udents being serviced in the school, and how that ties into the census. So, in the absence of having the final census data, it is a little difficult to see where that
skew has come from, the $330,000, when there ar e
only going to be two new teachers, or two new personnel (and when we say “teachers,” it might be paraprofessionals, might be whatever). But two new for
$330,000 increase had me questioning how that ties in and where that uptick is coming from. Thank you ,

Thank you, Member.
Does anyone else wish to speak?
Minister, I think you have some questions to
answer.

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Madam Chai rman. And I thank you for this wholesome debate that
we have all part icipated in.
Interestingly, almost everyone who got on
their feet mentioned how important it is for us to di scuss education in the way we have been discussing it. And to get the best out it, and to get what we need to
get out of it. But I do note several questions have
come from Members just simply not being here while the debate was going on. And I do not say that to say
that everyone needs to be here, because we all have
things that we do, and we know how this goes.
But, for something as important as thi s, at
least listening on the radio or whatever —

Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Point of order, Madam Chai rman. Point of order. Of course, it would have been helpful —

Minister, you can proceed. Thank
you.

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: And I thank that Member
for that. But I would also like to remind the Member
that we get paid to be here, and it is not mandatory to
pass briefs over.
Madam Chairman, first let me answer the last
question that was put forth. Victor Scott will receive
the uptick of money which will cover two teachers and, as per my brief, the higher level of spending for Victor
Scott Primary reflects funding for a school principal
post that had been frozen by the previous Gover nment for two years.
To answer the question by the Leader of the
Opposition about the funding for Berkeley, the Berk eley Institute requires a minimum of $4.2 million to operate. The former Government had reduced their
grant over the years to $2.9 million. So they were unable t o operate. And we were getting supplementals
from the former Government year after year. We decided to just fund them this year the way they should be funded. So that is where that comes from.
Now, I will try and go through these in order. I
do have sever al . . . okay. Let us deal with the educ ation ones since those take up most of the questions —

Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Point of order, Madam
Chairman.

Member from constituency 19, Leader of the Opposition.

POINT OF ORDER
[Misleading]

Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I am just concerned that
the Member might be misleading the House in the
sense that supplementals, even though they might not
be in the original budget, actually do get . . . they do
actually get allocated back to the actual category in
which they were spent.

Minister, you do not need to respond
to the Member. You can direct all of your comments to
me.
Members, please be respectful.

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Madam Chai rman. I am getting back to the questions that were
asked.
Question: Performance measures of 90 per
cent of teachers in classroom at the start of the year.
Answer: Unfortunately , we have teachers who
resign in July and August. This is outside our control
and it leaves schools with gaps in staffing. This i mpacts the performance measure for the percentage of
teachers in classrooms at the start of the school year.
Question: Who will champion Plan 2022?
Answer: It will be championed by the Acting
Commissioner of Education supported by the Director.
Every section head will be responsible to develop the
delivery plans, with timelines for the execution of each
adaptive and technical strategy for the Plan 2022.
The status of the Commissioner of Education:
This post is sub judice in that an appointment cannot
be made as of yet, as it is involved in a legal matter. Number two: Every acting appointment to any post in
the civil service is operational and approved by the
Head of the Civil Service.
Question: How many special needs students?
How many are on IEPs [Individual Education Plan]?
How many parent meetings? What support is given for
parents? What training is available for special educ ation teachers? What training is available for paraeducators?
The answer: Students need to have a dia gnosed disability in order to be placed on an IEP. Se vern hundred and forty tree students have IEPs from preschool to senior school. Meetings are held with
parents of students who are on IEPs, and Plan 2022
includes a strategy for supporting parents by providing parent education workshops. Ongoing training and
development is provided for special education teac h1600 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly ers and paraeducators during the designated professional development day. In addition to this, special
education teachers and paraeducators are expected
to engage in professional development experiences
which they seek on their own and align with BEC [Bermuda Educators Council] standards.
Question: How do teachers use data?
Answer: [Teachers] are involved in ongoing
training in standard based grading and formative assessments. These are international best practices
which require teachers to, 1) make data a priority; and 2) use the data to inform and make decisions around
planning and instruction.
We had a question about the Facilities Management Team. We are looking to increase the Facil ities Management Team in size for the new fiscal year
to approximately nine members, which will include
labourers, masons, and painters. This will spread out
the workload.
The Stores Warehouse: An assessment will
be undertaken in the new fiscal year as soon as a
management consultant is secured to carry out the
deliverable. I cannot give an exact completion date,
but this is a priority with an end result ensuring eff iciency and modernising of the entire stores operation.
Question: What training will be provided for
paraprofessionals?
As mentioned in the Budget brief, we will i ntroduce standards for paraprofessionals in the upcom-ing year. We will also engage them in online and l ocally based training which is specific to their role and
responsibility in alignment with their revised job de-scriptions.
Question: What number of mentors, and what
professional development is provide d for them? There
are four mentors. Mentors are presently engaged in
training for professional learning centres. This will assist them as they provide professional development
for these teachers.
Question: What training is taking place for the
Cambridge Curriculum? As mentioned in the Budget
brief, this week we have Cambridge trainers on- Island
to conduct observations in schools and to deliver
training based on the best practices for teaching, especially in the area of mathematics.
Question: What curriculum do we use in pr eschools? How many preschool students do we have?
How many teachers are trained in Inquiry? We currently have 327 preschool students. We deliver the
creative curriculum using an Inquiry teaching model.
As mentioned in the brief, all preschool teachers are
participating in online training teaching goals from February to June to enhance teaching skills.
Question: SCARS [Saving Children Revealing
Secrets] training for teachers. We endorse SCARS training. All educators are expected to complete SCARS training.
Question: What is taking place with the Level
Literacy Intervention [LLI] at primary, middle, and sen-ior levels? LLI is implemented at the primary and mi ddle level as intervention to help students to increase proficiency in literacy skills. The programme is impl emented by teachers who have been trained to use the LLI kit and resources.
Question: Do you have a succession plan?
We have a draft succession policy that is currently
being reviewed by the Acting Commissioner of Educ ation.
Questio n about low performing schools: As
the new Government we viewed the student results
for the past year and previous year results under the
former Government. We have already identified as a
priority for all schools the improvement of results for
mathematics .
Question: School improvement funding is i nadequate. School improvement funding will be led by educational leaders at the Department of Education
and in schools which will reduce costs. Funding for
school improvement is outlined in the business unit for
school improvement, however, funding for school i mprovement is also included in other business units.
Question: How many students are at risk ac ademically? How many students identified as being at risk are on individual educational plans? The Multi -
tiered System of Support [MTSS] processes is being
implemented in schools. And this year schools are
being held accountable for implementing this process with fidelity. This process involves key stakeholders
working together to determine and implement intervention for any student in need of support. Implementation of the MTSS process is also a government performance measure.
Question: Will afterschool preschool care be
provided in more densely populated areas? I believe
the [question] was would it be provided i n Somerset
and St. George’s. The answer: The need for after-school care for pre- schoolers is assessed during re gistration. More specifically, when parents register their
children for preschool they also identify whether they
need afterschool care. Measures are then put in place
to meet parent needs.
Question: What evaluation tool is used for
teachers? How often are teachers evaluated? Teac hers are evaluated using the Teacher Performance
Evaluation Programme Tool. Principals are required to
evaluate all teac hers on an annual basis using this
evaluation tool.
Now, I will move on to Bermuda College.
What are upcoming overseas agreements with Bermuda College? Bermuda college has 22 completed and signed agreements, and there are 12 in the pipeline. There will be a Ministerial Statement on this in
the future. The cost to Bermuda College for a two -
year associate’s degree is approximately $13,000.
The cost charged to a student is approximately
$8,000.
Financial Aid to Bermuda College students:
Bermuda College all ocated $75,000 for students in


Bermuda House of Assembly need. One hundred and two students received assi stance this past year.
The National Educators Institute. A visioning
activity has been held with educators to gather input
for the National Educators Institute. A proposal has
been developed and accepted by the board, pending
funding. Bermuda College is now developing grant
proposals to seek funding.
The strategic planning process at Bermuda
College. Bermuda College is working with a local consulting firm having gathered input from key stakehol ders, both internal and external. Next Friday, Bermuda
College will hold its Visioning Day with its employees
to get their input. All information gathered will be used
as part of a two- day planning session with the leadership at Bermuda C ollege and the representatives from
faculty, staff, and students. The draft plan will be ci rculated for feedback in May. The final plan is due to
the board for discussion in August.
Question: How many students in the compl iance programme at the Bermuda Col lege? The reg ulatory compliance programme has 25 students enrolled. Students are currently working directly with
RCA. The last cohort at Bermuda College was in fall
2016.
Coco Reef electric is approximately $29.6K
per month. Since October 2016, Bermuda College has
received full reimbursement from Coco Reef. The college, as part of its energy audit, installed metering
equipment at the hotel in 2016.
For libraries, the rental breakdown is White’s
Building is $282,000; Youth Library is $79,000; and storage facilities is $61,000.
Workforce Development: What are the supporting organisations of the Summer Employment
Programme? Bermuda Addictions Board, Bermuda
Health Council, Bermuda Monetary Authority, Physio
Therapy Association, ABIC, YPO (Young Presidents
[Organization]), BILTIR (Bermuda [International] Long
Term Insurers and Reinsurers), Bermuda Insurance Institute Technology Leadership Forum, Chamber of
Commerce, and Bermuda Human Resources Ass ociation. The various types of organisations that DWD
will collabo rate depends directly with the areas of
concentration that students are interested in that year.
More answers . . . Leah Scott asked, in centre
27063, School Psychology, decrease due to decline in overseas training that occurred in 2017/18.
[Autism Spectr um Disorder] 20783, ASD decrease in training in 2018/19. That occurred in
2017/18.
Heron Bay [School] , 27450, increase reflects
an additional teacher to be put in place.
Gifted and talented programme, 27069. Each
school individually provides students with unique o pportunities for enrichment.
Learning Support, 27074, the reason for the
decline was outlined in the brief, previously. However, I will articulate that two posts were funded twice in
error, thus correcting the error from the last fiscal year.
In response to Archives and Libraries, the
digitisation strategy. The strategy is to digitise those materials which are most used for researches. Our focus so far is on newspapers, and it is hoped to
complete the Royal Gazette up to 1950 during the
upcoming financial year. There are also plans to digi tise some of the rare books so they can be made
available to interested persons and still be protected
for future generations.
The historic documents are stored in the A rchives located in the Government Administ ration
Building. This facility recently had a new air -
conditioning system and fire suppression system i nstalled. In addition, digitalisation of some of these hi storic documents has started so that these documents, too, can be made available for public use while still
being protected.
The mitigation of mould. The library is housed
in an old Bermuda stone building which presents challenges for mould. The strategies put in place include new a air -conditioning system with temperature and
humidity control which helps prevent mould growth.
The carpets were replaced with carpet tiles that are
mould resistant. Attempts are made to get the Public
Works Department to stay on top of the leaks in the roof and, finally, twice yearly industrial cleaning to help keep down the dust which also helps to mitigate
mould.
E-books. The library has been providing ebooks through its website since 2011.
ISBN [ International Standard Book Number ].
No revenue is generated through the provision of ISBN. Staff time required to provi de an ISBN is a maximum of 15 minutes.
Charging for Internet. Consideration was gi ven to charging for access to the Internet, but the dec ision was made not to charge. The reason is that while
Bermuda is an affluent society, there is still a segment
of the population that is struggling financially. The po licy of the library is to provide access to information for
all, regardless of their ability to pay.
Tracking users entering the adult library.
There is a people counter at the door that records people entering the library and there is a formula used
to reduce the number recorded to account for persons
who make multiple entries.
More education questions.
Question: Mental health first aid training. Mentors, some school psychologists, ETs, ETAs, and all
assistant directors have participated in this training.
Question: Students at Dame [ Dame Marjorie
Bean Hope Academy ] up to what age? Students are
able to remain at Dame until the age of 21, and this is
determined on a case- by-case basis. Parents have to
apply for an extension. And if there is room, they will
grant the extension.
1602 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Social studies taught in schools. Social studies is taught at the primary, middle, and senior levels.
Some of these questions ––I believe the
Member has already asked me about the r eduction in
grants and Workforce Development. Did you still want
me to articulate?
Sure. Okay.
Why the Workforce Development decrease,
page B -148, by $69,000. The answer: This was explained in the brief. This was mainly due to the r emoval of Labour Relati ons [Office]. That was removed
from Workforce Development.
And I already explained to the Member, but I
will explain to the listening public that the grants r eduction noted on C -17 for Workforce Development
represents the $300,000 that was given to the Berm uda College last year. What we have done this year is give it to them directly so it does not have to come to
Workforce Development and then be sent over there
to them. So if you add the $300,000 in, there is actua lly an increase in funding in grants there.
And why reduce by $100,000 the summer
student programme? With increased financial partic ipation by private organisations we can still reach the same levels of approximate numbers of students. Pr ivate companies have become more willing to share
financia l costs when employing summer students.
There was a question about the employment
survey. This is not under Workforce Development’s remit, so we cannot answer that.
Apprenticeship programmes. The department
is working with the Bermuda College students to participate in paid on- the-job experiences to secure
fulltime employment, mainly with national certification
occupations which are automotive, electrical, welding,
and landscape gardener.
Question: What is being done to ensure ind ividuals are studying for current or relevant jobs? And
that is going to be answered in conjunction with what
is going on with the National Training Plan Part 2.
Madam Chairman, you would recall that the
Progressive Labour Party’s election platform stated that if elected we would develop a national workforce
development plan. I am happy to say that within eight
months the National Development Workforce Plan is
finished and in draft form and is currently being r eviewed. The National Training Plan that started in
2014 and was not completed by the time we took office . . . it has been noted that there is some information in there that will probably be useful and utilised within the National Workforce Development Plan. But
the National Workforce Development Plan is an over-all plan to r evamp the entire department and not just
the National Training Board.
Thank you, Madam Chairman.

Thank you, Minister.
I recognise the Opposition Leader.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Madam
Chairman.
Minister, I had one other quest ion which you
did not respond to, so I will repeat it.
On B -124, there is an indication of Grants to
External Bodies, which is 2016/17 was $651,000, and
the budget for 2017/18 was $637,000 and revised was
$674,000 and then estimate, $637,000.
When I go t o C-16 I see the [$651,000], but I
only see 537 and 574. There is another hundred tho usand. So I wonder whether you can explain the difference, but, more importantly, I only asked that because
I had a more important question, which related to B -
126.
There was a performance measurement
which used to say satisfaction from key stakeholder,
i.e., students, teachers, and parents, on student loan experience and acquired skills from external pr ogrammes that received a grant. That was a measure.
And it used to be in there and showed it being
achieved. But now it is a discontinued target outcome, and I do not understand why. If we are spending this amount of money to these external agencies, and we
believe that it is important for them to acquire skills
and make sur e there is some satisfaction, I would like
to think that if it is discontinued if the Minister could
say what new performance measure has been put in
place, rather than just being discontinued.
So, it is the performance measure, and there
is a hundred thousand adrift.

Thank you, Madam Chairman.
I also had a question for the Minister on page
B-126 with respect to output measures on Community
Education Administrati on. Under item 2, this is under
business unit 26130, Community Education Admin,
item 2 indicates that they want to have 75 per cent
revaluation questionnaire forms returned. But the targeted outcome has been specified to be a number.
And I just wanted to ask whether we could consider
having the percentage that you are expecting to have returned. It will not be a physical number; it is pred icated on the actual numbers that are filled out. You
cannot even have the target of the actual physical
number.
So, i f we could say . . . if the outcome measure is going to be 75 per cent, then 75 per cent should be the targeted outcome. And then once you get your
actuals you would then be able to make a determination as to whether you achieved the 75 per cent, or
whether you got 100 per cent or whatever. It is just a
matter of it might appear to be semantics, but it is i mportant from a mathematical perspective. The output
being a specific number is nonsensical. So I think it is
important to make sure that we have that corrected.


Bermuda House of Assembly And the other . . . and I do not want to say, I
am not picking on anybody, it has been listed the
same way in the prior years. But the fact that it was
done poorly before does not suggest that we should
keep doing it poorly going forward.
The other question that I had was . . . the Mi nister had indicated that there was a legal matter which
was precluding the substantive fulfilment of the pos ition of Commissioner. I just wonder if the Minister has
any indication as to how long it is likely to be. I mean,
are we talking about another year? Or do we have no
clue in terms of where the legal process stands in tr ying to come to a resolution on that matter? I just wondered if he had any idea.
And the other question, we had two questions
that were asked by my honourable colleague from
constituency 22, in terms of how many primary
schools were identified as being low performing. And
clearly we do not want to have to name the schools,
but it would be useful to know in the overall scheme of
things how many schools we have identified as being
low performing schools. Obviously, those are areas
where additional work is needed, if we want to make
sure that our children have the best possible opportunity.
And also the other question that he asked was
how many st udents are at risk of academic failure. It
would be useful when we look at the school popul ation . . . we may be able to have some indication as to
where our focus needs to be to ensure excellence and to ensure opportunity for our children. So if he can
answer those questions.
And I think I also asked the question when it
came to the entire Department of Workforce Deve lopment, and I think the Minister did indicate that there
was a movement from Workforce Development to a nother area that caused $629,000 . . . I think the labour
relations had come out. So that kind of helped. So I just wanted to say that I was satisfied with the r esponse respecting that. But I just wondered if he could help out with those other three questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Member.
Minister, would you like to answer those questions?

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: First, thank you, Member.
In terms of the percentage, I agree that we should use
percentage and not just a number.
In terms of working on a criteria for adjudging
our grants, that is being worked on now. And we will
have something in place in short order.
I do want to answer a question that I did not
reply to. I know the Member and I had spoken about it
outside of the Chamber, but I wanted everyone to be
aware of it. And this is looking at C -16, when we are
looking at Grants and Contributions for the Ministry of
Education and Workforce Development. There is an
overall reduction of $37,000 from the revised est i-mates from last year. That was explained in the brief.
That is an ad hoc grant that was granted last year, it
will not be given this year. Although the numbers look
like there is different money, different amounts being
allocated for the various areas, the amount of money being allocated for that total budget is the same.
What happened last year was money had
been shifted from certain line items to other line items
to make it up. So, that might happen again this year if
. . . for instance, the teacher training awards was all ocated $60,000, but we paid out [$142,000]. That is if
teachers come and we decide to give . . .we have
money left over in other areas of awards and scholarships, we will allow that to be vired over to that. But
the amount being given for the year is the same as
last year, minus that $37,000.
I do believe that was it.

Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Sorry, Madam Chai rman—

I recognise the Leader of the Oppos ition.

Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Although the Minister did
indicate that we will be coming up with a different
measure assess ing the external grants, he still did not
explain where . . . on page B -124 it says that the
grants are going to be $634,000. And C -16,
[$537,000]. So I just wanted to know what this
$100,000 discrepancy between C -16 and B -124.
[Pause]
Hon. Jeanne J. Ath erden: Just for clarity, on page B -
124, it is line item 26080, Grants External Bodies. And
it says 637, 674 and 637. And when you go to C -16 it
says, Grants External Bodes, which is 6869, 537, 574.

[Inaudible interjection]

Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: A hun dred thousand do llars less.

Thank you, Madam
Chairman.
I am obliged to my honourable colleague, Pat
Gordon- Pamplin, for asking the question, but the Mi nister still has not answered the question as to how
many low performing schools have been identified
under the Education Act. She referred to primary. I
would be interested to know if there are any middle
schools in that category as well. I am assuming that
none of the s enior schools are.
And the other question that I asked was the
number of students that were at risk of academic fai l1604 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly ure. The Member may have answered that in terms of
the number in IEPs, but if he could confirm that, it
would be helpful. I think he said 743 students have
IEPs, individual education plans.
The other question I have, and I did not put it
quite this directly, but could the Honourable Member tell us how many classroom teachers are currently
hired in the 2017/18 academic year? How many clas sroom teachers? I am not talking about principals. I am
not talking about paraprofessionals. [I am talking
about] classroom teachers. Thank you, Madam Chairman.

Thank you, Honourable Member.
Would any other Member wish to speak at this
time?
No?
Just to keep our listening audience in tune, we
are currently debating the Education and Workforce
Development, Heads 16, 17, 18, 41, and 60. And we
have approximately twenty -two minutes left.
Minister?

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Yes, to answer the H onourable Opposition Leader’s question, I have been
told that the extra $100,000 is a grant that is given to
the reading clinic. It is not shown on C -16, but it is a ccounted for on page B -126.

Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: The other question was,
How many teachers?

Thank you, Madam Chairman.
I just also want to ask again with respect to
the identification of low performing schools. It is critical
for the public to be made aware of that.
And the other question that the Minister answered earlier, or a Member mentioned, I think the
Minister mentioned, that with the SCARS programme
that all teachers . . . all educators, sorry, are expected
to complete them. But I just wonder what is the level
of accountability to ensure that this is being done?

Thank you, Member. I recognise the Opposition Leader.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Sorry, Madam Chairman,
although the Minister accounted for the $100,000, I
think he forgot that my original question asked what were the types of external bodies that the money was
spent on, because I was curious as to how one assessed the satisfaction that came from them.
So, by turning around and telling me that the
reading clinic was one of those bodies that was
missed out, then it begs the question of who were the other the people that the $537,000 was spent on? B ecause that gets back to this assessment of how well
the students are applying the skills that were su pposed to be acquired from granting money to these
bodies.

Would any other Member wish to
speak?
Minister, I believe you had two questions.
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Madam Chairman, I have
just been informed by the Acting Commissioner of
Education that the previous Government did not account for who the low performing schools are, so it is
not a question that we can answer at this moment.
In terms of the external grants, there are var ious bodies that do receive external grants. I would have to endeavour to get that list for you. We just do
not have it here. But I do know that the reading centre
is one of them.

Madam Chairman, I am
not going to let the Honourable Member off the hook
quite that easily.
The Education Act specifies in any school
year . . . sorry, in terms of low performing schools it
must be done on an annu al basis. So the question is,
have any schools been identified this year as low performing? Clearly, there is going to be some sense
within the department as to what are low performing
schools.

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Madam Chai rman.
I actual ly, and to use —

[Inaudible interjections]

Members.

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: And to use one of my constituent’s favourite comments, who sits opposite me,
that Member would have the temerity to ask that ques tion, that his Government did not provide that


Bermuda House of Assembly information, but he wants this Government to provide
it before the school year is even over.
So, no. It will be done when the school year is
over.

Madam Chairman, the
issue is not whether the Government revealed it or
not; the issue is whether the department and the Mi nistry did what they are required to do under the Act,
which is identify low performing schools. So, the question is, if it was not done, why not?
Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Madam Chairman, this is
getting a bit ridiculous. That Member can go and ask
whichever OBA Minister was in place at the end of
last school year whether it was done, and why it was
not done. All right? That is what he can do.
I am committing this Government to have that
done and follow the legislation which their Gover nment did not do. And with that, Madam Chairman,
does anyone else want to speak? Because I am ready
to move.

A) The Member
has not responded to the accountability with respect
to the teachers and their ability to be . . . to ensure . . .
not just teachers, sorry, educators, with respect to
their taking of a SCARS course and how . . . you
know, just to have that level of accountability, because
we obviously want to ensure that our children are pr otected. So anybody who has done that . . . obviously,
that is important.
I think also, while the Minister may appear to
be a little bit put out for having been asked the question, there is a completion of a school year that has
been had. The school year ends in June (I want to
say) . . . in July. There was an election in July —

[Inaudible interjections ]

Thank you, Madam Chairman.
The Honourable Member obviously did not
understand the question. And the question was, the
school year ended at the end of July last year. There
was an election in July of last year. And the questi on
begs that from July of last year until now, has the
Government been able to identify the low performing
schools that existed at the end of last year, at the time
that they took over, which is required by the Education
Act, to have made that identificati on.
This is not just meant to be pedantic; it is
meant to ensure that to the extent that there may be low performing schools that we have put the proper
remedial situations in place to ensure that our young
people have the best possible opportunity for ex cellence.
That is the reason for the question. It is not a
question of whether if they didn’t ask the question,
1606 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly was it done before and the year before. That is of no
consequence.
The Minister had indicated earlier that educ ation is not the area that needs to be politicised. And I
understand that 100 per cent. But the Minister effec-tively said earlier that he refused to provide a brief
because the Shadow Minister upset him. So, you
know . . . you can’t be upset on the one hand for silly
things and then try to hold firmly on—

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Point of order, point of order, Madam Chair person. Point of order.

Minister?

POINT OF ORDER

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: If that Honourable Member
. . . I did not say anything of the sort within these
Chambers, that I would not provide the brief to the
Member, and I do not have to. What I said was . . .
what I did say was we are paid to be here and we are
supposed to be here to listen. There is nothing in our
Standing Orders that say I have to pr ovide a brief. So
if I don’t provide it, I don’t provide it. If they are not
sitting in their seats, they are in breach of their commitment that they made to their constituents and the people of Bermuda. It is as simple as that.
They want to hear the brief? Sit in the seat
and listen.

—to make on that,
Madam Chairman, and the one final comment that I
have to make on that is that we do have the ability in the Honourable House to either be sitting in the
Chamber, listening in the Committee Room, or listening by radio. So we do take advantage of that. And I
think that this is important, because I do not want the
people to think that if somebody is not physically si tting here that we are not having access to the wonderful information that the Minister feels that he is giving.
Thank you.

Thank you, Member.
Does any other Member wish to speak at this
time? No?
Minister?

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Yes, I will answer the one
last question and that is we are endeavouring to have all teachers SCARS certified. That is something that
the Acting Commissioner has said has been comm unicated to all schools. It is to happen.

[Crosstalk]

Yes, thank you,
Madam Chairman.
I was only asking whether there has been a
targeted date that has been established. It is fine to
say that we are going to ask, or we are going to r equest, I just wonder if there has been a targeted date,
because that is a very, very important element and
aspect of our children’s schooling experience.

It has been moved that Heads 16, 17,
18, 41, and 60 be approved.
Is there any objection to that motion?
No objection?
Agreed to.
[Motion carried : The Min istry of Education and Wor kforce Development : Heads 16, 17, 18, 41, and 60
were approved and stand part of the Estimates of
Revenue and Expenditure for the year 2018/19.]

Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Madam Chairman, I move
that the Committee rise and report progress and ask
for leave to sit again.

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.

[Motion carried: The Committee of Supp ly agreed to
rise and report progress, and sought leave to sit
again.]

House resumed at 7:45 pm

[Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]



Bermuda House of Assembly REPORT OF COMMITTEE

ESTIMATES OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE
FOR THE YEAR 2018/19

Good evening , Members.
Are there any objections to the reporting to
the House of the debates that have just completed
today?
No objections? They are now reported to the
House and we will proceed to the next Order of the Day. I believe we have seven additional Orders that
we are going to do tonight. And the first Order is act ually carried over from last week. It is in the name of the Deputy Premier, the Minister of Transport and
Regulatory Authority Affairs.
Minister?

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker .
Due to a minor error, we are going to re- do
this one again. Order No. 2.

REGULATIONS

MARINE BOARD (PILOTAGE DUES) AMENDMENT
REGULATIONS 2018

Hon. Walter H. Roban: I move that consideration be
given to the Draft Regulations entitled Marine Board
(Pilotage Dues) Amendment Regulations 2018, pr oposed to be made by the Minister Responsible for Marine and Ports Services conferred by section 103 of
the Marine Board Act 1962.

Continue, Minister.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased t o
introduce the Marine Board (Pilotage Dues) Amendment Regulations 2018. Passage of these regulations will result in an increase of 5 per cent for pilotage
dues payable per metre of draught depending on the
port of destination or departure.
In terms of ports, St. Georges, includes Five
Fathom Hole, Murray's Anchorage and the Oil Docks
Dockyard, includes Grassy Bay, and Hamilton i ncludes the Great Sound and Port Royal Bay.
Marine and Port Services provides pilotage
services for all international shipping calling at Bermuda’s ports.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We will now move on to the next Order.
The nex t Order is Order No. 3 on our Order
Paper today, consideration of the Bermuda Immigr ation and Protection (Permanent Resident's Certifi cate)
Order 2018 in the name of the Honourable Minister of
Finance.
Whoops, actually it has got the Minister of
Finance w ritten there. No. I think it would be the Mini ster of Immigration.

[Inaudible interjections ]

Well good, good.

ORD ER

BERMUDA IMMIGRATION AND PROTECTION
(PERMANENT RESIDENT'S CERTIFI CATE )
ORDER 2018
Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Speaker, I move that consideration be given to the draft order entitled, Berm uda Immigration and Protection (Permanent Resident's
Certificate) Order 2018, proposed to be made by the
Minister responsible for Immigration under the powers
conferred by section 31AB of the Bermuda Immigr ation and Protection Act 1956.

Continue on, Minister.
1608 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Speaker, this is a very si mple amendment. In the initial rendition of the relevant
legislation, the fee for a PRC application was
$125,000. The previous Government reduced it to
$25,000. This Government is proposing to set the fee at $50,000, which we believe is a far more appropria te
fee to levy in recognition of the tremendous benefits
that PRC status grants individuals.

Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
I thank the Minister for his presentation. The
Minister gave a little bit of the history in terms of the fact that initially that fee had been set at $125,000,
and it had been changed down to $25,000. And now it is going to go up to $50,000.
The Minister has indicated that historically that
consultation has been the hallmark of his administr ation. And I just wondered the extent there has been
any consultati on on this increase from $25,000 to
$50,000 with respect to putting this up.
The reason I ask that question is that you will
also remember, Mr. Speaker, that in the Throne
Speech and the initiatives of the Government, and I
think also in the Budget Statem ent, it was intended by
the Government to encourage permanent resident’s
[certificate] holders and the like to invest as much as they possibly can to be able to keep some of the
money that they are earning on shore, on Island. And
I just wondered if there has been any variance in the
approach and the attitude towards doubling the fee
from [$25,000] to [$50,000] and whether there has
been any pushback in terms of the expectations, say,
you want me to continue to keep my money onshore,
invest in other major projects that will help enure for
the benefit of the people of Bermuda . . .you are going
to put my fees up . . . I am just wondering what kind of
feedback the Minister got in the consultative process
that would have been engaged upon based on that
commitme nt so to do in terms of making an increase
of this magnitude on this particular Bill.

Thank you, Member.
Does any other Member wish to speak?
Minister.

Hon. Walton Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, you would know that this pr oposed amendment is part and parcel of a much
broader set of changes that are coming. And one change that is particularly relevant relates to the 60/40
rule amendment which will allow for PRC holders to
have an additional incentive to invest funds in Berm u-da. So you need to take in alongside that proposed
amendment which will come later, I believe in this par-liamentary year, Mr. Speaker.
Secondly, no one enjoys any increase in taxes. So you would naturally find a level of resistance to any proposed increase. But there is full recognition of
the need for such an amendment. Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.

So approved.
Any objections?
No objections.
We now move on to the next Order, which is
Order No. 4. Second Reading of the Exchange Co ntrol Amendment Act 2018, in the name of the Minister
of Finance, and I think the Junior Minister.

BILL

SECOND READING

EXCHANGE CONTROL AMENDMENT ACT 2018



Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
With the Governor’s recommendation I move
the Bill entitled the Exchange Control Amendment Act
2018 now be read the second time.

Continue.

Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, it gives me
pleasure to present to the House a Bill entitled the
Exchange Control Amendment Act 2018.
This Bill highlights changes proposed to be
made to the Exchange Control Act 1972, which, in
conjunction with soon to be tabled amendments to the
associated Exchange Control Regulation 1973 repr esents additional steps that the Government is taking to
protect and further enhance Bermuda’s longstanding
and well -established reputation for identifying and vetting persons wishing to become beneficial owners of Bermuda companies. And a beneficial owner is 10 per
cent or more.
Mr. Speaker, late last year this Honourable
House approved amendments to the Companies Act 1981 (the Companies Act), and the Limited Liabilities
Companies Act 2016 (the LLC Act) to, amongst other
things, provide for a registry of beneficial owners. At
the time it was noted that consequential amendments
to Bermuda’s exchange control regime would also be required. This is because the exchange control regime
and the beneficial ownership registry and associated
requirements mandated under the Companies Act and
the LLC Act will function as complementary framework
for obtaining and maintaining relevant beneficial ow nership information.
Mr. Speaker, the passage of this legislation is
integral to the effective operation of Bermuda’s corporate service provider regime and register of beneficial
ownership information which is, in turn, critical in the
extent of a 2018 evaluation of Bermuda’s compliance
with the Financial Action Task Force standards, FATF,
on combatting money laundering and the financing of
terrorism and proliferation.
The objective of the FATF are to set stan dards and promote effective implementation of legal regulatory and operational measures for combatting
money laundering, terrorist financing and other related
threats to t he integrity of the international financial
system. The passage of the legislation is also integral
to the maintenance of Bermuda’s OECD peer review
assessment 2017 rating of “largely compliant” and to
the effective implementation of the exchange of notes
between the Government of the United Kingdom and
the Governor of Bermuda in respect of sharing benef icial ownership information dated April 9, 2016.
The OECD conducts peer reviews of its
member jurisdictions’ ability to cooperate with other tax administrations. Effective exchange of information requires a jurisdiction ensure information is available,
that it can be obtained by the tax authorities, and that
there are mechanisms in place allowing for exchange of that information. The peer review process exem pts
the legal and regulatory aspects of exchange with ex-change of information in practice.
A current FATF Mutual Evaluation results, or
recommendations 24 and 25, reveal that the majority of countries evaluated today (47 countries as of 21
February 2018) have received partial compliance ratings. This is primarily due to the following implement ation issues: limited assessment of risk, reliance on existing information, limited sanctions and monitoring,
limited verification of registry information.
A regist ry may not be well funded to identify
and sanction non- compliance and ensure that a debit
is assessable in a timely fashion. Time and to date challenges and no one- size-fits all approach.
Mr. Speaker, under the Exchange Control
Regime, the Bermuda Monetary Authority (the Author-ity) collects beneficial ownership in its capacity as the
Controller of Foreign Exchange. Given its role, and in
the context of the above- noted amendments to the
Companies Act and the LLC Act, the Authority recently completed a cons ultation process relating to the
proposed changes to the Exchange Control regime.
The Bill introduced today is the first output of that pr ocess.
Mr. Speaker, the Authority will work with the
Register of Companies, responsible for the Companies Act and the LLC Act, to oversee collection of relevant beneficial ownership information with the assi stance of the licensed corporate service providers. In
order to effectively discharge its duties in this regard
under the Exchange Control regime the Authority r equires the appropriate powers. It is with this in mind
that the amendments presented today are proposed. Specifically, it is proposed to amend the Exchange
Control Act 1972 to extend the regulatory making
power, which is the Ministry of Finance, to include the
power of the Controller of Foreign Exchange, which is
the BMA, to obtain information from any person to which the Act applies; introduce additional provision to
provide for imposition of a civil penalty up to $25,000
in the event of a contravention or bre ach (and this is a
new penalty); add a savings provision and transition to
enable compliance.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank
all those persons within the Bermuda Monetary A uthority, the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Ministry
of Finance, and the private sector who have assisted
with the development of this Bill. And I can tell you
right now, they have worked hard to come to an
agreement amongst all these individuals to produce what we have here today. And I am sure there are
more to be laid and discussed, as you see the Par tnership Act and a few others will be coming in the
near future.
Mr. Speaker, I recommend that the Bill be
referred to Committee.

1610 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: You have not let anybody else speak
yet. You do want other Members to parti cipate.

Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I am sorry. I misread. You’re
absolutely right, Mr. Speaker.

No problem. Thank you, Minister.
Are there any other Honourable Members
who would like to participate in this debate?

Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Mr. Speaker, I must admit
that having had the Junior Minister wax on about how
this was part of the process that was coming, I think I
remember that when we were the Government that,
yes, we knew that this was a Bill that we introduced. We knew why we introduc ed it, with respect to the
beneficial ownership, and we knew that it was i mportant to have all of these changes put into effect.
So lots of things that have been said here are
things that we agree with. One, with respect to the powers of the Controller; t wo, with respect to making
sure that there were penalties so that persons understand that we mean business; and also with respect
that when we are having our review later on this year,
we will be able to say that we have the regulations in
place to make sure that we have the protections
against any anti -money laundering, and also with r espect to the fact that beneficial owner information
must be there in order for us to be able to turn and
exchange that type of information.
So, Mr. Speaker, even though it h as to go into
Committee, I think we are aware that this needed to be done and everybody, the Government as well as the new Government, has been making sure that we
have it in place so there can be no question that Bermuda is on the right side of anti -money laundering.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I recognise that we have this
mutual assistance review that is coming up, and we
have jumped the hoops and hurdles and everything else to meet the requirements of the OECD and
FATF.
I actually find it hypocritical that we have to do
all of these things and the United States does not do
it, and the UK does not do it. And if you do not mind, I
would like for you to indulge me with a news article that I received today —

US and Mexican authorities par tner to dismantle international laundering ring.
“US and Mexican authorities have dismantled
a large international money laundering ring that operated across the United States and washed tens of
millions of dollars from Mexican drug traffickers, the
US Justice Department said Thursday. A total of 75 people have been charged with drug trafficking and
money laundering in US district courts across the
country, the prosecutor said. The charges were
brought in California, Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas, Was hington State. (Not Bermuda) We have siphoned the cash and the life out of a San Diego- based international money laundering organization with ties to the
Sinaloa Cartel. By following the money, we have di scovered large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine that are no longer destined for the
streets of Bermuda.”
I wanted to read that, Mr. Speaker, because
they continue to —

I am saying that all this goes on in
the United States, but we are required . . . here to
open up a bank account, you have to have a driver’s
licence, a utility bill and your first born before you can
even get in the front door. If you are a business and
you want to open a bank account at HSBC or the
Bank of Butterfield, you have to go through a preapproval process for them to determine if they even
want to take your busi ness to open up an account for
you.
So, while I appreciate . . . and Shawna has
worked many, many hours and done yeoman’s work
in assisting us in the industry to get ourselves right to


Bermuda House of Assembly meet the requirements of the Mutual Assistance r eview that is coming, but I just find it really, really frustrating that what is going on in the United States is not
going on here. It is not going with any of our companies that I know of. It is not going on with any of our trusts, or through the jurisdiction generally. But w hat
they require of us they do not put in place for themselves. So I just find it really frustrating.
I just wanted to share that. Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.

Any objections to moving clauses 1
through 4?
There appear to be none. Continue, Minister.
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Clause 1 is the citation. This clause will give
the title Exchange Control Amendment Act 2018.
Clause 2 amends section 1 of the Exchange
Control Act 1972 (the Act). This clause will amend
section 1 of the Act to insert new definitions for the
term “beneficial owner” and “prescribed.”
Clause 3 amends section 2 of the Exchange
Control Act 1972. This clause will amend section 2 of
the Act to extend the existing regulation- making po wers to include additional powers for the Controller of
Foreign Exchange (who I can tell you is the BMA) to
obtain information from any person to which the Act applies and to enable additional provisions to be made, including provision for civil penalties and for
savings and transitional matters.
Clause 4 is commencement. This clause pr ovides for the Act to come into force on such day as the Minister of Finance may by notice in the Gazette appoint.

It has been moved that the Bill be
reported to the House as printed.
Are there any objections to that motion?
There appear to be n one.
Agreed to.
[Motion carried: The Exchange Control Amendment
Act 2018 was considered by a Committee of the
whole House and passed without amendment.]

House resumed at 8:07 pm

[Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr. Speaker, in the Chair]

REPORT OF COMMITTEE

EXCHANGE CONTROL AMENDMENT ACT 2018

Members, are there any objections to
the Exchange Control Amendment Act 2018 being
reported to the House?
1612 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly No objections.
It is approved.
We now move on to the next Order, which is
Order No. 5, the second reading of the Financial Services Tax Amendment Act 2018, in the name of the
Minister of Finance.
Minister.

BILL

SECOND READING

FINANCIAL SERVICES TAX
AMENDMENT ACT 2018

Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
With the Governor’s recommendati on, I move
that the Bill entitled Financial Services Tax Amendment Act 2018 be now read for the second time.

Continue.

Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, Government
wishes this Honourable House to give consideration to
the Bill entitle Fina ncial Services Tax Amendment Act
2018.
Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members here will
recall that in the 2017/18 Budget the former Gover nment enacted the Financial Services Tax Act 2017.
This Act introduced a financial service tax on insurance premiums, excluding health, money transmi ssions over money service business , and a bank’s assets.
Since the Act came into force, there have
been some queries from the financial service provi ders in the insurance sector with regard to the definition
of “gross premium.” T herefore, it was announced in
the pre- budget report in advance of the fiscal year
2018/19 that the Government would amend the F inancial Services Tax Act 2017 to provide for greater
certainty.
Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members may recall
that when applied to banks, FST (Financial Service
Tax) is calculated at 0.005 per cent of assets. The
FST is applied to local insurance companies as gross
premiums earned, excluding premiums from health
insurance.
The rate of tax is 2.5 per cent of non- health
related gross premiums. Finally, the rate of tax for the
money service business is 1 per cent on their aggr egated incoming and outgoing transmission volume.
Mr. Speaker, the uncertainty mentioned above
relates to the term “gross premium s written” in sections 4 and 5 of the Financial Services Tax Act 2017,
if these premiums fall within the definition of “income”
under section 2 of the Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act.
Mr. Speaker, there are certain non- resident
insurance undertakings (NRIU) that are conducting insurance business in Bermuda. These NRIUs have
been provided with a tax assurance under the E xempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act 1966. This
legislation authorises the Minister of Finance to grant
an application by an exempted undertaking which i ncludes an exempted company. As assurance that in
the event the Government of Bermuda enacted legi slation imposing tax computed on profits or income, or computed on any capital assets gain or appreciation,
any such tax would not be applicable to such exempted undertakings.
The Ministry’s position is that it was not the
intent of gross premiums to fall within the definition of
“income” under the EUTPA [Exempted Undertakings
Tax Protection Act] Therefore, to provide certainty on
this matter, we proceed to amend t he Act to make it
clear that gross premiums written within sections 4
and 5 of the Financial Services Tax Act 2017 do not
fall within the definition of “income” under section 2 of
the Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act.
It should also be noted that the difference in
treatment between the domestic companies and the
international companies with respect to the application
of the FST falls afoul of OECD tax principles and is in
the Government’s interest to rectify this issue.
Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members are a dvised that since the FST Act 2017 came into force
there has been further consultation between the Gov-ernment and the money services businesses . Follo wing this consultation, the Ministry of Finance consented to remove the FST on incoming money t ransfers.
Mr. Speaker, very few countries tax incoming money
transfers, and this amendment will further encourage funds to be transferred into Bermuda. Also incoming
money transfers only represent about 5 per cent of the
total money transfers.
This Bill p rovides for the following: Removes
the FST on incoming transfers for money services business; clarif ies the definition of “gross premiums
written.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister.
Does any other Member wish to speak?
I recogni se the Honourable Opposition Leader. Honourable Member, you have the floor.

Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
And I thank the Junior Minister for reminding us of the
history of this particular Financial Services Tax. I must admit I had to r efresh my memory as to when we i ntroduced it. I think at that time we were hoping we would generate $11.4 million per year from this tax.
I just wondered, based on the amendments
that are being made, if the Junior Minister is able to indicate to us what impact it will have on the rev enues? I think it is clear that taxing the money going
out is something which is in line with what we would
normally do and normally expect. And it is not surpri sing that there was consultation. And I am mindful of

B ermuda House of Assembly the fact that whenever one introduces taxes, especially when you have to have consultation with lots of individuals who are worried about what it is going to do to them with respect to making business more expen-sive, sometimes we have to make accommodation. So, if th e Junior Minister in general terms could just
indicate what impact it has had.
And I think also he made reference to the fact
that based on the consultation you did not want to have any sort of discrepancy between domestic and international. So that is understood. But if you could clarify that, and then when we get into Committee if there is anything else, I will raise it then.

Thank you, Member.
Does any other Member wish to speak? No.
Junior Minister.
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, you can see
from the Budget Book, the Honourable Member is cor-rect. We are expecting . . . or the former Government
was $11,390,000. That was what was budgeted last year. We have now come down to a revised figure of
$8,400,000, roughly $3 million less than what was
budgeted for. So this year we are only budgeting for
$8,900,000.
It is kind of slow coming in at the beginning.
We are not quite there yet. But unless some of the—
[
Inaudible interjection]
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Yes, I believe that is what it
says. I think that was the question you asked. Did that
answer the question?

Any objections to moving clauses 1
through 4?
There appear to be none.
Continue.
Hon. Wayne L. Furbe rt: The Financial Services Tax
Amendment Act 2018 seeks to amend the Tax Act 2017 (the principal Act).
Clause 1 is self -explanatory.
Clause 2 amends sections 4(c) and 5(a)(iii) of
the principal Act so that financial services tax is pay able by money services businesses on outgoing money transmission volume in a tax period only, and no longer also on incoming money transmission volume.
Clause 3 inserts new section 7A into the principal Act. This provides that financial services tax
which is charged as a percentage of gross premiums
written in a tax period by a domestic insurer (whether or not those premiums are actually paid by the insured persons in that or any other tax period), shall not be regarded as a tax computed on the profits or income
of such an insurer, and so does not fall within section
2 of the Exempted Undertakings Tax Protection Act 1966.
Clause 4 provides for commencement.

Any further speakers?
The Chair recognises the Honourable Leader
of the Opposition, Ms. Atherden.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Sorry, just for clarity, and I
think that I am having it right. One was to make sure that we made it clear that it was not going to affect the
1966 Exempted Tax Act, and also the other part of it
was to make it clear that it was on the outgoing so that we were not going to get people feeling that were slowly introducing income tax. Those are the reasons
why we are making those changes.

Minister, do you want to respond?
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: We did not say anything
about income tax.
Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I was saying that by making sure that it was on outgoing we were making sure
that people did not feel that we were starting to work our way towards some form of income tax. That was all I was suggesting.
But I understand that we wanted to make sure
that the 1966 exemption was preserved and that is why the changes are being made.
Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I repeat once again, Mr.
Chairman, we did not say anything about income tax .

It has been moved that the preamble
be approved.
Are there any objections to that motion?
No objections.
Agreed to.
It has been moved that the Bill be reported to
the House as printed. Are there any objections to that
motion?
There appear to be none.
Agreed to.

[Motion carried: The Financial Services Tax Amendment Act 2018 was considered by a Committee of the whole House and passed without amendment.]

House resumed at 8:19 pm

[Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr. Speaker, in the Chair]

REPORT OF COMMITTEE

FINANCIAL SERVICES TAX
AMENDMENT ACT 2018

No objections.
So moved.
We now move on to the next item on the O rder Paper, [Order] No. 6, consideration of the Regul atory Authority (Service Fees) Regulations 2018 in the
name of the Minister of Transport and Regulatory A ffairs.
Deputy Premier, you have the floor.

REGULATIONS

REGULATORY AUTHORITY (SERVICE FEES)
REGULATIONS 2018
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I move that consideration be given to the draft
regulations entitled, Regulatory Authority ( Service
Fees) Regulations 2018, proposed to be made by the
Minister responsible for Energy under the powers con-ferred by section 44 of the Regulatory Authority Act
2011.

Continue on, Minister.
Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to
introduce the Regulatory Authority (Service Fees)
Regulations 2018.
The purpose of these regulations is for the
Regulatory Authority to recover the estimated cost of performing specific functions from the sectoral partic ipants requesting such functions. The amount of each
fee is based on the estimated labour hours required to
perform the requested function, and the relevant i nternal and/or external charge outlay for the performance of that function.
It should be noted that the Regulatory Author ity is s elf-funded by service fees and general regulat ory fees which are paid by the sectoral participants that
it regulates. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, my sense is that while the Regulatory Authority may have been charging some of
these service fees before to essentially recoup some
of their costs, although I am not sure about that, this is
sort of a new schedule. I do not think we have seen
this one before. And electricity is on here now.
So, we have two sectors for which service
fees are being charged. And, as the Minister said, the
Regulatory Authority can charge general fees (and we will get to that in the next couple of sets of regulations) or service fees, which are specific to a particular function.
I was interested to see the actual amounts
that are being charged for a couple of these areas. I
was struck that the Merger and Acquisition Review,
both under electricity and also under the electronic communications area, was as low as it was. My sense
was that the Regulatory Authority can often spend
quite a bit of time. And I know the Minister is not di-rectly responsible, it is the Regulatory Authority putting these fees forward, but it struck me that the Merger and Acquisition Review, given the amount of time
which it sometimes takes just to look at these things,
was a lit tle on the light side.
The question I actually have for the Minister,
though, is, under the electronic communications, unBermuda House of Assembly der the schedule, the inspection fee for radio freque ncy hazard analysis of $500, I am assuming that this
would be charged to whomever raises the question as
to whether there is a frequency . . . sorry, the frequency hazard analysis, which I am assuming means, and
maybe the Minister can clarify this . . . if someone
thinks a cell tower is perhaps too close to their res idence and they are concerned about potential elec-tromagnetic radiation that the person who raises the
issue and asks for a hazard analysis would pay the fee. Or is it the communications provider that would actually pay the fee in that particular case?
I am also curious as to under what circumstances a powerline inspection would be asked for. Is that something that a third party would ask for, essen-tially that an inspection be done of a BELCO grid in a
certain area? If the Minister could clarify exactly what
that is for as wel l. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Member.
Does any other Honourable Member wish to
speak?
No other Member ?
Minister .

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, Mr. Speaker.
As Members would know, the schedule of
those fees is on the back of the actual Regulations
and they are broken down in detail. As to the question
from the Honourable Member, I will have to get back
to him on that specific, because those are very parti cular questions as to the circumstance upon which the
fees would be charged. But I do undertake to get him those specific [answers] on those circumstances on
how those fees would be charged.

We now move on to the next Order,
which is Order No. 7, consideration of the Electricity
(Regulatory Authority Fees) Regulations 2018, in the
name of the Minister of Transport and Regulatory A ffairs. Deputy Pr emier, you once again have the
floor.

REGULATIONS

ELECTRICITY (REGULATORY AUTHORITY FEES)
REGULATIONS 2018

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I move that consideration be given to the draft
regulations entitled the Electricity (Regulatory Aut hority Fees) Regulations 2018, proposed to be made by the Minister responsible for Energy under the powers
conferred by section 44 of the Regulatory Authority Act 2011.

Continue on, Minister.

Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased t o
introduce the Electricity (Regulatory Authority Fees)
Regulations 2018.
In accordance with the legislation, the Regul atory Authority [RA] submitted its recommendations on
regulations for fees when it submitted its proposed
budget to the Minister of Finance and the Minister r esponsible for regulatory industry sectors. The RA does
not propose an increase in RA fees payable by electricity providers for the upcoming financial year.

I am off your port bow
here, so . . .yes.
Thank you. I thank the Minister.
Again, I have a couple of questions on this. As
he indicates, the 2018 set of regulations on a fee basis are exactly the same as those that were being
charged in 2017. The largest one here is the electricity
transmission, distribution, and retail service provider
fees, which are calculated on a basis of the number of kilowatt hours sold. And that would be attributable to essential ly the utility BELCO.
The question I ask is, the Regulatory Authority
would have given an estimate as to how much this particular fee would have raised. This is clearly the biggest one here. And the reason I ask that is now, as
the Minister would be fully aware, with the Regulatory
Authority fully taking over the regulation of electricity,
they need to have some revenue coming in to be able
1616 9 March 2018 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly to fund their analysis and regulatory services that they
provide on this basis.
Could the Minister give us a sense of what the
actual estimate is here for the year, for this particular
fee, which is, as I said, probably the largest one? I am guessing it is probably over $2,000,000. But I do not
have a clear sense of it. Hopefully the Minister does.
Part of the reason for this is because up to
this point the Regulatory Authority has depended on electronic communication fees, not to do with electric ity, but to sort of fund their general services. So now it
is going to be interesting to see how much revenue
they have comi ng in to do both sectors.
As I said, this first one here, which is the
transmission, distribution , and retail services, on a per
kilowatt hour basis, which will end up on BELCO bills
as a line item for residences and, I am assuming,
commercial as well, would be the largest one. And I
would like to know how much they have estimated
that to be. Thank you.

Is that helpful, Minister?
Hon. Walte r H. Roban: Thank you for your indu lgence on time, Mr. Speaker.
The question is, What is the estimate for the
year for the electricity transmission and distribution in retail services? We do not have an answer for that
yet. Again, I will endeavour to get the specific answer
for the Honourable Member, mindful that he was the
former Minister and, I understand he is quite intimately
. . . so I will get him the very specific answer rather
than trying to give him something on the spot.