Hansard — February 9, 2018 — Bermuda Parliament

The Speaker The Speaker Members, before we take our seat s, we are going to have a moment of silence for the two former Members who passed during the absence from this place. We speak, namely, of the former Speaker, Speaker DeCouto, and former Member from Warwick, the Honourable Member Quinton Edness. So, we …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Members. Before I take my seat, I would just like to add my words of condolences to those that have been ex-pressed by many in the community on both of those passings. I happened to be off the Island during both. Thank you. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES [Minutes of …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, the Minutes from the last sitting, on December 8th, have been circulated. Are there any objections or amendments to those? No objections or amendments? The Minutes have been confirmed. [Minutes of 8 December 2017 confirmed] MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE SPEAKER OR MEMBER PRESIDING APOLOGIES

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. The S peaker has announcements this morning. Firstly, I would like to announce that we have been informed by three of our Members that they will be absent today. The three Members are the Honourable Member, Ms. Furbert; the Honourable Member, Mr. Swan; and the Honourable Member Gibbons. All …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, I would also like to take this moment to just address a matter that took place this week in the public eye. And I would like to address it in a form by saying, for the sake of clarity of this House and the understanding of all Members, that …

The Speaker The Speaker Now, for the sake of good order and to address the concern that was addressed publicly this week, I will deal with that. The way that j oint select committees performed in the last sitting under my Speakership was no different from what has been set as precedence under former …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, you can proceed. MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. PAPERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS TO THE HOUSE

The Speaker The Speaker There are two papers found this mor ning in communications. The first is from the Honour able Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier, would you like to take the floor? REGULATORY AUTHORITY ACTIVITIES AND AUDITED FINANCIALS APRIL 1, 2015 TO MARCH 31, 2016 Hon. Walter H. Roban: Good morning, Mr. Speaker, and …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Deputy Premier. The second communication paper is from Minister Brown. Minister Brown, would you like to take the floor? Hon. Walton Brown: Yes. Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. DRAFT EXCHANGE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CORPORATION OF HAMILTON AND HSBC BANK BERMUDA LIMITED Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and submit for the consideration of the Hon-ourable House of the Assembly the Draft Exchange Agreement between the Corporation of Hamilton and HSBC Bank …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. PETITIONS

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS AND JUNIOR MINISTERS

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. We have three Statements that will be done this morning. The first Statement is in the name of the Honourable Minister Foggo. Minister Foggo. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Good morning Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. 2016 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS PRELIMINARY REPORT Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: I rise to share with the Members of this Honourable House and the people of Bermuda the highlights of the results of the 2016 Population and Housing Census Preliminary Report. Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. We have a further Statement from the Minister of National Sec urity, Minister Caines. Hon. Wayne Caines: If it pleases you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead, Minister. SAFER INTERNET DAY 2018 Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday of this week, 80 people gathered to learn, surf, post, secure, like, an d comment during what has become a yearly event for Bermuda: Safer Internet Day . The unique feature of this gatheri ng …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. The last Statement that we have this morning is actually from the Minister of Education. Minister, would you like to take the floor? TRAINING PROGRAMME INITIATIVE Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer our Stat ement on the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

The Speaker The Speaker There are no Reports of Committees. QUESTION PERIOD

The Speaker The Speaker This now leads us to the Question P eriod. And, as always, Members, it is 60 minutes for this period. It is now 10:31. We have written questions today to Members from four Ministers, I believe it is today —yes. And we will start with the written questions first. The …

The Speaker The Speaker I did not know the Orders today. That is what it was. QUESTION 1: PREMIER AND OPPOSITION LEA DER PERSONAL STAFFS ACT 1983 Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Right. Mr. Speaker, first oral question: As for the Premier and Opposition Leader Personal Staffs Act 1983, will the Honourable Premier please provide …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much. Good morning to you, Mr. Speaker. And, of course, before I answer the question I would like to wish you a happy 29th-year anniversary in this House, as I think you were elected February 9, 1989.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Premier. [Desk thumping]

The Speaker The Speaker February 9th. It is that anniversary; correct. Hon. E. David Burt: Indeed. The answer to the question asked by the O pposition Leader, the names of the people hired under the Personal Staffs Act since July 19, 2017, as di scussed with the Opposition Leader earlier, and with you i …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Premier. Madam Opposition Leader, supplementary, or do you want to ask your second question? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: No, supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Second question? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: The actual question asked for the Honourable Premier to provide the names.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, as discussed in your office previously, I know that there is a question as to whether or not the names of individuals shall be disclosed. The Opposition Leader has decided to ask the question, so in the interest of the public, I …

The Speaker The Speaker What we accepted in our earlier di scussion was that we would not name the housekeeper. But we will name the other members, yes. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The position of Chief of Staff is held by Mr. Owen Darr ell. The position of Special Advisor …

The Speaker The Speaker Madam Opposition Leader? Comments?

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Let us have a supplementary on that!

The Speaker The Speaker Ah, ah, Members. Members. Members. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Mr. Speaker, if I can ask the Premier, are there any other persons who are, if not hired, actually supporting the Premier?

The Speaker The Speaker Mr. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: I would say that there are many people who support me in my daily activities, Mr. Speaker. The question was, under the Premier and Opposition Leader Personal Staffs Act, the names of all persons hired as personal staff. And for those, I have answered …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Premier.

Madam. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden Second supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Are there any individuals who have been seconded to the Premier to assist him in carrying out these functions which are obviously very important to Bermuda?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, there are many persons who have been seconded to the Cabinet O ffice. There are a number. Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Okay. Thank you. Do you want to do your second question now, Madam Opposition Leader? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Is …

The Speaker The Speaker No. I said your second question. You had two supplementaries. You had two supplementaries. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Oh, sorry, sorry. My second question.

The Speaker The Speaker Second question, yes. QUESTION 2: PREMIER AND OPPOSITION LEADER PERSONAL STAFFS ACT 1983 Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Would the Honourable Premier please inform this Honourable House of the job title, responsibility, and tenure of each person hired? Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The answer regarding …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Thank you, Premier. Madam Opposition Leader, you have a su pplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Sir, with respect to the response to the individuals who were Special Adv isors, was there any other person who might have car-ried out these functions that might not have been hired, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Madam. Mr. Premier? Hon. E. David Burt: Not to my knowledge, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Premier. Madam Opposition Leader, second suppl ementary? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: My third question.

The Speaker The Speaker Third question. Okay. QUESTION 3: PREMIER AND OPPOSITION LEADER PERSONAL STAFFS ACT 1983 Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Will the Honourable Premier please provide the compensation and all benefits for each position? Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, regarding the question of compensation, all benefits for the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Premier. Madam Opposition Leader, any supplementary? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Yes, supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Since the Premier chose to provide the annual salary for the Aide to the Opposition Leader, what is the annual salary for the Premier’s Chief of Staff? [Inaudible interjections ]

The Speaker The Speaker I believe he did say it. If my memory serves me right, it is $122,000. [Inaudible interjections ] 980 9 February 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: My apologies.

The Speaker The Speaker No problem, no problem. [Inaudible interjection]

The Speaker The Speaker First day back, and everyone is trying to get their groove again. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Spe aker.

The Speaker The Speaker No problem. No second supplementary? Okay. We will move on to the second set of questions, which are three oral questions that have been submitted by Member Dunkley to the Honour able Minister Foggo [regarding the 2016 Population and H ousing Census Preliminary Report]. Member Dunkley, would you like to …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, the first question was answered in the Statement.

The Speaker The Speaker Oh, yes. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: So I would go right to supplementary then, if that is acceptable to yourself and the Minister. The first question just deals with . . .

The Speaker The Speaker Now . . . well, let me explai n. Minister, what the Honourable Member is sa ying is that when you gave your Statement this morning he got the answer that he was seeking for question number one. What he would like is, rather than re- ask the question, just …

The Speaker The Speaker Member, you can go ahead and ask your supplementaries. QUESTION 1: 2016 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS PRELIMINARY REPORT SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what was the cost, the final cost, of the 2010 Census, and the budget for the 2010 Census?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: I do have the final cost for the 2016, but I do not have it for the 2010. And I can get those figures for you. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Certainly, Mr. Speaker. That is acceptable; and also, the budget.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Second supplementary? Are you good? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Good.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Ask your second question. QUESTION 2: 2016 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS PRELIMINARY REPORT Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes. Mr. Speaker, on page 1 in the Preliminary Report under the Technical Notes section it states the completion rate was 98 per cent. Will the Honourable Minister please inform this Honourable …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Yes. The 2010 Census completion rate was 91 per cent.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Thank you, Minister. Supplementary? SUPPL EMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, in the Tec hnical Notes, it explained what the completion rate means. Why was there a large difference between one census and the previous census?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: I am not able to give a defin itive answer to that, not being the Minister at that time,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary by any Member?

Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin I have a suppl ementary.

The Speaker The Speaker I recognise the Honourable Member, Mrs. G ordon- Pamplin, from constituency 23. Supplementary, yes. Bermuda House of Assembly SUPPLEMENTARY

Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is, does the 91 per cent alluded to by the Minister include the imputation, or was that a straight census response?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: It includes the imputations. I think it is highlighted within the Preliminary Report.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Any further supplementary? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker The Honourable Member Dunkley, co ntinue. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, I ask the Honourable Minister what impact on accuracy does the completion rate have, the difference in completion rate and the imputation?

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Minister. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: I cannot speak to specifics on that. So I cannot give you . . . but I can undertake to find out the answer for you.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Are you doing your third question now? QUESTION 3: 2016 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS PRELIMINARY REPORT Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Yes, sir. That is accept able, Mr. Speaker. The third question: Also on page 1 under the Technical Notes section it states that the imputation process differed between the …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Yes. I have the response for that. And I am sure that part of this response impacts the question that you did ask previously. And I have undertaken to get the answers for it. But in the r e-sponse to question 3, at the end …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. That was rather long of an answer. But we accept it. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: But appreciated, yes. Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, for the 2016 Census the Honourable Minister and the report said 982 9 February 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly there was a 98 per cent completion rate. Was that prior to any imputation process?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: I think that that was inclusive of the imputation process.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Second supplementary ? Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Second supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Mr. Speaker, have any changes been made to the final 2010 Census that was publicly published some time in 2012? Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: I do believe that the statistical department did send out an updated 2010 Census that corrected any errors that were …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. I see a supplementary from the Honourable Member from constituency 23, Mrs. Gordon- Pamplin. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin Yes. I just wonder if the Minister can confirm her comment that she thought the 98 per cent rate included imputation for the completion. However, her Statement indicates that the 98 per cent rate was a pre- imputation completion rate and that the average to achieve . . . they …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. You are just seeking clarification?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Yes. And the Shadow Deputy [sic] Leader is absolutely correct. Because when I sat down, I just relooked at the document. And you are absolutely right. And so, I thank her for pointing that out.

The Speaker The Speaker The former Leader, former Leader.

Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin That is okay. That is okay. I understand.

The Speaker The Speaker You have a second supplementary?

Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin Yes, I have a second supplementary.

Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin And the second supplementary is, what were the errors that were a lluded to in the differential between the 2010 and the 2012 revision? Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: I can say this, that s ome of the errors did go out in the public domain, correcting it. And I cannot …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. No further supplementaries? We now move on to the next set of questions. The next set of questions actually just sought written answers. They are from Member Ben Smith, to the Honourable Minister Foggo. There are three questions, all seeking w ritten answers, no oral response. Have …

The Speaker The Speaker We will now move on to the last set of questions, and those are questions from the Honourable Opposition Whip, Mrs. Jackson, to the Honour able Minister Wilson. There are three questions. The first one sought just a written answer. Have you gotten your answer? Okay. QUESTION 1: CURRENT PROCEDURAL …

The Speaker The Speaker The next two questions are seeking oral response. Member Jackson, would you like to ask your second question? [ Oral questions continuing]

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. QUESTION 2: CURRENT PROCEDURAL TERMINOLOGY (CPT) CODE

Ms. Susan E. Jackson So, the second question: Will the Honourable Minister of Health please explain to this Honourable House when the CPT [Current Pr ocedural Terminology] code arrangement started, and how much has been paid thus far to each of the service providers that follow, and were those payments approved by the Health …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank y ou. Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the response is as follows: (1) The agreement was reached on the 8th of December 2017. (2) How much was paid thus far? The Bermuda Hospitals Board, the payment transactions are curre ntly being processed. Brown- …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Supplementary or new question?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson No, I have a supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary. Continue on. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Ms. Susan E. Jackson So, what will be the estimated total amount paid out to March 31, 2018?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I am not able to provide that information as of yet. As I indicated for part B, the payment transactions are still being pr ocessed for t he Bermuda Hospitals Board. And with respect to the other payments moving forward, it is based …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Supplementary or new question?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Second supplementary.

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Yes. So, are we under any legal threat to making these payments by grant?

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: No, we are not, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary from the Opposition Leader? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I have a supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Because the Minister has indicated that the payments to the individuals are based upon the estimates with respect to these ent ities, is the Minister not able to estimate what the utilisation will be to the end of March?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. 984 9 February 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, I will have to revert and get back to the House, because again it is based entirely on the utilisation of these certain diagnostic fees. So at this point I will be …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. We have a supplementary from the Honour able Member Moniz. Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Yes.

The Speaker The Speaker Honourable Member, you have the floor. SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Maybe it is just a clarification. But were the Government under threat of legal action at any point in time during this negotiation?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, prior to this [settlement agreement] of the 8th of December 2017, there were discussions taking place between the Gover nment and the learned Attorney General.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Second supplementary? Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Yes. Mr. Speaker, is there any intention of changing the fees, going forward?

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for that question from the Honourable and Learned Member. Mr. Speaker, prior to June of 2017, there were three independent reviews commissioned by Arthur Andersen, Ernst & Young and PwC, since 2000, su ggesting a methodology to be …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Min ister. Supplementary, anyone? We have a supplementary from the Oppos ition Leader. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: With respect to the recommendations and the relative value units, could the Minister explain to the House the difference between relative value methodology and relative value met hodology which, if …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: I believe what the Honourable Opposition Leader and former Minister of Health is referring to is the application of the “ relative value unit for cost neutrality .” And moving forward, what this Government is committed to doing is, we will be applying the relative …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. No further supplementaries? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I have a supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker You used two on this one already. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Oh, all right. Never mind.

The Speaker The Speaker The Honourable Member Jackson, would you like to move on to your third question?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Bermuda House of Assembly QUESTION 3: CURRENT PROCEDURAL TERMINOLOG Y (CPT) CODE

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Will the Honourable Minister please provide this Honourable House with the legal mechanism by which funds have been paid to a pr ivate medical service provider? Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, the funds were paid on th e direction of a Cabinet decision and under the authority granted pursuant …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Now, a supplementary from the Honourable Member Moniz. Honourable Member, you have the floor. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What the Minister said just provides the met hod whereby payment is made. But normally, the co ntractual obligation to make the payment . …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the question, specifically as was provided, speaks to the legal mechanism. And my learned and honourable colleague would recognise that the legal mechanisms come and derive from legislation. The legislation in particular speaks to one that was …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Second supplementary? Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: No. No, no, no. Mr. Speaker —

The Speaker The Speaker Aah! Wait, wait, wait, wait! Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Well, you did not rise on a point of order. Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Point of order. Point of order,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Point of order. Okay. POINT OF ORDER Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: The Minister has not answered the question.

The Speaker The Speaker She answered it to the ability she had to answer it. Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: No, no, no. I asked her, was there any legal obligation to pay these monies? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: She answered that question.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, do you have anything add itional to answer that? Hon. Kim N. Wilson: No, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to refer my honourable friend to the legislation that I have spoken about twice previously.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Mr. Speaker, again, the Mini ster—

The Speaker The Speaker Ah! Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Point of order.

The Speaker The Speaker Let me help you out, H onourable Member. I am not going to let you keep getting up on these points. If you want to rephrase your question and make it as your second supplementary, you can rephrase your question. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: What I would ask the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes, Mr. Speaker. The payment was made, as I indicated, pursuant to that legislation. And it was pursuant to a directive from the Cabinet.

The Speaker The Speaker No further supplementaries? 986 9 February 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin: I just have a clar ifying —

The Speaker The Speaker I recognise the Honourable Member Gordon- Pamplin. You have a supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY

Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin Yes, I have a supplementary, just for clarity. Was the payment made a “grant ”?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Sorry, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated previously, the current Government did find i tself in a precari ous situation, based on the former Government’s decision to ignore technical advice by the Bermuda Health Council as it relates to the appl ication of relative fee values. …

The Speaker The Speaker Ah, ah, ah! Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Should I continue? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: No. Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Yes.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. What is your point of order? POINT OF ORDER Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: The Minister is stating that the former Government ignored the recommendation. The Minister needs to prove this. [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. [Inaudible interjections ]

The Speaker The Speaker Continue on, Minister. Continue on, Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, as I have indica ted previously, the question was answered. It was the legal mechanism pursuant to the legislation that I have spoken about.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. It looks like you have put a question. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I have a supplementary. The Speake r: Yes, supplementary. SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Supplementary. Can the Minister indicate for the purposes of the Budget Book where these payments will be all ocated?

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member On the back page, on the back page.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I have a lready answered that in the second question with r espect to where those funds will be coming from, which is the Ministry of Health.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Yes, I have a supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary from Ms. Jackson. SUPPLEMENTARY

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Yes. So, I would just like to know what the thinking is behind using the taxpayers’ money to provide a pr ivate service provider with these funds and taking the money out of the Ministry of Health.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Kim N. Wilson: Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated previously, the Cabinet [members] found ourselves in a very difficult position upon our taking Gover nment, when the former Gov ernment ignored, in June of 2017, technical advice supplied to them by the Bermuda Health Council with respect to …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary or point of order? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Point of order.

The Speaker The Speaker Right. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: The Honourable Member is misleading the House. The Honourable Member is stating that the previous Government ignored the recommendations and chose to utilise some other rel ative value numbers. [Inaudible interjection]

The Speaker The Speaker Ah, Members! Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Unless the Minister is able to say, prove that this happened, then the Minister is misleading the House.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, to help out here— Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: It is not true!

The Speaker The Speaker To help out . . . [Inaudible interjections and general uproar ]

The Speaker The Speaker Ah, ah, ah, Members! Minister, to help out here, the former Minister of Health is questioning the validity of whether or not the former Administration, under the former Minister, who is now the Opposition Leader, actually ignored. Now, my question . . . clarification would be, can you substantiate that …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Ah, there you go! There you go!

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Mr. Speaker —

The Speaker The Speaker Let us clarify. What are you rising on? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I am rising, continuing that the Minister is misleading the House. The statement that the Minister just read out, that said “ignored”, did not indicate that the third number that she quoted, where that third number came from. …

The Speaker The Speaker I am going to take a position here. Opposition Leader, I think you have stressed your point that you had a concern in reference to the comments which the Minister is making. I think the Minister responded and read from a report that I am assuming she would have received, …

The Speaker The Speaker The information that the Minister is reading from is in reference to the [answer] that was submitted to the Member who asked the question for an answ er as a written [answer]. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Right.

The Speaker The Speaker So I think it is contained in the answer that the Honourable Member sought to get this mor ning. So the Honourable Member should already have the information. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will utilise the written response further.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. No further questions, no further supplements on questions that have been submitted for Members. We can now move on to questions from the Statements that were read this morning by Ministers. As you know, we had three Statements this morning. And we actually have questions from Members on …

Mrs. Patricia J. G ordon -Pamplin Just give the Mi nister a minute to get to her seat. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on page 1 at the last paragraph of the Minister’s Statement, the numbers do not add up. And I wonder if the Minister can advise us which is the correct number . …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Member. Minister. 1Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: If I can get back to that, I would just look in the Preliminary Report to see what the numbers are reported here.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary, or are you okay for the time being?

Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin I just wanted to make sure that the Statement was correct, and obv iously one of those three numbers is not correct. So I am happy to . . .

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. It could be a mathematical challenge there. But we will figure it out. Okay.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, you also have a further question from the Honourable Member from constituency 12. The Honourable Member Cannonier, would you like to put your question? QUESTION 1: 2016 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS PRELIMINARY REPORT

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 1 See further clarification at page 990 On page 2, in the third paragraph from the bottom, the Honourable Minister states that 28,192 units, that it had increased, the number of dwellings. And that would make sense, considering the compl etion rate being higher. I just …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? You have a supplementary question? Okay. Good. Minister, those are the only Members who had indicated having questions. The other Minister who has questions regar ding his Statement this morning is the Minister of Education. Minister of Education, you have a question from the Honourable Member from …

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister provide me with the total budget allocation for these new training initi atives and how much the employers will be expected to pay for their employees’ training?

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, I do not have that information with me, but I will endeavour to make sure that the Honourable Member gets that.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Honourable Member, supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Supplemental. Will master masons or master electricians or master plumbers who have 30, 40 years of experience Bermuda House of Assembly be grandfathered and not required to take the test, and automatically get the cer tification based on their lifetime experiences?

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you. Thank you, Member. Mr. Speaker, we do not currently have certif ication for masons or plumbers, so I cannot answer that question. But all local tradesmen can be assured that they will not be disenfranchised by this process. And there …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mi nister. Anyone for a further supplement? Second supplement? QUESTION 2: TRAINING PROGRAMME INITIATIVE

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Second question. The Statement speaks to apprenticeships. How many companies do we have registered under the apprenticeship pr ogramme that are willing to work with the development of our employees?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, you can respond. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this moment, I do not have the exact number of the total number of companies that we have apprenticeship programmes with. But I can endeavour to get that information, as well.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Member, further question or supplementary?

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons What incentives are in place to encourage local companies to participate in the a pprenticeship programmes?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, quite simply, the incentive is ensuring that Bermudians are trained and emplo yed in the workforce. That is the main i ncentive.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: But, in addition to that, the current apprenticeship setup, most of them are different, so it is very difficult to answer that exact question. But in a ge neral sense, Workforce Development pays for the students to attend the Bermuda College, and the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary or new question?

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons My question now —

The Speaker The Speaker New question or supplementary?

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary. Okay.

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons When will the Ministry have public meetings with the employers to get them all on board to make this programme an event?

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, the apprenticeship programme has been in place for about 10 to 15 years now. So, I do not quite understand that par-ticular question.

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Clarity, Mr. Speaker. The S peaker: Would you like to clarify your question?

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons My question is, has the Mi nistry spoken with a number of employers to get their input to make sure that they are all on board with the programme?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, the simple answer to that is yes. The department speaks with employers all of the time. The purpose of having trai ning is to talk to employers first and see what it is that they require. If you look further into the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. No further question? No further supplements? 990 9 February 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly We have a supplement from the Honourable Member, Ms. Jackson. Ms. Jackson, you have the floor. SUPPLEMENTARY

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am just reading the piece about the depar tment engaging in assisting the Ministry of National Security and Team Street Safe with the 100 Jobs init iative. Will that be open to everybody? Will those who are able- bodied, but unemployed, but are not a …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Mr. Speaker, that initiative is an initiative where we plan to bring 100 employers into a room and invite members of the public to come and submit their information and walk out with 100 people employed. So that is an initiative that was launched …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. No further questions? No further supplementaries? That brings us to a close of the Question Per iod. Thank you, Members, for your — Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Oh! I pause for a minute. The Honourable Minister Foggo had been asked a question by the Honourable Member GordonPamplin in regard to the mathematics of the numbers that she had. The Minister has got the clarification on it, I understand. Minister, would you like to just provide the information? …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister, thank you for ge tting the informati on so quickly for us. Now, as I was indicating, that brings us to a close of the Question Period. We now move on. CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECHES

The Speaker The Speaker Does any Member wish to speak under this heading, the Congratulatory and/or Obituary Speeches? I recognise the Honourable Premier, who rose to his feet first. Premier, you have the floor. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my co ngratulations …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Yes. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. E. David Burt: But I am sur e that there will be many persons who will be able to speak to Mr. Rego’s legacy better than I will. But I just want to record that I would like to be associated with those …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. P remier. Does any other Member wish to speak and offer condolences? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 28. Honourable Member Lister, you have the floor.

Mr. Dennis Lister III Good morning, Mr. Speaker. First, I would like to offer condolences to the family of Mr. Reginald Chase, who passed a few weeks ago. He was a long- time member of the PLP in the Sandys branches and very active in the activities going on up there. I would also …

Mr. Dennis Lister III And yes, I would like to extend those congratulations.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. I recognise the new Minister of [Social Deve lopment] and Sport, the Honourable Member, Mr. Weeks. You have the floor. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning, and good morning to everyone. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off my r …

The Speaker The Speaker You are clever enough to get it done, hopefully. Yes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: All right. I wish to congratulate the following eight at hletes for qualifying to compete in the XXI Commonwealth Games to be held in Gold Coast Australia, from the 4 th to the 15th of April: …

The Speaker The Speaker Well, we need a quorum here. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Pardon? [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead, go ahead. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Yes, Mr. Speaker, a quorum will be here. Mr. Speaker, the boxing community has def initely lost an icon. [Timer beeps] Hon. Michael A. Weeks: And that is it. Thank you,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker That is it. The clock is on you. I now recognise the Honourable Minister Burch here, right at my right. Minister Burch, you have the floor. 992 9 February 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Lt. Col. Hon. David A. Burch: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me first …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, yes. [Desk thumping]

The Speaker The Speaker He has got his voice back, eh?

Lt. Col. Hon. David A. Burch Yes, he got his voice back. [Laughter]

Lt. Col. Hon. David A. Burch He probably lost it again today. Mr. Speaker, finally, I would like for congrat ulations to be sent to the T. N. Tatem Middle School family, who on the 24 th of January conducted a Power of One Student Council awards ceremony, where I was honoured to be the guest …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. I now recognise the Honourabl e Deputy Speaker, who has risen to his feet this morning. Deputy Speaker. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly would like this House to send congratulations to one of the fastest, probably the fastest Bermudian …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, yes. Hon. Derr ick V. Burgess, Sr.: I would like to assoc iate the whole House. In fact, when you have to bury one of your children, it is certainly a very difficult, diff icult time for the whole family. And, certainly, I am sure it is difficult for …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Deputy. I now recognise the Honourable Minister of National Security. He has got a big smile early this morning. So I will take him on this morning. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, I would like to send congratulations to Bermuda Institute. As you know, Mr. Speaker, I …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Wayne Caines: Thursday, they had 100 Men on Campus .

The Speaker The Speaker I was present for a while, myself. Yes, go ahead. Hon. Wayne Caines: Mr. Speaker, it was refreshing to see 100 men from our community with their god-children, grandchildren, with their sons and daughters, participating in a very different array of such matters — attending classes, having lunch with their …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. I now recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 24. The Honourable Government Whip, Mr. Scott, you have the floor.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just would like to be associated with the co ngratulations given by the MP Lister, from [constituency] 28, when it comes to PHC, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker I thought you would be for Somerset.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott As you know, I am a big PHC fan. I do pl ay for PHC in the Corona League, under lock and key. But the Honourable Member did not go far enough in his congratulatory speech, in the fact that we are on the verge of winning the Triple Crown, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. I now recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 8. The Honourable Member Cole Simons, you have the floor.

Mr. N. H. Cole Simons Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to send co ndolences to the family of Winifred Florabelle Powell. She was a lady from Smith’s Parish and Flatts. And she will be sadly missed by her husband, Winston Powell, and daughters, Gayle Stowe and Tammy Bean. Ms. Powell …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Any other Member? I recognise the Honourable Member, Mr. Commissiong, who has been up on his feet a few times, trying to get my attention. Honourable Member, you have the floor.

Mr. Rolfe Commissiong Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is there was a group, a band, called War. You may remember [them] back in the early to mid- 70s.

Mr. Rolfe Commissiong They had a hit called City Country City. And to some degree, I think that sort of applies to myself. As a born and raised boy growing up in Spanish Point, I, like many members of families in tha t late ’60s, early ’70s period, migrated westward to what I …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, yes, yes.

Mr. Rolfe Commissiong Oscie was well known in the Warwick area, and some of the Members here, Mr. Simons wants to associate, and others. A legendary figure, solid Bermudian man, tradesman, builder, a lovable guy. And he is a great loss to that community. He was also, to me, one of the pillars …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. And now I recognise the Minister for Tourism, the Honourable Member. You have the floor. Hon. Jamahl S. Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning. Mr. Speaker, I rise on a sad note today, to pay tribute to a man who contributed greatly to the …

The Speaker The Speaker She was mine, as well. Yes. Hon. Jamahl S. Simmons: And the Honourable Speaker says his as well. She was a soldier.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. M m-hm. Hon. Jamahl S. Simmons: But we honour people who take the time not just to serve God, but to work with people’ s children and to help shape their foundation and shape their upbringing. I owe her a tremendous debt. Allen Temple AME owes her a tremendous …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. I recognise the Leader of the Opposition Leader. Honourable Madam, you have the floor. Hon. Jeanne J. Ath erden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to have condolences sent to the family of the late Gerald Michael Fisher. And for those of you who …

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Also, if congratulations could be sent to the LOM Financial on their 25 th anniversary. For those of you who might not realise, LOM, in addition to being in Bermuda for 25 years, is also down in the Caymans and other jurisdictions. And so, it …

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Thank you, Madam Opposition Leader. I recognise the Honourable Minister Foggo . . . I was trying to get your constituency. [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, you have the floor.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, what happened?

The Speaker The Speaker I saw her before I saw you, Minister. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Constituency 3, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Constituency 3; there we go. Hon. Lovitta F. Foggo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to join in congratulatory remarks for Dage Minors, a stellar athlete. And so, I just need my name associated with his congratulations. Mr. Speaker, I want to be associated with the remarks for Ms. Constance …

The Speaker The Speaker I recognise the Honourable Member Tyrrell. Honourable Member Tyrrell, you have the floor.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Thank you very much for the recognition, Mr. Speaker. Thank you and good mor ning, everyone.

The Speaker The Speaker You were acting like you were shocked.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Mr. Speaker, I would ask that this House bring condolences to the families of a couple of my constituents who passed during our absence while we were away. Janette Elizabeth Smith of 12 Lusher [Lane]. She was very active in the comm unity in Warwick, as well. And Mr. Lionel …

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell I do, because I live in the Parish of Warwick, support PHC, reluctantly. [Laughter]

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell But I am still associated with North Village. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker You are still red and white in heart, eh? All right. I recognise the Honourable Member, Mr. Moniz. Honourable Member Moniz, you have the floor. Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to take this opportunity, you took a moment of silence earlier …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. I now recognise . . . oh, Minister Brown. Minister Brown, you have the floor. [Laughter] Hon. Walton Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning once again. I would like to associate myself with cond olences sent to two of our former colleagues, Mr. Speaker …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Walton Brown: He was not the choice of the then- United Bermuda Party. But the Progressive L abour Party, in conjunction with five Members in the United Bermuda Party, worked together to ensure that Mr. DeCouto actually became the Speaker of Parli ament.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Walton Brown: And as one who is looking at the race and ethnicity, as some of us like to, he was the first Portuguese Speaker duly elected to this Parliament.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Walton Brown: Secondly, Mr. Speaker, the former Minister, Mr. Edness —

The Speaker The Speaker His picture hangs behind you as you speak. See that? Hon. Walton Brown: Yes. Perhaps that is indicative of something, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Edness, as Minister responsible for Health and Drug Policy, gave me my first government contract in the early 1990s. He knew I was not a member or …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. I now recognise the Deputy Opposition Leader. Honourable Member, you have the floor.

Ms. Leah K. Scott Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to be associated with the condolences for the family of Ms. Francis from St. George’s. I am very good friends with her niece, Tanya Esdaille , and her daughters, Quinell and Quinita. And, as somebody who is going through cha llenges …

The Speaker The Speaker Sure.

Ms. Leah K. Scott I would also like to be associated with the congratulations for Dage Minors. I worked with Dage’s father, Del Minors, at Appleby, for many 998 9 February 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly years. He works in the Facilities Department. And I watched Del, his father, travel all …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Member. I recognise the Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier, you have the floor. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would certainly like to be associated with the condolences given to the Francis family of St. George’s. Also, those to the family of Mr. Reginald Chase; former …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Deputy. I now recognise the Honourable Member, Mr. De Silva. Honourable Member, you have the floor. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too would like to be associated with the condolences for the family of Mr. Ed Fisher , who is …

The Speaker The Speaker Oh! You can wrap it up, Member. You can wrap it up. Hon. Zane J. S. De Si lva: Yes. She is also a super student, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good. Okay. Now I will recognise the Honourable Member Baron, from constituency 25. You have the floor.

Mr. Jeff Baron Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good mor ning, colleagues . Bermuda House of Assembly I would like to associate my remarks today with condolences I have heard for the family of Allan “Forty” Rego. Forty was my first boxing coach in Bermuda in 1997. I received a phone call at police …

Mr. Jeff Baron And I have to say, as a young 20year-old boxer, that was one of the biggest highlights of my amateur boxing career. I went home and told my father that Troy Darrell punched me in the face many times —a complete honour. Now, the world has famous boxing coaches. We …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. I now recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 1. The Honourable Member, Ms. Ming, you have the floor.

Mrs. Renee Ming Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to, first of all, ask for support during this time for my Parish in St. George’s because we have had a rough six weeks. And so, at this time I would like to extend just thoughts and prayers to the family of Oliver …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. True.

Mrs. Renee Ming I happened to live below him for many years. So even though I have not been a me mber of the union, I know enough about it from Mr. Cann. Also associate his cousin, Derrick Burgess, with those comments. Also, Genevieve Foggo, who is the sister of MP Lovitta Foggo, …

Mrs. Renee Ming So, when I think about the passing of Ms. Francis, the first word that comes to mind is “nurturing, ” because, having been the Secretary at East End Primary for 32 years, she touched many children’s lives. So I just want the Francis family to know that they, too, are …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Whoo -whoo! [Desk thumping]

Mrs. Renee Ming Yes. And I would li ke to associate the Members of this House with those comments, with 1000 9 February 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly my birthday comments. She is still sprucey, still loo king forward to her Dark ‘n’ Stormy on a regular basis! [Laughter]

Mrs. Renee Ming That did not change. She actually has Dark ‘n’ Stormy cupcakes. [Timer beeps]

Mrs. Renee Ming Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Member. I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 36. The Honourable Member Scott, you have the floor. Hon. Michael J. Scott: Mr. Speaker, thank you. Mr. Speaker, there is an annual calendar event every January, where the country admits to the Company of Honorary Fellows, members of the …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, yes. Mm -hmm. Hon. Michael J. Scott: Son of Westmore Bean. And so, to his dear widow, Mrs. Bean, Loretta, we ask that the House send condolences to his family. And to the family, too, of Ms. Karen Matilda Cann, the daughter of Mrs. [Gwendoline] “Gwenny” Cann.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, yes. [Timer beeps] Hon. Michael J. Scott: I would ask that the House send condolences to her family.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Thank you. Hon. Michael J. Scott: And the Minister of Health would like to be associated wi th the condolences for

Ms. Cann. The Speaker Thank you. Thank you, Member. I now recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 31. Honourable Member Smith, you have the floor.

Mr. Ben Smith Good morning, Mr. Speaker; thank you. I would like to be associated with the condolences to the family of Gerald Fisher. He is a constit uent of mine. I met him this summer, had some time to sit with him and saw that he was spending a lot of time …

The Speaker The Speaker Sure.

Mr. Ben Smith I would also like to give condolences to the family of Victoria Benevides. She was laid to rest last week. She was a friend of mine, also a constituent, who lost her battle to cancer. I would like to give congratulations to Jesse Washington, who just accepted a Division 1 …

Mr. Ben Smith And also, to Madeline Moore, who accepted a scholarship to Northern Colorado, another Division 1. Both of these were swimmers whom I worked with since they were the age of eight; very proud of their accomplishments. Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Good. No . . . oh! The Minister of Education, I see you on your feet. I will recognise you at this time. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I have a quite a few, so I will go through them very …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker I now recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 23. The Honourable Member Gordon- Pamplin, you have the floor.

Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like, in my own right, to be associated with many of the comments that were made today. Also having been at the finish line to watch the incre dible accomplishment of Dage Minors, I do not think any of us, at the end of …

The Speaker The Speaker For a Bermudian— very good.

Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin So it was really quite exciting. I would also like to be associated, Mr. Speaker, with the remarks of condolences to t he family of Vicki Benevides , who was an incredible loss to the reinsurance industry, a young woman, wife of Chris Mora, and mom to Ethan, Isabella, and …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. I recognise the Honourable Member, Ms. Jackson. Ms. Jackson, you have the floor.

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just briefly would like to send condolences to the family of Ralph and Dorothy Johnson. They both have passed, as husband and wife, within a short period of time. And they w ere both constituents of mine and had lived a very full life together. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Does any other . . . I recognise the Honour able Member from constituency 11. Honourable Member Famous, you have the floor.

Mr. Christopher Famous Good morning, Mr. Speaker and listening public. First of all, I want to say thank you to the staff of the Solid Waste Department. Everybody complains when the trash is not picked up, but no one says thank you when it is. [Desk thumping]

Mr. Christopher Famous Secondly, I would like to send congratulations to the Berkeley Institute, who will be having a walk and run tomorrow, and a premiere showing of the film Respice Finem this Sunday at Li berty Theatre. Earlier, the Honourable Member from consti tuency 9 said parishes had to stick together, I …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, yes.

Mr. Christopher Famous Mr. Speaker, I recall on December the 2 nd, looking over at the crowd, and there was a gentleman in a b lack beret. And there was Mr. Takbir Sharrieff standing with the crowd. I am sure that the Honourable Member from [constituency] 23 will recognise the tenacity of that …

Mrs. Patricia J. Gordon -Pamplin I remember that.

Mr. Christopher Famous The other person is Ms. Rose Madeiros, from AP Owen Road behind the apothecary; Ms. Judy Mello, from Devonshire Heights; Ms. Ruth White, from Collector’s Hill, who was a master seamstress; Mr. Charles L. L. Warren, from Hermitage Road; Mr. Calvin Jones, fro m Friswells [Road]; and my cousin, Mr. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Member wish to speak? No other Members with to speak. Before we move on from there, I just want to add my comments to a couple of persons —namely, the remarks that were expressed to the Chase family. As has been said, he …

The Speaker The Speaker That brings to a close our congratulat ory and obituary remarks. Before we move on to any other order on the Order Paper, any other matter, I just want to acknowledge the presence of the President of the Senate, who is here. I made reference to her this morning; I …

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS CASINO GAMING COMMISSION AND ANTI -MONEY LAUNDERING/ANTI -TERRORIST FINANCING ASSESSMENT

The Speaker The Speaker We actually have one personal expl anation this morning, and we are going to recognise the Minister of Tourism. Minister Simmons, you have the floor. Hon. Jamahl S. Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to give a personal explanation to this Honourable House in response to accusations levelled …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. NOTICE OF MOTIONS FOR THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE ON MATTERS OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. INTRODUCTION OF BILLS GOVERNMENT BILLS 1004 9 February 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: There is one Government Bill down to be introduced. And that is in the name of the Minister of Health. Minister, would you like to introduce your Bill? FIRST …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. NOTICES OF MOTIONS

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. ORDERS OF THE DAY

The Speaker The Speaker We now move to the one Order that is on. But, Mr. Premier, we are so close to that per iod in the order where we would normally break for refreshments or a lunch period, would you like to use that opportunity to put us into lunch now and come …

The Speaker The Speaker Well, well, well, Mr. Premier, I am going to—I was thinking, of course, because I know some people have wanted to go to the funeral. But now that I think about it, the funeral starts at two o’clock. If we went right through, we have got an hour and a …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. We will break for lunch. We will break for lunch. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House do now rise for lunch, to return back at 2:00 pm.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. We now stand adjourned for lunch, and we will be back at 2:00 pm. Proceedings suspended at 12:27 pm Proce edings resumed at 2:02 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr. Speaker, in the Chair]

The Speaker The Speaker Good afternoon, Members. We are now resuming after our lunch break, and we were at the first Order of Business for today, which is the co nsideration of the Tucker' s Point Resort Residential Development [(Hamilton and St. George's Parishes)] Special Development Amendment Order 2017, in the name of the …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister Brown, would you like to take the floor now? Hon. Walton Brown: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead. ORDER TUCKER'S POINT RESORT RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT (HAMILTON AND ST. GEORGE'S PARISHES) SPEC IAL DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT ORDER 2018 Hon. Walton Brown: This is one of the, I hope, less contentious matters that I have to be presenting to this Parliament. I move that consideration be given to the …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, as you are proceeding along, I just want to bring to your attention that you should amend it to [20]18, changing the [20]17 to 2018 . Even though it was tabled in 2017 we are doing it in 2018. Hon. Walton Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is actually …

The Speaker The Speaker So you are in good stead. Hon. Walton Brown: Yes. I brag on the technical officers, Mr. Speaker, who would not allow for such an oversight.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Walton Brown: I might; but they certainly would not. [Laughter] Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Speaker, I move that consideration be given to the draft Order entitled, Tucker's Point Resort Residential Development (Hamilton and St. George's Parishes) Special Development Amendment Order 2017, presumably 2017 can …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Walton Brown: That this Order be made by the Minister responsible for Planning in exercise of the powers conferred by section 15(2) of the Development and Planning Act 1974. Mr. Speaker, the Order seeks to amend the principal Order, the Tucker’s Point Resort Residential Development (Hamilton and St. …

The Speaker The Speaker You yield for a minute. Yes, just yield and we will allow her to come across. [Inaudible interjection]

The Speaker The Speaker Good. Hon. Walton Brown: Thank you. I am guided by my colleagues.

The Speaker The Speaker You know how the teacher used to have to separate them in the classroom? [Laughter] Hon. Walton Brown: You know. I am not going to make any general specific remarks, Mr. Speaker, be-cause that —

The Speaker The Speaker You are not going to be baited i nto that one. Hon. Walton Brown: —would put me back into the area of hotbed politics. [Laughter] Hon. Walton Brown: Mr. Speaker, you will be aware that the Tucker’s Point Resort sits within a cave pr otection area and its terrain comprises …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 8, the Honourable Cole Simons. You have the floor. Mr. N. H. Cole Simons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will start by making it very clear that we in the Opposition support this …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Minister of Tourism. Minis ter Simmons, you have the floor. Hon. Jamahl S. Simmons: Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good afternoon. Hon. Jamahl S. Simmons: I would like to commend my colleague for bringing this [Special] Development Amendment Order to Parliam ent. I think that when we look at progress in Bermuda there is some reason to be excited, and there are some exciting things on the horizon. And …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to speak? I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 9. Honourable Member, Moniz, you have the floor. Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to reinforce my colleague’s comment, Mr. Cole Simons, with respect to reservations when you are …

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Member wish to speak? We recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 20. Honourable Member Jackson, you have the floor.

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. I just want to say a few words about this d evelopment and encourage the people of Bermuda that the purchase of the Tucker’s Point Development and the enthusiasm behind the purchasers is certainly borne on the backs of the successes that have taken place in …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. Does any other Member wish to s peak? We recognise Madam Opposition Leader. Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reference by one of the Members on the other side as to when this development started r eminded me that I was in another …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Madam. I recognise the Honourable Member from constituency 10. Honourable Member Dunkley, you have the floor. Hon. Michael H. Dunkley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good afternoon to colleagues. I thank the Honourable Minister for his presen tation on thi s [Special] Development Amendment Order that we see …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Member. Does any other Member wish to speak? Minister, I do not see any other Member moving, so I am going to give you the opportunity. Would you like to rise to your feet? Hon. Walton Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. Walton Brown: Just in conclusion, a few comments. Let me start with the comments from the Honourable Mem ber, Mr. Dunkley. Yes, w e recognise the tremendous economic value this provides for Bermuda. And that is why in the last few months we have worked very hard …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, just let the Member make his point. POINT OF CLARIFICATION Hon. Trevor G. Moniz: It was not so much as the aim of the politicians, but of course generally it happens that the developers apply pressure, and the pressure is certainly on the Minister of Tourism. And he is …

The Speaker The Speaker Continue on, Minister. Hon. Walton Brown: I am very happy for that clarif ication. It seems somewhat different from the original comment, but I am going to leave it at that. But let me just assure the publ ic, Mr. Speaker, that in bringing forward these amendments to the SDO …

The Speaker The Speaker Do you want to move it to Committee or . . . Hon. Walton Brown: We don’t go to Committee.

The Speaker The Speaker No, no, no. That’s right. This does not go to Committee. This is an Order. So — Hon. Walton Brown: This is one of those expedited matters, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, that is right. So we can sort of — Hon. Walton Brown: It still requires —

The Speaker The Speaker —race this one along. Hon. Walton Brown: It still requires the Governor’s assent.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Walton Brown: But I do not think it will take 60 days to get.

The Speaker The Speaker We trust not . [Inaudible interjections ] Hon. Walton Brown: Maybe I s peak too soon. So, Mr. Speaker, I move that the Order be approved and that the appropriate message be sent from this Honourable House to the Governor.

The Speaker The Speaker Any objections to that? No objections to it? The Order has been approved and that now brings us to the conclusion of Orders of the Day. And this does not require a third reading for that Order, does it? [Crosstalk] [Gavel] [Motion carried: The Tucker's Point Resort Residential Development (Hamilton …

The Speaker The Speaker So, no third reading is required for that. That actually brings us to the close of the business for today. Does one of the Ministers want to get up and make the motion? ADJOURNMENT Hon. Jamahl S. Simmons: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that the House do now adjourn …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that you are used to my speaking style, which usually starts with a witty one- liner or an anal ogy of some sort, or some sort of history lesson. But today is not that day, Mr. Speaker, because I am on my feet to …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott So . . . but, at the same time, as we can start adjusting it so that we can now have not just a lower cost of health care, we can increase the quality of health care here in Bermuda. But that could have been done four years ago, Mr. …

The Speaker The Speaker I’ll take your point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Imputing improper motive] Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: The Minister is imputing improper motive to the Minister and all I can say, unless the Minister can turn around and substantiate that he should withdraw that.

The Speaker The Speaker Member (I almost said, Minister), I am going to heed her suggestion in that we try not to throw innuendos around that we cannot support personally. It was a decision that was made collectively, and they made a collective decision. So let us not do it as a personal attack …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Okay. Mr. Speaker, I will take your guidance. That means that the Government in their collective responsibility, the former Government in their collective r esponsibility used the power and authority that they had to make a decision, knowing that it would impact one practitioner more than anybody else in this …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker —

The Speaker The Speaker The resulting outcome has had a stronger impact on maybe one business versus other businesses.

The Speaker The Speaker And you can certainly frame it in that context.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Thank you, yes. And, Mr. Speaker, I find it hard to fathom how the Honourable former Minister, current Opposition Leader, agreed with me saying this could have been done under her administration, but it was not. And instead, a collective decision was made that negativ ely impacted one . . …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott No. I don’t yield for clarific ation.

The Speaker The Speaker Wait, wait, wait, wait. I am going to ask you both to yield. I am going to give you some guidelines, Member, in that we are starting to go down a road that will require you to produce evidence to support the position that you are going down. You were …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Okay, Mr. Speaker, the ev idence that I would use, and this is what I am using now, which is the information given to me by the BHC which shows that standard premium rates should be $338 per person, and that diagnostic imaging const itutes $52 of that. Under the …

The Speaker The Speaker You have about 30 seconds left on your 1 0 minutes.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott All right. Well, all I will say, Mr. Speaker, is that the promise to bring down the cost of health care . . . promise made, promise kept. Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Member. Does any other Member wish to speak? We recognise the Deputy Speaker. You have the floor. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly want to thank the previous speaker for bringing this topic up here this afternoon. The people of Bermuda, via our …

The Speaker The Speaker We will take your point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I believe that the Member is inadvertent ly misleading the House. And the reason I say that is because the normal practice for the Health Council would be to notify anybody that is affected by …

The Speaker The Speaker I cannot speak for the Health Council on this, but there was public knowledge of a pi ece that was done in the paper when this came up in regard to when the notice did come out. If I remember a press conference they held recently that they were notified …

The Speaker The Speaker We will take your point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: I believe the Minister again is . . . I mean, the Member is again misleading the House, because at the same time the diagnostic imaging fees were adjusted so were the labs. And there …

The Speaker The Speaker Hello. Yes, I am sorry. Yes? Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: Sorry. The Member is misleading the House. And I will say this because the Member is actually saying s omething which I think everybody needs to understand. The concern was that the fees that the hosp ital was charging were …

The Speaker The Speaker Well, let me — Hon. Jeanne J. Atherden: He is misleading the House. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: That is not a point of order.

The Speaker The Speaker —let me take control here for a minute. I think you have some strong positions that you would like to express on this, as the former Mini ster. I would suggest that when the opportunity comes you take to your feet and try and clarify everything, rather than continually going …

The Speaker The Speaker We were getting ready for that little church sermon, Mr. Deputy, but time has run out on us. Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Oh man. I was just getting ready to preach .

The Speaker The Speaker I recognise the Honourable Member from cons tituency 12. Honourable Member Cannonier, you have the floor. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr. : Oh man, that’s rude . . . he can’t cut off the church! [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: They cut the church off. [Inaudible …

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Certainly not a preacher at all. I would not take on that responsibility, quite frankly, as a full -time profession. Maybe my colleagues on the other side might decide to. But I take to heart the previous Minister from constituency . . . sorry, he is not Minister now, the …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Is that in the law or is it policy?

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier It is a po licy that the pharmacies have taken on that they should always offer, when it is available. But not every drug, of course, is available in generic, but they do ensure that it is made available. I also want to . . . when we are talking …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Member. Does any other Member wish to speak? No other Member wishes to speak? [Gavel]

The Speaker The Speaker We stand adjourned until Friday next. [At 3:24 pm, the House stood adjourned until 10:00 am, Friday, 16 February 2017.] 1018 9 February 2018 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly [This page intentionally left blank]

February 9, 2018

Debate Transcript