Hansard — May 9, 2025 — Bermuda Parliament

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning, Members. The Clerk will lead us in prayer. PRAYERS [Prayers read by Mr. Clark Somner , Clerk ]

The Speaker The Speaker Members , the House is now in session. [Gavel] CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES [Minutes of 2 May 2025 ]

The Speaker The Speaker Members, the Minutes of the 2nd of May have been circulated. Are there any amendments required? There are none. The Minutes will be confirmed as printed. [Minutes of 2 May 2025 confirmed] MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR

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

The Speaker The Speaker We have been informed that MP Pastor Leroy Bean is absent today. Thank you. MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE

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

The Speaker The Speaker There are four papers this morning. The first is in the name of the Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Good morning. BERMUDA HOUSING TRUST AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2024 Hon. Zane J. S. De …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. The Junior Minister of Finance has the second. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Good morning, Mr. Speaker .

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. MINISTERS AND MEMBER S OF THE LEGISLATURE PENSION FUND ACTUARIAL VALUATION AS AT 31 MARCH 2020 FOR FUNDING PURPOSES Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Ministers and Member s of the Legislature …

The Speaker The Speaker Would you like to do your second one? PUBLIC SERVICE SUPERANNUATION FUND ACTUARIAL VALUATION AS AT 31 MARCH 2020 Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I have the honour to attach and submit for the information of the Honourable House of Assembly the Public Service Superannuation Fund Actuarial Valuation as at 31 …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. And the next is from the Minister of Labour and Economy. Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: A pleasant good morning to you, Mr. Speaker . 282 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report B ermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Good morning. REGISTRY GENERAL ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. That is the end of Papers to be introduc ed this morning. PETITIONS

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

The Speaker The Speaker We hav e nine such Statements this morning. The firs t is, again, in the name of the Deputy Premier. Go ahead. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. BERMUDA HOUSING TRUST AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND CURRENT CHALLENGES Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide this Honourable House and the public with an update on the Bermuda Housing Trust. I am pleased to inform this Honourable House that the Trust has …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is from the Minister of Economy and Labour. Minister Hayward. Hon. Jason Hayward: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR ACT 2025 Hon. Jason Hayward: I am pleased to introduce in the Honourable House today a Bill entitled the Department of Labour Act 2025. This Bill provides for the continuation of the Department of Labour and estab-lishes the Director of Labour as the public officer …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. I believe the next Statement is also yours. Would you like to do your second Statement? REGISTRY GENERAL 202 3 ANNUAL REPORT Hon. Jason Hayward : Mr. Speaker, today I rise to introduce the Annual Report of the Registry General for the year ended December 31 2023. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors. Minister. FOSTER CARE MONTH— MAY Hon. Tinee Furbert: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to inform this Honou rable House that the month of …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is by the Minister of Works. Minister. Hon. Jache Adams: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. ROAD SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS: PAVING THE WAY FORWARD Hon. Jache Adams: Mr. Speaker, everywhere I go, I hear the same question: What is being done about our roads? Whether it is the bumpy drive to work, having to navigate through potholes or the uneven surfaces near …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member What? [Desk thumping] Hon. Jache Adams: —from York Street to Ferry Reach. • Next our team will address North Shore Road from the Shelly Bay Railway site, heading west, past the Aquarium and through Flatts Village . • Then our team will repave Middle Road in Smith’s from North Shore …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Home Affairs. Minister. Hon. Alexa Lightbourne: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. CARIBBEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY FORUM (CREF) 2025: BERMUDA’S PARTICIPATION Hon. Alexa Lightbourne: This morning I rise to inform this Honourable House of the Government’s par-ticipation in the 2025 Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF), which took place from 7 May, and concluded today, 9 May, in Miami, Florida. Now in …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Would you like to do your second Statement? Hon. Alexa Lightbourne: Yes, Mr. Speaker. 290 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly BULK GENERATION SOLE USE INSTALLATION (BGSUI) LICENCE UPDATE Hon. Alexa Lightbourne: Mr. Speaker, this morning I rise to update the Honourable Members …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. And our last Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Tourism. Minister. Hon. Owen Darrell: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm. CAMP CONNECT SEASON 2: SUMMER DAY CAMP REGISTRATION Hon. Owen Darrell: Mr. Speaker, the Department of Sport and Recreation has provided the Government’s Summer Day Camp Programmes each summer break for preschool, primary and middle school -age students for over 50 years. To facilitate these programmes the department works …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, that brings us to a close of the Statements for this morning. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. QUESTION PERIOD

The Speaker The Speaker As this is the second Friday in the month, the first part of the Question Period is the Premier’s Questions. PREMIER’S QUESTIONS

The Speaker The Speaker I have not been informed of any Premier’s Questions this morning. There are none? There are none? [Crosstalk]

The Speaker The Speaker Oh, Opposition Leader, you have a question for the Premier. Let me just start the clock for this. [Inaudible interjections and laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker Put your question. QUESTION 1: ROAD MAINTENANCE DELAYS Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, thank you. Would the Honourable Premier be able to specify why the delays in the development or the maintenance of the roads have been occurring so consistently? Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I think that we just …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Honourable Premier for his response. Given that we have been hearing [from] the Honourable Minister and across the Island about de-lays in roadworks for a number of reasons including delays because there are parties to the …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I am happy for that question to be addressed to the responsible Minister. I am not exactly certain I can answer that off -topic. But what I can say is that, I think as the Minister reported, we are working with the other …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Second question? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Was it supplementary or —

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, your supplementary on it. Yes. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, thank you. And I thank the Honourable Premier for his response. I think what we are trying to get to is the accountability aspect. What we are hearing is that these roads are in a poor state for a number …

The Speaker The Speaker Second question? QUESTION 2: VIOLENT CRIMES—ACTION PLANS TO HALT THE INCREASE IN Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, please. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My second question relates to the increase in violent crime, that the Honourable Minister Weeks attended a memorial yesterday and the Honourable Minister, Mr. King, Shadow Minister, …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, violent crime is, without question, a concern for all of us in this Honourable House. And it is something that I know the Minister of National Security and, whether or not with Government House, who has responsibility for enforcement, that the police take …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Your third question or supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jarion Richardson: Supplementary, Mr. Speaker. Yes. I did not quite get the specifics on that. I heard a lot of explanation about intent. But my question relates to, Are there any specific measures that Bermuda House of Assembly this Government is …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Opposition Leader would know there have been sig-nificant additional funds, whether it was through the mid-year review or also during this budget, which we will be debating shortly in regard to additional funding for the police. It was stated inside of …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? You have a second supplementary. Hon. Jarion Richardson: No. No, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Third question? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Third question, please.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Go ahead. QUESTION 3: FINANCIAL ACTIONS TASK FORCE ASSESSMENT, PREPARATION OF Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was some news coming out of the United Kingdom recently that Bermuda had missed a filing deadline relating to the development of beneficial ownership registers. And I know that …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I thank the Honourable Opposition Leader for his question. As has been relayed to the United Kingdom Government, we are in the process of making sure we get this particular legislation done. It is currently being drafted. It is not insofar as a …

The Speaker The Speaker All right. Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Honourable Premier for his reply. Just some questions relating to especially around the view of the United Kingdom. Will the view of the United Kingdom impact our ability to continue servicing clients in our …

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm. Thank you. Supplementary? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Yes, thank you. Given the relative arbitrariness of this deadline, or of this option from the United Kingdom, what if any impact to Bermuda will we face if we do not com-ply with some of these matters that are arising, both internationally …

The Speaker The Speaker Those are your two supplementaries. Okay. And you have asked all three questions. The next question now this morning is from MP Dill. Would you like to put your question to the Premier? QUESTION 1: BANKING AND MORTGAGE TRANSFERS

Rev. Dr. Emilygail A. Dill Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Honourable Premier elaborate on what steps the Government has taken to increase competition in the banking sector and to make mortgage transfers easier for Bermudians? Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the Honourable Member’s question because I …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY

Rev. Dr. Emilygail A. Dill Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Premier for that answer. And I know that it will be welcome news for my constituents. Honourable Premier, do you believe it is really having the impact that you intended at this point? Hon. E. David Burt: Here is what …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you.

Rev. Dr. Emilygail A. Dill Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Is there a second supplementary or are you done? Rev. Dr. Emilygail A. Dill: Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. The next Member who has questions for you, Premier, is the MP DeCouto.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm. QUESTION 1: CORPORATE INCOME TAX LEGISLATION

Dr. Douglas DeCouto We learned through public statements of public companies at year -end 2024 that the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development] may not accept our current . . . Let me rephrase. Our CIT [corporate income tax] legislation allows companies to write down certain deferred tax assets over 10 …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I am not entirely certain how to answer that question. What I will say is that the Government will make sure they do everything to remain in line with our international obligations under corporate income tax. There have been many times that we …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Do you have a supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES 296 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Dr. Douglas DeCouto: Yes, supplementary, Mr. Speaker. Today I am working for the people in this Chamber, and where I work, I wear a different hat. And there is quite a …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. You can tie it in to your question.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto My specific question would be, my understanding is that companies that take advantage of our 10 year and 10- per-cent per -year deferred tax assets rule here in Bermuda may be liable to pay top- of-taxes in other jurisdictions. I can see how that might be not as efficient as …

The Speaker The Speaker All right. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, when it comes to our Corporate Income Tax Agency, our corporate income tax legislation, we will continue to work with our international business partners as we have throughout this process to ensure that Bermuda remains competi-tive and a jurisdiction. In regard to …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Second supplementary? Third, yes?

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the Government have a view on how the changes in OECD policy may impact our CIT income? Thank you. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, the projections that we have laid out have not changed. And they have not changed since we have laid …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Those are your supplementals.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto I do have a point of information, if you will indulge me. The Speaker: Well, well, well. It does not allow for a point of information. Now, you asked your questions and your two supplementals. So, I will move on. The next person who is on the list is MP …

Mr. Paul Wilmot Good morning, Mr. Speaker. We have not had any updates on the Mortgage Guarantee Programme since last year. Can the Honourable Premier please provide an update on the programme and how many Bermudians have been assisted through this initiative? Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Do you have a supplementary?

Mr. Paul Wilmot Yes, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. Paul Wilmot It is good to hear the great number of Bermudians whom this programme has helped. (Excuse me. Sorry. I am a little nervous.) Can the Honourable Premier provide the further details on how this programme has helped or has impacted the Bermudians regarding monthly savings and home ownership opportunities?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I know full well that on Cedar Hill there are many persons who want to know about this. And I am happy that the Honourable Member is making sure to put forward these questions during this time. Mr. Speaker, for many of these …

The Speaker The Speaker Second supplemental or you are complete?

Mr. Paul Wilmot Yes, Mr. Speaker. There is always a risk with guaranteeing. Can the Honourable Premier share any details as to the performance of those who have benefited from this programme? Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I thank the Honourable Member for his question, and here is what is important to …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. That is the completion of your questions. The next Member who has a question is the Deputy Opposition Leader. Would you like to put your questions? QUESTION 1: DUTY RELIEF INCREASE

Mr. Ben Smith Yes. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Honourable Premier be able to let this House know whether he has received any feedback from the retail sector, since the announcement of increasing the duty relief for people coming through the airport seems to be aiming toward the direction of …

The Speaker The Speaker Mr. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, whether or not we have had specific response from the retail sector I cannot state. I know that the Chamber of Commerce put out a statement speaking on this particular matter, raising some particular issues. What I would like to remind the …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Supplementary?

Mr. Ben Smith Yes, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead. SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. Ben Smith Will there be any consideration of changing or lowering the duty rate for the retail sector considering that they are the ones who are hiring the Bermudians? As we continue to lower for people to buy outside of Bermuda, it is important that we are making sure, yes, retail is …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, we will have many opportunities to debate a thriving city. As you would note inside of the Budget Statement, approved residential scheme matters are being approved. We are advancing those particular items. There is more in-vestment that is taking place. The City of …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Premier. Thank you, Members. That brings us to a close of the Premier’s Questions. QUESTION PERIOD

The Speaker The Speaker But now we will start the next 60 minutes that takes us through the Question Period on other questions. This morning we actually have written questions, so we will start the written questions before we go to the questions on the Statements that were given today. The first question this …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Honourable Premier and Minister of Finance please provide for this Honourable House the number of staff planned to be employed by the Corporate Income Tax Agency when fully staffed according to its planned operating model, and the number of staff currently employed today …

The Speaker The Speaker No. Separately.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the current plan for the Corporate Income Tax Agency is to have a total number of staff between 30 and 35. The latest figure is 33 when fully staffed. The agency currently has three full -time …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Yes, supplementary. SUPPLEMENTARY

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let us see. If I heard correctly, there should be 21 staff by the end of next August. When will the full 33 planned be attained? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I do not have the answer to that question. But I will look to try to set up a meeting with the Honourable Member and the head of the Corporate Income Tax Agency so he can pose all of his various questions at …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Do you have a supplementary or would you like to put your second question?

Dr. Douglas DeCouto No supplementary, Mr. Speaker. My second question.

The Speaker The Speaker Second question. Go ahead. QUESTION 2: GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES PAY SCHEDULE FOR BACK PAY AND PAY RISES

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, r egarding the pay rises for Government employees as per the Premier’s Statement on the 21 st of March this year , will the Honourable Premier and Minister of Finance please provide this Honourable House the most recent version of the payment schedule as of today for back …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Point of order, Mr. Speaker. Hon. E. David Burt: And what is most interesting, Mr. Speaker — [Inaudible interjections] Hon. E. David Burt: Do you want me to sit?

The Speaker The Speaker Take your point of order then. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The fact that payments are being delayed— [Inaudible interjections]

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members State your point of order.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Sorry. Mr. Speaker, the Premier is misleading the House. Because the fact that we know payments are being delayed must mean there was not money for them. There was only one conclusion.

The Speaker The Speaker He was giving you the explanation. He was trying to hold you from getting on your feet. Hon. E. David Burt: See, Mr. Speaker. I would ask, Mr. Speaker, that you would instruct the Whip and also the Opposition Leader on that side that when the Honourable Member puts down …

The Speaker The Speaker Speak to the Chair. Hon. E. David Burt: But I had to make sure I prefaced that, Mr. Speaker, because notice: the Honourable Member will take one and one and will make twenty-two without waiting to see whether or not the answer is actually two. So here it is, Mr. …

The Speaker The Speaker The public will want to hear you . . . the public will want to hear. Talk to them. Go ahead. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. • April 2025, BIU, and that is 2024 uplifts and back pay. • May 2025, BPSU [Bermuda …

The Speaker The Speaker Do you have a supplementary for that?

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That was very comprehensive, very comprehensive. [Inaudible interjections and laughter]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Very appreciated, Mr. Speaker. [Inaudible interjections]

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto I have to say if my employer gave me a pay rise and that was the answer, I would say, You’d better get cracking on the computer, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Do you have a question or a supplementary now? SUPPLEMENTARY

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Yes. Was this schedule provided to the various stakeholders in writing— i.e., were they fully informed as to this schedule at the time in writing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hon. E. David Burt: Yes.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. All right. Your third question.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Does the Premier anticipate— oh, sorry. Third question?

The Speaker The Speaker Third question. You only have —

Dr. Douglas DeCouto All right. Much appreciated, Mr. Speaker. [Inaudible interjections] Bermuda House of Assembly QUESTION 3: ESTIMATED GOVERNMENT CASH FLOWS 2025

Dr. Douglas DeCouto That is fine. I will move to the third question. I believe we understand the point. Will the Honourable Premier and Minister of Finance please provide this Honourable House— [Inaudible interjections]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, w ill the Honourable Premier and Minister of Finance please provide this Honourable House with the estimated Government cash flows, by month in calendar year 2025, broken out by revenue, expenditure and capital spending and in millions? Round numbers will be fine. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, as I supplied to you from Erskine May , that information will not be forthcoming. What I will state, Mr. Speaker, is that the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure are stated well and clearly inside of the Budget Book, which we will be …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, what I was asking for is not the estimates or the budget. I was asking for the cash flows. And I think anyone who runs a business appreciates the difference between those two numbers, Mr. Speaker. [Inaudible interjections]

The Speaker The Speaker Members.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Sorry. I am repeating my question. I hope the Premier could perhaps explain why he is not able to answer that question. Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: I remain by the answer provided,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Okay. All right. All right. Thank you. The next written questions this morning are from MP Fahy to the Minister of Housing. Hon. Michael Fahy: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. Hon. Michael Fahy: These questions have been provided in writing. And I am satisfied with those re-sponses. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker You got your responses? Hon. Michael Fahy: Yes. 1QUESTION 1: PROPERTIES OWNED OR UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE BERMUDA HOUSING CORPORATION Hon. Michael Fahy: Will the Honourable Minister please inform this Honourable House of the total number of properties owned or under the control of the Bermuda Housing Corporation, broken …

The Speaker The Speaker The fourth is from MP Smith to the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors. I should say MP Linda Smith just to clarify. QUESTION 1: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE IN DUBAI, TOTAL COST OF TRAVEL

Ms. Linda Smith Good morning, Mr. Speaker, and thank you. The question is, Would the Honourable Minister please provide this Honourable House with the total cost to the taxpayer [including airfare/travel cost, accommodation and per diem fees ] for the 15- person delegation who attended the International Women’s Leadership Conference in Dubai in …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you for that question. I first want to start by acknowledging the Bermudian women entrepreneurs and professional dele-gates who are listening for the answer to that question today who are taxpayers and went through an organised process for this partial …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES

Ms. Linda Smith Yes, I do. Thank you very much. How was the composition of the delegation and the size of the delegation determined? Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In collaboration with the project that we did with UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] and UN Women, Mr. Speaker, the women had …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Further supplementary?

Ms. Linda Smith One supplementary, please.

The Speaker The Speaker Just one supplementary.

Ms. Linda Smith What has been the benefit to Bermuda of the participation in this conference? Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think what I would like to share is the investment in its people. Mr. Speaker, the women who attended are entrepreneurs and businesswomen. And I already spoke about the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you.

Ms. Linda Smith Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. That brings us to a conclusion of the written questions. Now we will move on to the Statements from this morning. And the first Statement from this morning is from the Minister of Housing. Minister, you have Members who wish to put questions to you in reference to …

The Speaker The Speaker You would like the Shadow Minister to go first? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Shadow Minister, MP Fahy. Hon. Michael Fahy: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Opposition Leader. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Michael Fahy: It is. And it is probably the wrong time. QUESTION 1: BERMUDA HOUSING TRUST AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND CURRENT CHALLENGES Hon. Michael Fahy: Mr. Speaker, the Honourable …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Because it is a moving target all the time, Mr. Speaker. It is a moving target.

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm. Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Michael Fahy: Okay. So, a supplementary on that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of that waiting list, is the Honourable Minister able to provide statistics as to the waiting list for each of the five properties that come under the Housing Trust, particularly Heydon Park, …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I will be happy to get [the Honourable Member] that information, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Supplementary? Hon. Michael Fahy: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In addition to that, what is the average waiting time for people looking for housing with the Housing Trust? And by the way, I understand that this is an independent housing trust. But it is in the Statement, so I think …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Thank you. Any further questions? Hon. Michael Fahy: Yes. Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker This will be your second question. You used the supplementaries. Hon. Michael Fahy: Second question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. QUESTION 2: BERMUDA HOUSING TRUST AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND CURRENT CHALLENGES Hon. Michael Fahy: Mr. Speaker, in terms of choices of properties, are individuals on waiting lists just told which individual property they can go to? Or is it something that is allocated to a specific property for a …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker, I would certainly think that the Housing Trust, when they receive applications, you will know that seniors will probably have a favourite place that they would like to stay. And I would think that most of those are accommo304 9 May …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Hon. Michael Fahy: Perhaps like the answers to the other questions, the Minister could verify that for us in due course. I think that is the end of my supplementaries. I have one more question, Mr. Speaker?

The Speaker The Speaker Third question, yes. QUESTION 3: BERMUDA HOUSING TRUST AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND CURRENT CHALLENGES Hon. Michael Fahy: Can the Honourable Minister share for us as well the average monthly rent for residents? The Statement made reference to the fact, quite fairly, that rents have not gone up. But what is …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I will be happy to give a detailed average monthly rental of all of the units for the Honourable Member.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. The Minister said that he will provide it for you at another time. Hon. Michael Fahy: I appreciate that. Thank you, and I will liaise with the Minister in due course. Thank you,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Thank you. Okay. Opposition Leader, would you like to put your question now? QUESTION 1: BERMUDA HOUSING TRUST AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND CURRENT CHALLENGES Hon. Jarion Richardson: I would. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Honourable Minister be able to speak to . . . I note that in his …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Absolutely not. The [Honourable Opposition Leader] will certainly . . . he mentioned the statistic, of which I am one. So, the intent is, Mr. Speaker, not only to increase affordable homes for our people, but that also includes affordable homes for our …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. So, would the Honourable Minister be able to speak to the other housing solutions that he raised that will be specifically for seniors? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I will certainly do that as soon as I possibly can. [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker Another supplementary or a new question? Hon. Jarion Richardson: A new question, please,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Okay. Second question. QUESTION 2: BERMUDA HOUSING TRUST AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND CURRENT CHALLENGES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Second question. With respect to the Minister’s confirmation that the Bermuda Housing Trust receives no direct financial support, would the Minister be able to clarify the Government’s expectations relating to the rising maintenance …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Well, you will notice that once you have a look at the financial statements, you will see that the funding is there. But as I mentioned in my Statement, the concern as it is for all Bermudians with regard to any construction and …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Supplementary or a third question? Bermuda House of Assembly QUESTION 3: BERMUDA HOUSING TRUST AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND CURRENT CHALLENGES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Third question, please, Mr. Speaker. With respect to the Minister’s reference to the new executive leadership and operational improve-ments at the trust, would the Honourable Minister …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? None. Minister, you also have Member Campbell. Would you like to put your questions still? QUESTION 1: BERMUDA HOUSING TRUST AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND CURRENT CHALLENGES

Mr. Vance Campbell Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In view of our ageing population and the fact that the Bermuda Housing Trust [BHT] has a waiting list . . . Well, before that, Mr. Speaker, I just want to commend the chairman and his board, as well as the employees, for doing an excellent …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I answer that question, I would just like to thank the Honourable Member Campbell, who just took his seat, because he was very heavily involved with the Bermuda Housing Trust in the past. And from what I understand, …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Supplementary?

Mr. Vance Campbell No. That is it. The Speaker: That is it? Okay. Thank you. Minister, no further questions for you on that Statement. Members, the next Statement that has questions this morning is the Statement from the Junior Minister [Furbert]. Junior Minister, the Opposition Leader would like to put questions to you. …

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm. Mm- hmm. Supplementary? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Sorry. Second question,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Second question, okay. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. I thank the Honourable Premier for explaining. We do not always get straight answers. Thank you, Mr. Premier. [Inaudible interjections] QUESTION 2: PUBLIC SERVICE SUPERANNUATION FUND AND MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF 306 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly THE …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Supplementary? Or third question? SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, I am sorry. Supplementary. Can I just get some clarification? Something that was supposed to happen did not happen. Nothing went wrong, and we do not plan to fix anything. Is that the answer the Premier just gave? Hon. E. …

The Speaker The Speaker Third question? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, supplemental.

The Speaker The Speaker Oh, second supplementary. Go ahead. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. So, in industry, we call this key man risk. And what it is, we have this in many, many companies where a person is so key to our processes that we often have to in fact insure that person’s life should …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. That was your second supplementary, second question. Do you have a third question? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Given that the reports were completed in 2020, and this is across two fiscal administrations, and the key man risk clearly having been identified and there being no plans to remediate, …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. All right. So that brings us to a close of the questions for you, Premier, on that. We will move on to the next Statement that has questions. And the next Statement is the Statement from the Minister of Economy and Labour. And the question is from the Opposition …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, the answer to the question is none. The department was fully compliant with the laws that were enacted and enforced during that period of time. All documents were signed off by the person who had the statutory authority, which would have been the manager …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Second question? Bermuda House of Assembly QUESTION 2: DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR ACT 2025 Hon. Jarion Richardson: Second question, please. Yes. I thank the Honourable Minister for that reply. Any of those prior decisions, such as civil penalties, referrals and union certifications, will they need to be reviewed for validity …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: None, Mr. Speaker. As articulated, all procedures and matters that were followed were in total alignment with the law.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Supplementary? Hon. Jarion Richardson: No further questions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker No further questions. Okay. Thank you. Minister, there are also questions for your second Statement. And again, Opposition Leader, would you like to lead those questions? QUESTION 1: REGISTRY GENERAL 2023 ANNUAL REPORT Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are in relation to the late filing …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Upon taking over the responsibility of the Office of the Registry General, it was brought to my attention that we were late in terms of our submissions. Mr. Speaker, this morning I apologised to this Honourable House. I will endeavour to ensure that the reports are …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary or second question? QUESTION 2: REGISTRY GENERAL 2023 ANNUAL REPORT Hon. Jarion Richardson: Second question, please, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Given that the deficiency was noted by the Minister and he moved to correct it, what remedial action will the Minister take now to structurally ensure that this mistake …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: When we have a compilation of statistical reports where we rely on data that are sourced from multiple agencies and organisations, it is about having conversations with those agencies so that we get the primary data in a timely fashion. Oftentimes we are waiting for data …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. Supplemental? SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, please. Yes, thank you. And I thank the Honourable Minister to committing to adhering to these Legislative deadlines. My question goes down to accountability, where the Honourable Minister just explained that there are people who are not providing their neces-sary reports …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: I would not categorise it as performance failure. There are a number of reasons why data are not compiled in a timely manner and 308 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly submitted. Some of these organisations are external to the …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. Second supplemental? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, please. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Would the Honourable Minister . . . and I thank him for his answer. Just to clarify, there will be no remediation action taken as it relates to the discovery of this failure?

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. Just a comment. Do you have a third question? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Sorry. That was my question. There will be no—

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Oh. So, you had no second supplemental? Hon. Jarion Richardson: That was my second supplemental.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker So, do you have a third question? No? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Sorry. No.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. Thank you. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Okay.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Any other persons? I think it is Pearman, MP Pearman. MP Pearman, did you have questions for the Minister? Yes. Yes.

Mr. Scott Pearman Yes, Madam Deputy Speaker. I was not sure if [the Honourable Minister] wanted to answer the last one or not.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker [The Honourable Opposition Leader] did not pose a question. He made a comment. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Point of order.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker What is your point of order? POINT OF ORDER Hon. Jarion Richardson: It is that it was a question.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. Well, you did not ask it like a question. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Oh, I apologise.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker So, can you repeat the question? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, ma’am.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Yes. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Would the Honourable Minister be able to confirm that no remedial action will be taken?—question mark.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Yes. Hon. Jason Hayward: The Honourable Minister can confirm that we will ensure that we provide timely and accurate data.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. And any supplementals to that? No. MP Pearman, it is your turn.

Mr. Scott Pearman Yes, well, I have a supplementary to that question before my question.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Oh, you do have a supplemental to that question? Okay. SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. Scott Pearman Given the answer just given by the Honourable Minister, when will we see the 2024 report, which is due 90 days after?

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you. Minister. B ermuda House of Assembly Hon. Jason Hayward: Madam [Deputy Speaker], the report indicates that we are in the process of submitting the 2024 report in the second quarter of this year.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. Now, is this another supplemental or your — QUESTION 1: REGISTRY GENERAL 2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Mr. Scott Pearman Yes . . . no. This is my first question of the day. Madam, thank you. I thank the Honourable Minister for his Statement on the Annual Report of the Registry General 2023 and for tabling this Statement in this Honourable House this morning. The report gives a statistical fig-ure …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Madam Deputy Speaker, according to Standing Orders, Ministers are not to stand to this floor and give a matter of opinion. We are to provide clarity and factual information.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Facts. Yes. Thank you. Mr . Scott Pearman: Supplementary?

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Yes. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. Scott Pearman Does the Honourable Minister have other ways to achieve a more accurate popula-tion figure?

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: The next accurate population figure will be provided at the conclusion of the 2026 census. When we get those 2026 census benchmark data, we will then include immigration and emigration tracking so that w e hav e an ongoi ng number t hat is more accurate …

Mr. Scott P earman Second supplementary? The D eputy Speaker : You may . Okay.

Mr. Scott P earman Thank y ou, M adam. Does the Minister himself and his department have a working figure that it uses for its calculations and determinations? The D eputy Speaker : Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: After every census there is a population projection that is actually provided to the public. And we …

Mr. S cott P earman Yes, nex t supplementary, f inal supplementary. The D eputy Speaker: No. Two supplementaries.

Mr. Scott P earman Oh, s econd question.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Yes. QUESTION 2: REGISTRY GENERAL 2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Mr. Scott P earman Yes, Mada m Deputy S peaker. Does the Honourable Minister take a view of the published statistics from the Chamber of Commerce and its accuracy or inaccuracy as compared to the 63,000 figure? The D eputy Speaker : Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Unless population data take into consideration accurate statistics …

Mr. Scott P earman I d o. 310 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Deputy Speaker: Okay. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. Scott Pearman And in light of the Minister’s answer just there, and indeed in light of his Statement where he said (with your leave, Madam), “ The next opportunity of an accurate population count will be the 2026 census ,” which the Minister just repeated to Parliament, are there no other ways …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Madam Deputy Speaker, the Statement says that the next opportunity for us to have an accurate population figure will be at the conclusion of the 2026 census. I then do not understand how one can ask whether or not we can get to a …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. You have a supplemental on this?

Mr. Scott Pearman Well, actually, a point of clarification if there was a misunderstanding.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of clarification? POINT OF CLARIFICATION

Mr. Scott Pearman A more accurate figure would then be an estimate of 63,000 in case that was not clear. I was not saying a more accurate figure than the 2026 census. I mean a more accurate figure than the 63,000 estimate.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you for your clarification. Do you wish to answer? Hon. Jason Hayward: It is the Government’s desire that we have accurate population numbers. I have looked into a number of ways in which we can utilise immigration statistics to get a better measure of what our actual population numbers …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. Second supplementary?

Mr. Scott Pearman Second supplementary. Thank you, Madam.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay.

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Thank you, Minister. What figure is the Ministry currently using for all of its determinations and decision- making?

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Statistically, we rely on the population projections in conjunction with the births and deaths outlined in the Registry General’s report.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. And the —

Mr. Scott Pearman Last question.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Question three. Go ahead. QUESTION 3: REGISTRY GENERAL 2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Mr. Scott Pearman Yes. Thank you, Minister. In relation to your prior answer about the next - most -accurate number coming when we have the 2026 census, when do you anticipate that to com-mence and conclude, and when will we have that number, do you think? Appreciating it as a timeline.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: The 2026 census will commence in 2026.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you. Any supplementals? SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. Scott Pearman Supplementary, yes. Are you able to give a month within the calendar year?

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker A month within the year of 2026. Hon. Jason Hayward: Prior to the release of the 2026 census, I will ensure that I will provide full details as to when interviewers will be in the fields knocking on household doors to collect the necessary data to complete the census.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister.

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you. Bermuda House of Assembly The Deputy Speaker: Supplementary?

Mr. Scott Pearman No. Thank you very much.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thanks. Right. That moves us to, I believe it is Member King who had questions for you, Minister. Honourable Member, you have the floor.

Mr. Robert King Good morning, Madam Deputy Speaker, Members of the House and the listening public.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Good morning. QUESTION 1: REGISTRY GENERAL 2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Mr. Robert King I have a question regarding the statement that was made in regard to marriages. In 2023 there were 310, and there were no same- sex marriages. The question that I have is, Has the law been amended to allow for same- sex marriages?

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: The law is a matter of public record, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. Supplemental or new question? POINT OF CLARIFICATION

Mr. Robert King For clarification, so if it is legal to have same- sex marriage, it just seems a bit confusing to suggest there were no same- sex marriages. It would be like me having a store that sells apples, and then someone asks me, How many chainsaws did you sell? It does …

Mr. Robert King The next question that I have is regarding the declining birth rates. It has been established a decrease of 43, or 9 per cent, over 2022 where it was 479. In 2023, it was 436 births. Understanding that a large number of Bermudians are leaving the islands and we have …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Madam Deputy Speaker, no.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. Next question or supplemental? SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. Robert King Supplemental. So, my understanding is that there is no consideration for Pathways to Status regardless of our declining population? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Member, point of order, point of order.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of order, Minister? POINT OF ORDER Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Madam Deputy Speaker, this Statement had nothing in it about Pathways to Status. So, the Honourable Member is way out of parliamentary procedure.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you. It has been confirmed that the Minister’s Statement did not cover that subject material. So, can we have a different question?

Mr. Robert King Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

Mr. Robert King What I was referring to is we have a declining birth rate, and we have persons migrating to other shores, which means that the birth rate continues to go down and persons are leaving. So, the population is declining. And we understand the implications for the pension, for the cost …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Madam Deputy Speaker, this Government put out a full report as it pertains to the challenges that we are going to have regarding our ageing population. The Ministry of Economy and Labour has been on the forefront of educating the public regarding the challenge but also …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. Supplemental to that?

Mr. Robert King Yes, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. Robert King So, what we are basically to understand is that the population is now increasing because of those measures that are being put in place?

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: I would say that the overall workforce in Bermuda is increasing. The statistics will show that our workforce is increasing year over year since the report was actually submitted. That report identifies that we need to ensure that we have reten-tion and expansion of our local …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. Member, do you have any further questions?

Mr. Robert King Nothing further. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you. That takes us to the Ministry of Public Works. I think MP Cannonier registered that he had ques-tions. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. My voice is a bit hoarse, so . . . [Crosstalk ] QUESTION 1: ROAD SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS: …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplemental would be then, Why, when the Minister says “ paving a road today only to trench it next month” are these things happening if we have this coordination going on? Hon. Jache Adams: Mr. Speaker, …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Hon. Jache Adams: Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Another supplementary? Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes, second supplementary. Considering the answer then, and these lessons learned, can the Minister identify or highlight any new lessons, I guess, based on what is happening presently? Has there been anything that they have identified or highlighted that they were missing in the …

The Speaker The Speaker Second question? QUESTION 2: ROAD SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS: PAVING THE WAY FORWARD Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Second question. Thank you for that answer, Minister. Second question: On page 3 . . . sorry. It is just electronic; I am scrolling down. At the bottom of page 3, the …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. [Crosstalk ] Hon. Jache Adams: Mr. Speaker, I will endeavour to get the Honourable Member the answer. The specifics of why it is taking so long I just do not have with me. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Okay. Hon. Jache Adams: Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Third question or supplementary? Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: No. Considering that he can get the answer, I will hold off on the supplementals.

The Speaker The Speaker No problem. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Just to say that, yes, it has been a long time. Third question. Then I will go to—

The Speaker The Speaker Your question, third question? QUESTION 3: ROAD SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS: PAVING THE WAY FORWARD Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Yes. I will go down to page 4 where the Minister talks about dates and the operational dates of the plant, asphalt plant. This has been an ongoing saga, in …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: So, is he fairly confident that in that first quarter, he feels, based on the past, that it has not been that way?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, before you respond, let me just remind folks that it has gone 12:30, but we have only got less than five minutes left on the clock. We will run out the five minutes, and then we will break for recess. 314 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. All right. No further questions? All right. The next item that has questions would be the Statement from . . . let me see. We may get one question in. The Statement from the Minister of Home Affairs. Minister, your first Statement has the questions. And, MP Fahy, …

The Speaker The Speaker Mindful we have only got three minutes left. QUESTION 1: CARIBBEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY FORUM (CREF) 2025: BERMUDA’S PARTICIPATION Hon. Michael Fahy: Thank you. The Honourable Minister made a statement that suggested that the Integrated Resource Plan [IRP] had perhaps been presented at the conference. Can the Minister confirm if in …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael Fahy: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. More specifically, then, and can I have leave to just read from the Statement, “ CREF further provided a platform to share updates on Bermuda’s clean energy progress, including our proposed Integrated Resource Plan and the successes from the electrification …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael Fahy: Thank you. And with that in mind, the last Integrated Resource Plan was 2019. A new one is supposed to be published at least every five years. Can the Honoura-ble Minister advise when the Integrated Resource Plan is updated and will be published in final …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Alexa Lightbourne: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Ministry and the Department of Energy have full confidence in the Regulatory Authority to do its function. As you would know, operationally there is a separation to safeguard its successes and its regulation. And so, I have full confidence that they …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary or second question? QUESTION 2: CARIBBEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY FORUM (CREF) 2025: BERMUDA’S PARTICIPATION Hon. Michael Fahy: Second question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the Honourable Minister could provide a breakdown of attendees and costs for at-tending the CREF conference, please?

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Alexa Lightbourne: Sure. At the time in which ministerial travel is published, I will send you a personal note to make sure that it is done. So, thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Third question? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Michael Fahy: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. Bermuda House of Assembly I would like to ensure as well that it is not just the ministerial travel, but also [information on those] accompanying the Minister. Thank you, Minister. Can I ask, Who appeared with the Minister …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Alexa Lightbourne: There was a full complement of Bermuda’s energy sector, to include the Reg-ulatory Authority and its representation. And repre-sentatives, Ministers present would be myself and members of the Department of Energy, as well as — [Timer chimes]

The Speaker The Speaker Minister, the clock has run out on us at that. So, Members, we thank you for your participation this morning in the Question Period. Deputy [Premier], would you like to rise and have us break until 2:00? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I do ask that …

The Speaker The Speaker At 2:00 pm. Thank you, Members. Members, the House now stands adjourn until 2:00 pm. [Gavel] Proceedings suspended at 12:37 pm Proceedings resumed at 2:00 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]

The Speaker The Speaker Members, I trust everyone had a nice break from here. Now we are going to resume this afternoon's business. This morning, we ended on the question period, which means the next thing on the Order [Paper] is the congratulatory and obituary speeches. So let me just open the House. [Gavel]

The Speaker The Speaker The House now stands open. Does any Member wish to make a contribution at this time under congratulatory and obituary re-marks? Mr. Premier. CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECHES Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, as expressed last week in this Honourable House, I rise to ask that this House express condolences to you, Mr. Speaker, to the Member for constituency 28 and to your family on the passing of your beloved wife Ms. Miranda Lister. I …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I would also certainly like to extend condolences to the families who experienced loss in the tragic events of last week Tuesday . . . oh, sorry, last week, Thursday. One of the victims was the daughter of one of my constituents …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Premier. Mr. Opposition Leader, you have your three minutes. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not mean to belabour the point, but I do [wish] to express the Opposition’s condolences on the passing your wife and most especially we are very mindful of her …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Opposition Leader. MP . . . Deputy Speaker. Deputy Speaker, you have your three minutes.

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I would like to be associated with the remarks of condolences to both Senators, Lauren Hayward Bell as well as Lindsay Simmons during this time of their loss. I would like to express congratulatory remarks in general for all young people who took …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Junior Minister Furbert, you have your three minutes Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my family, of course, I would like to express our condolence to you and your family, particularly because you are not only the Speaker of the House, and also Den-nis Lister …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Junior Minister. Bermuda House of Assembly Does any other Member wish to make a comment? Minister Darrell, you have your three minutes. Hon. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to send condolences to the family of Ms. Idabelle Simmons, who sadly passed away …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister Hayward, you have your three minutes, sir. Hon. Jason Hayward: Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to echo the condolences to yourself and your family, [Junior] Minister Lister . . . I will leave it there. I echo in the sentiments of condolences. Mr. Speaker, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Deputy Premier, you have your three minutes. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. He sounds like he was talking about the Somerset Trojans of old for a minute there. But, Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by congratulating Vernon Temple Church for celebrating …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: You can say nothing but great, beautiful things about her. Mr. Speaker, you will know, I do not know if you noticed it or not, but it was one of the biggest funerals I have been to in recent times. I mean, it …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Deputy. Does any other . . . MP Whip? Would you like to have your three minutes?

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and good afternoon, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I also wish to be associated with the condolences sent on the loss of two of my favour-ite Senators’ mother and father, and I send it to them and their family as well. But I personally want to …

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell David is what I would certainly describe as the second longest serving General Sec-retary in the Concacaf and CFU region and he has served several . . . a long line of presidents He certainly has served us well and I say us because David was hired by the Bermuda …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Whip. MP Simmons.

Mr. Scott Simmons Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My apologies, my microphone. There we go. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning and morning colleagues or good afternoon. I wish to start first by where the Honourable Member left off and that is to thank Mr. David Sabir and to congratulate him on that …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP. Does any other Member . . . MP Swan.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speak er, I would certainly like to be associated with thos e condolences offered to your family, ably put by the immediate past speaker, MP Simmons. I had the privilege of ac tually trav elling with you and your wife to Africa on a …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP Swan. Does any other Member wish their three minutes? MP Tucker.

Ms. Robin Tucker Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon.

The Speaker The Speaker Good afternoon.

Ms. Robin Tucker I would like to also associate myself with the comments made by everyone in here to-day, particularly as it relates to you and to your family.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you.

Ms. Ro bin Tucker I also attended the service. It was absolutely beautiful. I would want, in particular, to join my comments to what MP Simmons said. And what he said was absolutely spot on. I did not have the privilege that most people in this room and others who would be listening had, …

Ms. Robin Tucker I would also like to associate myself with the condolences extended to Senator Lind-sey Simmons on the passing of her father and to Senator Lauren Hayward Bell on the passing of her mom. And also, I would like to extend condolences to 320 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda …

Ms. Robin Tucker So again, condolences to them and as well as the— [Laughter]

Ms. Robin Tucker —all of the families . . . there are a lot of families who are grieving right now. And so, I just want to take this opportunity to express condolences to all the families that are grieving the loss of a loved one today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you very much. MP DeCouto.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I wish to be associated with the numerous condolences to you and your family, partic-ularly the comments by MP De Silva and MP Simmons who have said it as well as I could ever hope to say it. I also wish to associate …

The Speaker The Speaker You are welcome, sir. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? MP Robinson, you have your three minutes.

Mr. Dwayne Robinson Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And also, I would like to associate myself with the condolences to your family as I have longstanding roots in Somerset. My grandparents spoke very highly of Mrs. Lister and yourself. So, I just wanted to be associated with that. The service was very phenomenal, well …

Mr. Dwayne Robinson So, you know I send strength to you and your family during this difficult time. I would also like to associate myself with the condolences given for the loss of life in Somerset as well, as this has rocked the community and a lot of folks in Somerset are feeling …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. MP Dill. You have your three minutes.

Rev. Dr. Emilygail A. Dill Thank you. Mr. Speaker. I want to join with my colleagues, first of all, in expressing condolences to you and your entire family. Your son who sits in this Chamber and certainly . . . your wife, she was . . . I was one of her first students. I …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Minister Furbert. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also want to take the opportunity to associate myself with the condolence remarks that have already been made, particularly to you [on the loss of your] …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? MP Lister.

Mr. Dennis Lister III Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon to the listening audience and those honourable colleagues. Mr. Speaker, first I would like to also associate myself with the condolences given to both Senator Lindsey Simmons and Senator Lauren Bell. I now know what it is like to lose a parent, and I …

Mr. Dennis Lister III But attending her funeral — [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. Dennis Lister III —attending her funeral, you know, for us as her sons it brought to us . . . there was, I think someone said over 900 people at the funeral. And, Mr. Speaker, it shows the impact that she had as a teacher, Youth Parliament, in the church, in the community. …

Mr. Dennis Lister III —not having a mother. But I just want to wish Happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Thank you, MP. [Desk thumping]

The Speaker The Speaker Does any other Member wish to make a comment? No other Member? Before we move on, my son has done a good job with thanking everyone just now. And I have to add my thanks to that —not only to those in this House, but to this entire Community —because …

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. 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

The Speaker The Speaker There is one Government Bill to be introduced. Premier . . . oh, Minister of Labour. I am sorry. BILL FIRST READING DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR ACT 2025 Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, I am introducing the following Bill for its first reading so that it may be placed on the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. There are no other Bills. NOTICE OF MOTIONS

The Speaker The Speaker There are no notices of motions. ORDERS OF THE DAY

The Speaker The Speaker Members in the Chamber and the listening audience, we are here today for the Reply to the Budget Statement. And as we have the technician sorting things out for us, once we get the okay . . . we will now start that matter. The Premier will lead us into …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Any objection? None. Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, I am just rising on a point of order on a procedural matter to see if I can obtain clarification from yourself.

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead. Hon. Jason Hayward: We often listen to the Budget replies, and sometimes they are filled with factual in-accuracies. It has been customary that Members do not rise and provide points of order during this period of time. And I am just asking for clarity on whether or not, …

The Speaker The Speaker Well, you did say that it is customary that we allow it to flow without interruption, and I will stick to custom on this occasion. But I will ask any Member who feels that there is a clarification or correction or inaccuracy that needs to be cleared up, to feel …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, this Government has failed to convince the next generations that Bermuda is a country for them. And that is because the Progressive Labour Party Government’s vision for the future extends no further than the most recent elec-tion. This Government would rather preside over the decline and fall of …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, Bermuda’s economy exists as part of a bigger global picture and is impacted by trends around the world. Of course, thanks to the unprecedented policies and activities over the recent months of our largest trading partner and neighbour to the west, the United States, forecasts and predictions are …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, when we look to the local economy, it is important to dig beneath the surface of the available statistics and examine multiple perspectives to assess the true economic state of our Island. For our reference, we use 2017, the start of this current Government’s economic stewardship. While this …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto At a high level, Mr. Speaker, the total economic growth as measured by Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, has seemed reasonable with increases over the last few years. And the overall unemployment rate—the fraction of the population that wants to work but cannot —is indeed low. But these figures hide …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Hear, hear!

Dr. Douglas DeCouto —or 4.1 per cent per year. [Inaudible interjections]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Local business, that is, everything except for IB and f inancial services grew only 2 per cent , or a meagre 0.3 per cent per year. That is essentially no growth at all. And I know there were some comments earlier, but I would remind the viewers that these are …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, other key indicators for the health of the economy are retail sales and shipping. These continue to show declines. Looking at full-year retail sales data for 2022, 2023, and 2024, after adjusting for inflation, total sales were 1.9 per cent lower in 2024 than in 2022. [Inaudible interjections]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Out of the seven sectors , after adjusting for inflation, lower. Out of the seven sectors reported, only motor vehicle sales and service stations showed an increase. In fact, in 18 out of 24 months in 2023 and 2024, or two -thirds of the months, total sales were lower than …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto —eating less and drinking less. That tells you something is up. Thanks to emigration and cost of living increases, there are fewer people buying things, spending more, but getting less. Mr. Speaker, container volumes point in the same direction of fewer goods being brought to the Island and purchased. Although …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, one of the Government’s favourite- cited statistics is the unemployment rate, which was 2.8 per cent in the November 2023 Labour Force Survey. What is driving this? Few-er people and fewer jobs. The reality is that the number of people has shrunk faster than the number of jobs. …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Government’s own report, “Addressing the Challenge of an Ageing Population [in Bermuda]” described the problems very well. It also Bermuda House of Assembly described the negative impacts on our economic growth, health care, and pensions. And I don’t know about you, Mr. Speaker, I don’t find any of this amusing. …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto And you can’t properly fund health care and pensions with a shrinking, ageing population. We can either have more people, each paying less tax, or fewer people, each paying more tax. Government’s own estimate for the required increase in the working population at that time was 8,418 workers, or 25 …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, let’s talk salaries and cost of living. All those statistics might seem abstract to Bermudians who are working day -to-day. Our people who are trying to pay the rent, buy the groceries, keep the car running, and stop the house from leaking. How are these workers doing? Based …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto In fact, rent costs grew 2.7 per cent, driven by 1.7 per cent increases for properties under rent control, and 3.5 per cent for properties not in rent control. Mr. Speaker, I know that some in this Chamber find these statistics amusing. I can assure you, there are many areas …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Food increased 2.9 per cent and health costs increased 2.5 per cent. At the end of the day, while it is true inflation has slowed, for most people costs are still rising faster than their incomes. And that’s why Bermudians remain very concerned about their cost of living. I will …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, tourism has seen some improvements from 2023 to 2024, but remains far behind 2019, and continues to remain behind our competitors to the south. Tourism arrivals by air are 15 per cent higher from 2023 to 2024 but are down 27 per cent versus 2019. Airline capacity is …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, while we rely on tourism as a key component of our local economic activity, providing a variety of jobs, attracting visitors, and consuming goods and services, it’s currently IB that drives our economy. IB drives our GDP. As a sec328 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Bermuda’s demographic crisis—an ageing and shrinking population—has negatively impacted our public pension funds: Public Sec-tor Superannuation Fund [ PSSF ], for Government Employees, and Contributory Pensions Fund (CPF), also known as Social Insurance. Mr. Speaker, for defined benefit funds such as the PSSF and CPF to work properly, all the …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, turning to health care. After eight years of this current Government, health care costs in Bermuda have continued to rise. And most of us have a story of a friend or relative Bermuda House of Assembly stuck on beds in the hospital hallways or suffering long waits due …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker , education is one of the most important components for success in life. It comes in many forms, from hands -on to bookwork. Bermudians need to be well -educated, in whatever form that means for each person, so they can be empowered to take control of their own …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Turning to Housing, Mr. Speaker . The One Bermuda Alliance believes that all Bermudians must be able to live in dignity, and this includes securing affordable housing. The housing situation [in Bermuda] has left many puzzled. Why, with an acknowledged decline in population, is housing harder and harder to find, …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Recent work by the Chamber of Commerce Economic Committee has provided valuable insight, that the average household size in Bermuda has reduced. That is, even with fewer people on Island, we need the same or even more units, as each unit will house fewer people. This is of course compounded …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Turning to energy, Mr. Speaker, last but not least of the cost -of-living drivers is energy. We in the Opposition proposed to give the Regulatory Authority (RA) more legal power to take into account costs to consumers when setting BELCO rates. We welcome Government’s promise to limit the costs BELCO …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, turning now to the Government’s recent financial performance, it is disappointing yet unsurprising that the Finance Minister persists in his charade of a so- called “surplus” for the recently concluded financial year. It reflects poorly on his credibility as a steward of our finances and, by extension, the …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Finally, if Government truly wishes to maintain a contingency amount in the budget, which is not unreasonable, we suggest a separate budget line for that. Mr. Speaker, we are very disappointed to see very little progress in reducing the backlog of audit reports across Government. And, for two successive years …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, the Corporate Income Tax ( or CIT) is a potentially transformative resource for Bermuda. However, it is no silver bullet and brings its own challenges. We have spoken often of the uncertain nature of the timings and amounts of the CIT, and the uncertain number of taxpayers. This …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, a key element of many of the Government’s statements around the CIT is the establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund, funded by CIT revenue. It connotates wealth, obviously, and also plenty —a solution to our financial problems. This is, of course, politically attractive. However, we have many other …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, after millions of dollars spent, we are very disappointed to see no progress on the development of gaming on the Island, and no progress in eliminating or reforming the Gaming Commission. As in most of the other areas of our economy, if we want a better result, we …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, we have spoken a lot about the general state of Bermuda, its economy, the Government’s plans, and its financial performance and we have provided a few points about what the OBA would do in specific areas . So now we turn to our overall vision for the finances …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto At its heart, our philosophy is that all Bermudians must be empowered to achieve our dreams, and success in whatever ventures we choose. While we want to ensure the appropriate social safety net is in place, we must aim for fewer and fewer Bermudians to need it. We view creating …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, a second well - known pillar that creates opportunity for Bermudians is hospitality and tourism. These sectors bring foreign currency into Bermuda, and more importantly, provide a wide range of jobs for Bermudians and consume a wide range of services in our economy. Tourists provide a good market …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, International Business brings foreign currency into Bermuda and provides high quality, well -paying, often comfortable jobs for Bermudians. Our objective with IB is to continue the growth and success of it in Bermuda. We’d maintain Bermuda’s top- ranked regulatory reputation and provide IB with efficient and effective Government …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, a key opportunity for Bermuda’s economy lies in Hamilton, which is the perfect site for creating the housing that Bermuda needs without further encroaching on the miniscule amounts of open space we have left. While Government has loosened some restrictions for building and development in Hamilton, more should …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, as we have seen in multiple areas across our economy and fi-nances, a critical underlying issue is the number of people living and working in Bermuda. We must consider it an urgent national priority to make it more attractive for young Bermudians to return home, for Bermudians and …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member What would you do?

Dr. Douglas DeCouto What a timely question. 11. Specific Proposals

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, we were very disappointed that Government has not scrapped the sugar tax. [Inaudible interjections and laughter ]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto It’s well- known that this tax has not achieved its goals and only increased food prices for Bermudians. It’s not too late for Government to get rid of it. Another tax we would suggest cutting, targeting better or even eliminating, is the Foreign Currency Purchase Tax, or FCPT. This 1.25 …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, we have provided ample evidence that shows just how hollow the Government’s claims of fairness really are, as businesses and Bermudians in the local economy continue to struggle and cost of living outstrips whatever small pay increases people are getting. We have shown how Bermuda’s biggest challenge is …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, we have just had the Opposition’s Reply to the Budget [Statement]. We are going to take a couple of minutes and let the technical officer [remove] the connectors from . . . You are good? Okay. So, we are in pretty good stead. We have got the okay from …

The Speaker The Speaker But before I call on that Member, I would just like to acknowledge in our Gallery today that the former Opposition Leader Mr. Cole Simmons is visiting with us today. Welcome, sir. 336 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly [Desk thumping]

The Speaker The Speaker Good. Okay. All right. [Budget Debate, continuing.]

The Speaker The Speaker Junior Minister, I understand you are going to be the first up. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Yes, I am.

The Speaker The Speaker Are you ready to start? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I am, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead, sir. The clock is on. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can start?

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. DEBATE ON THE BUDGET STATEMENT AND REPLY TO THE BUDGET Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me make it very clear that I know most people have been sleeping for the last 30 minutes. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: But we are going to change …

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: The Honourable Member Ann Cartwright DeCouto. I believe you also, Mr. Speaker, you definitely [were]. Mr. Speaker, what such a fiery lady she was. But, Mr. Speaker, I can tell you right now, that the Honourable Member is not Ann Cartwright DeCouto. [Laughter]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Point of order, Mr. Speaker! [Laughter and inaudible interjections ]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Point of order. Personalisations, Mr. Speaker. Personalisations. [Laughter and inaudible interjections ]

The Speaker The Speaker He was just making a distinction that you are her blood, but you are not her. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: That’s right, Mr. Speaker. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: That young lady, Mr. Speaker,— [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: That young lady was so fiery many of us …

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: —coming back from lunch after drinking ginger ale. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker — [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: It was ginger ale. What’s . . . what’s . . . we all had ginger ale. The Honourable Member …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: —of the Honourable Member’s [Statement]. Where did the Honourable Member get these numbers from? He talks about $50 million off-balance sheet spending. If any Member on that . . . and I will sit down if he can tell us. He talks about $50 million …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh! Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Because, Mr. Speaker, every one of us respect the Auditor General.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: We respect the professionals within the Ministry of Finance. And this Honourable Member, Mr. Speaker, comes up with these numbers and no one in this House knows what it is about. Those 23 — [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No, the 2023/24 numbers were …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: We are lowering it to four cents.

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Yes. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: The Honourable Member, where would he get his numbers from. And I will 338 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly speak later on about how the increases in taxes under the One Bermuda Alliance from 2012 to 2017. We …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member They don’t want to hear that. Another Hon. Member: No. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I will also speak about the millions of dollars they borrowed in the first year. It was supposed to be lasting three years and it only lasted a year and a half.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member And then they borrowed more. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: And then they borrowed more. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: For the new Members who are here from the OBA, you may want to leave and not hear this stuff. I am sure they didn’t tell you about all this …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Wow! Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: There is not a Member . . . Ah! The Honourable Craig Cannonier. [Inaudible interjections and laughter ] Hon. E. David Burt: Ah! Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: The Honourable Craig Cannonier was the only Member . . . and I don’t know if that Honourable …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member There you go! [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Let the numbers speak for themselves. Mr. Speaker, I also want to talk about . . . the only thing I hear about the Honourable Members and what they will do is remove the sugar tax and the FCPT [Foreign Currently …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Your mother gave you sugar. [Crosstalk] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Is that the plan that we expect to hear, Mr. Speaker, to grow the economy? You have more deficits. What would you do? What would you reduce? What expenditures would you do? You want to have capital expenditure. That’s good. …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Mm-hmm. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: So, Mr. Speaker, let me just say this. A few points that the Honourable Member also said. The Honourable Member said that . . . let me find my notes here. So, Mr. Speaker, so we will stand here today and not pontificate. [Ms. Lovitta …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member I will. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Not one. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: We had the great Curtis Dickinson. We had the great — [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Yes. Former Minister of Finance. We had the great and current Minister Colonel Burt. Not Colonel Burt —E. David …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh my.

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Ooh. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: The Honourable Member works for international business.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh wow. Bring them down? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: What is he saying? We appreciate what the international business . . . we appreciate it. I am telling you right now. We are not going back to the days when I was a busboy in a restaurant. And all . …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Mm-hmm. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: We have. But I am also going to tell you how you did not help out small business when you were between 2012 and 2017. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Yes. We have to. I know you are the only Member, Mr. Cannonier, the …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Whoa! Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Do you know how long that has been? A very long time. As a matter of fact — 340 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly An Hon. Member: Four years. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: What? [Inaudible interjection]

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Four years. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: That’s right. I don’t think anyone in this House, outside of myself, was in the House.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Been here a long time. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Probably Kim.

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members You have been here a long, Wayne. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: A long time. [Laughter and inaudible interjection] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Yes, I am. That’s why I can say what I am saying. Because I know. I know what those numbers were in those days. I do. All right? …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member All of it. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: All of it. [Inaudible interjections and laughter ] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: All of it. And we rely on international business. Yes, we do rely on international business.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member And we are proud of it. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: And we are proud of it. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Can the Honourable Member tell us . . . I will appreciate the Honourable Member who stands up next for your side—tell us they ap-preciate international business. [Laughter] …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Mm-hmm. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Those are the types of things that they would rather continue to be able to pontificate on or say. They do not want to hear the word surplus.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member No. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: They do not want to see what this Government has been able to accomplish and will accomplish. They do not want to see that. They do not want to see in 2026/27 that we are paying down the debt by the projected $500 million. They …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes, I do. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No, no, no. Don’t be fooled people. No, no. The Opposition does not want to hear that. Because when they fight the election another four or five years from now, they want to be able to say that the Government did not bring …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member No. [Laughter] Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Now, the only person laughing is because he was the only Honourable Member on that side in the House. Madam Deputy Speaker, this party has produced results which the other party, as I said, could not do. You could not …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh! Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: So, let’s go point by point. Now, Madam Deputy Speaker, the Honourable Member comments about spending from one pocket while pretending it does not count is simply not grounded in facts. And they have not laid out those arguments. It is easy to say . …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member No. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: They are verified, as I said, by professional public officers in the Ministry of Fi-nance and reviewed by the Auditor General. Sometimes we don’t agree with the Auditor General. But at the end of the day, as the Member, Mr. Campbell, we realise that at …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Mm-hmm. Another Hon. Member: Wow! Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I had to call you because you and I are in the same profession. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: You are in the same profession as myself. And so, my point is, it is untrue. And how would you allow …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Where is DeCouto? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Oh, he is going to tell us. 342 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly An Hon. Member: Yes. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: So, he is telling us the Auditor General that we trust is wrong. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Who has left the Chamber. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Who has left the Chambers—

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: —is right. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Gross debt has not . . . the Honourable Member is coming now. Gross debt has not significantly changed in the period he referenced, from 2023 to 2025.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Point of information, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Do you yield? [Inaudible interjections]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Do you yield for a point of information? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No. No, I don’t. No. No.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No, no. [Crosstalk ] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No, no he just . . . Honourable Members. He can point of order —

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Point of information — [Crosstalk]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Minister, just speak to me. Thank you. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: So, Madam Deputy Speaker, what did change was the balance in the Sinking Fund. That is what we are referring to. Which affected net debt and that is a normal, expected part of public finance. Madam Deputy …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Mm-hmm. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Pay it back. As a matter of fact, I was in this Honourable House in a certain Cabinet when the Honourable Dr. David Saul said, We are going to set aside . . . I think it was 2.5 per cent. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Wayne …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member [It was] 1994. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: It think David Saul was Minister of Finance way back then. But the Honourable Member Curtis Dickinson recognised why would go out and just borrow money and put it in a fund? And increase the debt again. Does that make sense, fellows? Ladies? …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Point of information, Madam— Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No, no, no.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Do you accept a point of information? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No. If he said a point of order, I would . . . but a point of information I am not willing to because he has already misled us with information. I am not going to set him up …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Well done. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: So, Madam Deputy Speaker, in March— [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: —as I mentioned, in 2024 we made some changes to the Government Loans Amendment Act which introduced significant changes to the utilisation of excess funds. And I kind of spelled out the …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Mm-hmm. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: The surplus plus is legitimate and when the Auditor General audits the account they will tell us whether it is $19 million, or it is $18 million or it may end up being $20 million. But they will tell us. And if you want to …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh! Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Sorry, what years was that? What years was your Government in place?

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member They borrowed some more. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Oh, sorry. In 2016, it went up further to $2.2 [billion]. And in 2017, guess what it went up? [It went up to] $2.3 [billion]. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Here we go. We will get a …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Still them. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I’m sorry —$299 million in deficit. In 2014, the deficit was $265 million. It went up . . . he did a pretty good job in 2015. It was only $160 million. [Laughter] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: In 2016, I’m sorry. He must have …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh! Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: In one year we were able to improve things. In those years we cut taxes for the people significantly. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Yes. I know. I know I am an accountant. That’s why I was able to tell you. [Madam Deputy] Speaker …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: We are going to be conservative in our approach. Now, I understand. Yes, we put aside (I think) $187 billion in CIT. But there is no secret. The experts out there have been projecting $750 million in CIT. But we are saying, No, no. We …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Point of order, Mr. Speaker. [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto The Member is unintentionally misleading the House. I believe we outlaid specifically the things we would take out of it. Not that we would not take anything out of it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker He is probably seeking— Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I’m sorry, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker —more clarification on it. He hadn’t seen it clearly yet. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: The Honourable Member said these words:

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member These words. And I quote. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: And I quote. [Laughter] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: CIT. It says something about two or three years they would not take any funds out of that account. Did I get it right?

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes, he said it. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I know I was sleeping around that time — [Laughter] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: —when the Honourable Member spoke these words. But Mr. Speaker, the Bermuda House of Assembly Honourable Member said something about two or three years that they would not …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member He said it. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Oh, here it is. “ The One Bermuda Alliance would take a more moderate, transparent, and realistic approach. First, we would craft a budget that works without including” (now, that’s English to me) “the CIT for at least the next two to three …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Oh-oh! That’s what he said. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Do you have an apology coming to me?

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member What’s that? A point of apology? Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: You said you wouldn’t take it.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Keep reading. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No, you read it. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: But, Madam Deputy Speaker . . . Madam Speaker, sorry. Mr. Speaker . . . sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so busy —

The Speaker The Speaker I knew you would get it right. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I’m too busy looking at the ladies out there earlier. So, look at this, Mr. Speaker, I said, let the numbers speak for themselves. So, pay-roll tax policy under the Progressive Labour Party re-duced payroll taxes for local businesses …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member No. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Hence why you lost the election in 2017. And the people did not trust you again in 2020 and they didn’t trust you again in 2025. You are not to be trusted. [Inaudible interjection]

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member No confidence. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: They have no confidence in a party that keeps on talking and the Honourable Member lays out the facts of what they will do in the future. They won’t vote for you again. [Laughter] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: That’s why I said, he doesn’t …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order. [Crosstalk] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No, I’m not.

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Standing Order 19, Rules of Debate]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto It is behaviour unbecoming a Member of this House, Mr. Speaker. And I would re-quest — [Inaudible interjections]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto —that this gentleman, that the Member — [Inaudible interjections]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto —I would request that the Member retract his statement out of respect for the former Deputy Premier and Minister of this country. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Madam Deputy Speaker [sic]— 346 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Hold on, Members. …

The Speaker The Speaker He said that . . . just . . . again, he clarified that you were not her. If he had said anything negative about her, I definitely would have called him on it. But — [Inaudible interjections]

The Speaker The Speaker But . . . but, having said that . . . having said that . . . having said that I am going to be sensitive to the fact that it is your mother. And ask the Member to be more sensitive in your comments towards his mother. Okay? Particularly …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, 86 per cent for those who were under a certain number.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Get it right. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I will get it right —86 per cent. I will. But it is the truth. Honourable Member Vance Campbell, but what has your party done? [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: What has your party done? They have done absolutely zero!

The Speaker The Speaker Direct your comments this way. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: They have done absolutely zero!

The Speaker The Speaker Don’t get caught up and sidetracked. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: They did absolutely zero before and the Honourable Member, the way he speaks now, will do absolutely zero business in the future. Madam Deputy Speaker, Madam . . . Mr. Speaker —

The Speaker The Speaker I think you like that yellow dress she has. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I do. I like —

The Speaker The Speaker You must have been attracted to that yellow dress. That’s all. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: I am going to put the Member up there again. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, taxi drivers.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Under the One Bermuda Alliance they were paying roughly $2,500 per year for Bermuda House of Assembly their licence. The taxi driver, under the Progressive Labour Party, they are paying $600 yearly.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member And they are still angry at you. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: They aren’t angry with me anymore. [Laughter] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Mr. Speaker, I can tell you right now, I catch a taxi a lot. [Laughter] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: He has a problem catching taxies. Right? He has …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh! Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: You have to stand up and tell the public if you want to gain some support and try to win the next election, at least tell them how you will spend the money, or how you will raise the money.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Point of information, Mr. Speaker. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No, no. No point of information.

The Speaker The Speaker Point of information. He doesn’t have to take it. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: No, I am . . . no. And we are talking about the future as far as removing . . . the elimination of payroll taxes for employers who retain Bermudian employees for employ-ers . . . …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh! [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Yes, it was. And you still had a $299 million deficit.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member I remember. Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: We came in the next year and had a deficit of $70 million. Mr. Speaker, as we move to conclude, I would like to thank the Honourable Member DeCouto for his contribution, although I didn’t hear all of it. In my closing I will …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Junior Minister. [Desk thumping]

The Speaker The Speaker Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? The Opposition Leader —let me reset the clock. Opposition Leader, you have the floor. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker And it is a 30 -minute clock now. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will endeavour to get your title right during my contribution.

The Speaker The Speaker All right. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Mr. Speaker, I want to first start by congratulating the Honourable Shadow Finance Minister on his first Reply to the Budget. The Honourable Member from constituency 25, as you are well aware, is new to the House after successfully contesting the last general election and …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. I was . . . I was . . . go ahead. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Bermuda House of Assembly Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Member is misleading the House and the people of this country. Right? No one . . . you even …

The Speaker The Speaker I really want to decide how I am going to weigh in on this. Because your mother was actually one of those ladies I liked when she got on her feet. She was a real firebrand. And there are some Members when they get up you want to leave because …

The Speaker The Speaker No, no. No, no. No, no, no, no. She handled herself extremely well on her feet. And you would sit there and want to engage when she was doing it. So, I see her contribution on the floor as a positive. And I think . . . I did not …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay?

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Mr. Speaker, with your permission, may I say a . . . may I make a comment?

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Make your comment.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto I just want to say I am grateful for those kind words of my mother. And I also know that when people have to start talking about your family rather than the substance of your topic, you are probably doing pretty well.

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Ooh! [Inaudible interjections]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Well, rest assured that if any Member spoke negative toward another Member’s mother or family, I would definitely pull him on that, but I did not see that. And I was sincere when I said that your mother was one of those . . . she was a firebrand. She …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Jason Hayward: Information and communication is above 2019 levels. Financial and insurance activities, which is domestic, is above 2019 levels. Real estate activities are above 2019 levels. Professional, scientific and technical [are] above 2019 levels. And I can go on and on and on. They are creating this …

The Speaker The Speaker [No audio] Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, I am looking forward . . . that very glowing and optimistic clarification [from] the Honourable Member from constituency 17. I am looking forward to him accompanying me after the House when I go grocery shopping. [Laughter and inaudible interjections ] Hon. Jarion Richardson: …

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott The Honourable Member is misleading the House. He has said multiple times that the Government has nothing to help reduce the cost of living and he uses the grocery store as an example. This Government has reduced duty costs and duty amounts on fresh fruits and vegetables, on water and …

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you. I thank c — which one are you? I thank the Honourable Member from constituency 24. I think he heard something that I might have . . . I don’t think I said that the Government didn’t do anything about the cost of living. …

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Jason Hayward: I have come to this House on multiple occasions and spoke about the initiatives that we are doing to increase our working population. I have put out reports that speak to the goals that we have set out to accomplish …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Continue on. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, I thank the Honourable Member from constituency 17 for speaking because it helps remind us that the target he set was 8,000 in five years. And I think we have run out of those five years. Or are we almost there yet? …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott The Honourable Member is misleading the House.

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott The Honourable Member is sitting here trying to paint a narrative that his version of what he says, politicisation of the Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA], is what is hindering growth in the tourism sector when it is actually the fact that we don’t have enough hotel rooms, which they spoke …

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Honourable Member from constituency 27 . . . I think it was.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Constituency 24. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Constituency 24. Yes, so I was fascinated to learn that the title “parliament” comes from old French which is to speak. So, I would disagree with the Honourable Member from constituency 24. I can come on here and say quite a lot of things and …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of order. POINT OF ORDER Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The Honourable Member says he will sit down for a point of order. I just wanted to . . . and I can direct you to their Budget Reply on page 27, the very last paragraph. Regarding …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member What’s your point of order? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The point of order is this: The Honourable Member said that if you can show where we do not support Southampton Princess concessions, “ although we were not supportive of the scope of the concessions and guarantees given to …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you. Member, continue please. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you. Which [constituency], Honourable Deputy Premier? Which? [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Jarion Richardson: Constituency 29. I thank the Member from constituency 29. I think it goes to show just how when people are talking, we can each hear something different. Because my …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Jason Hayward: The Member is now intentionally misleading the House when he refers to the failure of Bermuda. Bermuda is not a failed state. Bermuda is not a failed country. You cannot say that Bermuda has failed in any way. And …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Speak to the Chair please. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Sorry Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Yes. Hon. Jarion Richardson: I apologise. It is easy to get distracted. As I was saying, the Honourable Shadow Finance Minister made a number of points about why the Sovereign Wealth Fund would not be a good idea, including having to use the CIT funds as a revenue stability fund. …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Member. Are there any other Members who wish to speak? Any other Members who wish to speak? [Pause]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. I am going to put the gavel down and the debate will end. So, if somebody needs to speak, they better get up now. [Inaudible interjection]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Yes. [Timer chimes]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker I recognise the Member from constituency 8. Hold on, Member, before you start. Okay. Now you may start. Yes.

Mr. Ben Smith Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Madam Deputy Speaker, thank you so much—

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Right.

Mr. Ben Smith —for this opportunity. So, Madam Deputy Speaker, the budget obviously is filled with numbers but when the population listens the thing that impacts them is usually not those numbers. That is not the one . . . that is not what they pay attention to. They pay attention to how …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott That Honourable Member is misleading the House. He is making . . . for the person who is listening on the radio and if they had just turned in, [we] would [understand] if they misunderstood . . . if they had the understanding that the CIT tax is a PLP …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Member.

Mr. Ben Smith Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The issue is not that the PLP has come up with this initiative. It is that this tax is going to be layered on top of the demand that already exists. That is where the issue comes. But understand something: We as a country have …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member It’s only fearmongering.

Mr. Ben Smith But this is the issue. And it is not about fearmongering. An Hon. Member: It is.

Mr. Ben Smith It is about the reality — [Crosstalk]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Speak to the Chair.

Mr. Ben Smith I will continue to speak . . . [Inaudible interjections]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Speak to the Chair.

Mr. Ben Smith Madam Deputy Speaker, it is interesting that the Honourable Labour Minister is one of the people who is chirping right now.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Correct.

Mr. Ben Smith Because one of the issues is this: The slow movement of immigration is one of the things that has actually been impacting this sector. And what you have to understand is that slow movement means that many times they are placing those jobs in other jurisdictions because their . . …

Mr. Ben Smith So, the issue is because the Government likes to talk about the low unemployment rate, but they can’t tell us how many people have emigrated. We know that because it came up earlier today and we do not have those figures. We can’t even talk about it because we don’t …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of order, Minister. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Jason Hayward: The Member is misleading the House in a number of areas. Number one, he is stating that companies are making decisions to move employees overseas after I just articulated that the number of employees in international business has …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Member.

Mr. Ben Smith Madam Deputy Speaker, it is not a decline. We are saying we need growth. The Minister talked about 8,000 more jobs. If you are slowing down the process and are putting the jobs overseas, those are jobs that we could have had. Correct? That’s the growth. So, he can talk …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of order, Minister. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The Honourable Member would need to withdraw that statement. Because if the OBA were turning over — [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: The OBA were not turning over work permits in 20 …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Do you accept? Okay. POINT OF CLARIFICATION Hon. Michael Fahy: Thank you. When the One Bermuda Alliance first came into Government in 2013, it was quite correct to say that work permits were not being turned around in 20 working days. After some period of time of a reform, we …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh! Oh! [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Michael Fahy: That’s the point. All right. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Member. Hon. Jason Hayward: Point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of order. Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker [sic]—

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Madam Speaker. Hon. Jason Hayward: Madam Deputy Speaker —

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Acting Speaker. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Jason Hayward: The Honourable Members are misleading the House. There has always been inconsistency in terms of processing work permits within the Department of Immigration. Even after the reform ex-ercise took place, they were able to get the permits done for a short …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you. Member. Yes.

Mr. Ben Smith Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker You are just under 20 minutes so you . . .

Mr. Ben Smith Yes, I will continue on the immigration tact because going along with that . . . and the reason that this becomes a major subject is that almost everything that we are pointing to tells us that we have a population problem. And it is an emergency because the statistics …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of order, Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Mr. Speaker, [sic]—

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Madam Deputy Speaker. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Jason Hayward: Madam [Deputy] Speaker, the Department of Labour has put out the information re-garding our ageing population. That is where he gets it from. The Department of Labour has put out a paper regarding how we retain our local workforce. And …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Minister. Continue.

Mr. Ben Smith Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Once again, this is the reality that we are living in. I understand that the comments are because it is uncomfortable when somebody tells you that you have got to move faster than you are moving right now. And it is really about we have …

Mr. Ben Smith One thousand per cent. [Inaudible interjections] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Stop on that note. [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. Ben Smith But guess what, Madam Deputy Speaker, the middle class is falling into that net. More and more of our community is falling into that net. That is why the 65- year-olds, who might not have chosen to continue to work, must work. That is why more of our people are …

Mr. Ben Smith So, it is interesting that the Government likes to point out that certain taxes were put in place under the One Bermuda Alliance, but they sure continue to collect those taxes up until recently.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Whoa! [Inaudible interjections and laughter]

Mr. Ben Smith That’s where they were getting that money from. And now they are looking at the CIT to bail them out.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member That can’t be true. No. No. [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. Ben Smith So, Madam Deputy Speaker, construction. We are happy to see that they are lowering those taxes in order to increase that. But once again, the issue is this: It is the processing of Planning that is holding it up, that is causing the cost to go up because the construction …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Hear, hear! [Desk thumping and i naudible interjections]

Mr. Ben Smith But one crane is not a construction boon. Most of those buildings that are being torn down —

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Point of order, Mr. Speaker [sic]. Point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] 360 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. W. Lawrence Scott: The Honourable Member misleading the House. I actually work for a hotel down in the East End and I can see three cranes in the air just …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Member. Continue.

Mr. Ben Smith It is amazing that he can see that from way down there because I said the crane was on Front Street.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. [Laughter]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott The Honourable Member is misleading the House. The Honourable Member is making it seem as though the only construction that is happening in the Island is on Front Street. There are hotels that are expanding themselves and growing. There are hotels that are building new wings, hotels that are building …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you.

Mr. Ben Smith Madam Deputy Speaker, once again, on Front Street —crane. We can see it. And I was saying that we are happy about that. But Madam Deputy Speaker, how many buildings that are being torn down in Hamilton are being replaced with parking lots? Think that through. Some Hon. Member s: …

Mr. Ben Smith If everything is booming, they would be building office buildings, apartment buildings, and instead they are building parking lots. That tells you where the actual situation is. That is the part that they do not want to talk about. And we are not saying that nothing is happening. But every …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott The Honourable Member is misleading the House. He is saying that we are returning old derelict buildings into parking spaces, but yet he conveniently is leaving out the fact that they spoke against the PLP Government allowing for a change in the height restrictions to buildings which has sort of …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member No, no.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott —the building which he is speaking to.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you.

Mr. Scott Pearman Point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Mr. Scott Pearman I’m afraid the Honourable Member is misleading the House. When the proposal came for this high building on Front Street where the crane is, we were delighted to be supportive of that. And it is incorrect to say we were contrary. I myself spoke. I know Michael Dunkley spoke about …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Member. Continue, Member Smith. [Inaudible interjection]

Mr. Ben Smith Thank you. And I will. Thank you, Minister. Because growing is what needs to happen, with urgency. Because the issue is this: The Budget tells you all the things that the Government is going to do. But many of these things . . . we have been patient. The country …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Your point of order, Member. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott The Honourable Member is misleading the House. It makes it seem as though the Government controls the police. The police answer to the Governor, not the Government. The Government only provides funding.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Member. Continue.

Mr. Ben Smith Thank you. I’m glad he said that because not giving the funding is how we got into the position in the first place. So, the issue is this: You can tell by a budget what your focus is. We are saying that you have to look to grow our economy …

Mr. Ben Smith Can you give us more money for the hospital? Can you help? Can you help there too? Can you help with our charities? Can you increase our safety net for us? Can you do all of those things? And we are going to have to increase your taxes with the …

Mr. Ben Smith So, once again, it is very interesting that we can talk about facts. When what is being provided is based off of incomplete data, we do not even know what the emigration number is. So, we are here today without the correct data. You think about this, Madam Deputy Speaker, …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Who left?

Mr. Ben Smith But since that point there was a pandemic, and we know that parts of our population have decided to opt -out. Don’t you think it would have been kind of a good thing for us to make sure that our numbers were right when we were making the decisions that …

Mr. Ben Smith That’s an interesting one because most people did not vote. [Laughter and crosstalk ]

Mr. Ben Smith So, the issue is this, Madam Deputy Speaker. They have the mandate. They have the Government. They want to talk about what the OBA did not do, but it is eight years. It is your record that is on the line. It is you who has to put the things …

Mr. Ben Smith The only pie that seems to be growing is the one that the Labour Minister sees. That is the only pie. Hon. Jason Hayward: Point of order.

Mr. Ben Smith And it is a pie in the sky!

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Ooh! Hon. Jason Hayward: Point of order.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Jason Hayward: They might not like the facts. The Honourable Member is misleading the House. The economy is growing. That is a fact. And so, when you start to talk about the economic pie in Bermuda, the economic pie is actually expanding and …

Mr. Ben Smith Madam Deputy Speaker, with the rest of my time I am going to continue on with the fact — [Laughter and inaudible interjections]

Mr. Ben Smith Oh, yes. Okay, Labour Minister. Because guess what —

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Members —

Mr. Ben Smith —you are going to have an opportunity. [Gavel]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Speak to the Chair. Mr. Ben Smith: The Labour Minister will have his opportunity to get up and tell everybody —

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Are you speaking to the Chair?

Mr. Ben Smith Correct. He is going to have his opportunity to talk about why all of these people are going out and becoming “belongers,” because they don’t get the same safety net that they are looking for. He can tell us what those numbers are. He can tell us how many of …

Mr. Ben Smith But don’t pluck all the feathers of that goose. Because they can go to other places. And what we are saying is, make sure that you understand that. And we will continue to push for the economy to grow. Grow for everybody. Because when you walk around this city, right …

Madam Deputy Speaker. Mr. Ben Smith deputy speaker —to compete.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Point of order, Minister. Hon. Jason Hayward: Madam Deputy Speaker, can you allow me to quote from the daily?

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker You may.

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members What’s your point of order? POINT OF ORDER [Misleading] Hon. Jason Hayward: The Member is misleading the House as it pertains to the economic performance in terms of the performance of construction and I just want to use an additional source to clarify that matter. [Inaudible interjections] Bermuda House of …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member That’s a valid challenge.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you. Continue. I want to remind you that you just have under two minutes.

Mr. Ben Smith Yes, so with the rest of my time I am actually going to focus on Bermuda and the Bermudians who are living in the actual economy not whatever the Labour Minister would like for me to discuss. But he will have his opportunity to do so. Hon. Zane J. S. …

Mr. Ben Smith We have to grow. Those are the facts. He talks about 8,000 jobs but he doesn’t want to talk about 8,000 people. I got it. Because it is not helpful for him to say 8,000 people. I got that. But without the extra people going around this community, those are …

Mr. Ben Smith Become more efficient. Actually do the work. Don’t put the numbers down and say, This is the plan. Implement the plan. Make sure you are getting it done and stop worrying about what happened seven, eight years ago and worry about what you are doing right now and how you …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you, Member. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I don’t understand that.

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Are there any other Members who wish to speak? [Crosstalk]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Are there any other Members who wish to speak otherwise . . . Are there any other Members who wish to speak? [Crosstalk]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. There being none, this . . . Okay. I recognise the Member from constituency 10. [Crosstalk]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. I haven’t seen anybody else on their feet. So, I guess this debate has ended. [Crosstalk ] [Gavel]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. All right. [Crosstalk]

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Okay. Where does that take us on the Order of the Day? [Crosstalk] [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair]

The Speaker The Speaker Members, just for clarification, I take it that no Member rose to their feet just now.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Correct.

The Speaker The Speaker That’s correct. Okay. And the Deputy Speaker gave plenty of opportunity. I heard her call 364 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly numerous times for someone to rise to their feet. No one rose to their feet, and she ably hit the gavel.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Correct.

The Speaker The Speaker Which means that the long- anticipated debate this evening is now over.

The Speaker The Speaker And I thank you for that. [Laughter and crosstalk ]

The Speaker The Speaker Now, the Premier has a right to reply because he opened it. Does the Premier wish to reply?

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member The Premier is not in here.

The Speaker The Speaker Deputy [Premier] do you want to reply on his behalf? [Inaudible interjections]

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh, no! Don’t give him the last word. [Laughter]

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Point of order.

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order. [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker Deputy, I am going to give you the curtesy . . . because the Premier is not here, I am going to give you the curtesy of replying. You have your 30 minutes to reply and then we will all go home. [Inaudible interjections]

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member There is your audition. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Well, Mr. Speaker, let’s say this. I have been in this House now almost 20 years, and I have never seen where you have a Budget Reply and the party that produced …

The Speaker The Speaker You have 30 minutes, but you do not have to use all of your 30 minutes. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, and I probably will, Mr. Speaker. I probably will. What I did not appreciate was the last speaker that spoke, the Honourable Member Ben Smith.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Did not appreciate it. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I did not appreciate it at all because if you listen to the Honourable Member speak, you would have thought that Bermuda was on its way down the drain. Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Honourable, Minister Jason Hayward, will …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Elbow Beach Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: And I will declare my interest when I talk about Gencom. Elbow Beach has just been purchased by another gentleman and company that have super confi-dence in Bermuda, Mr. Stephen King and his group. They developed the Loren hotel, built homes there, …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Correct. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Washington Mall, Mr. Speaker. They are absolutely 100 per cent full here as we speak. But then, if you listen to Ben Smith, you would have thought that the Island was going down the drain. [Inaudible interjections ] Hon. Zane J. S. De …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Not a parking lot. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Not a parking lot. [Inaudible interjections ] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: It is an office block. [Inaudible interjections ] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker, the Greens have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member They do. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Mr. Speaker, not only are we— [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —have we shown that we are running the country and handling the finances re-ally well, Mr. Speaker, but we have done that going through a pandemic, a once- …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Very long. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —Mr. Speaker , a very long time.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member You said “very, very” was the right one. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes. Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Member , the Opposition Leader, said several times that s omething has gone horribly wrong with this country. Maybe he was talking about the way they ran their election campaigns the …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member He said that. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: And I do not hear a point of order on that, Mr. Speaker.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Because he said it. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Because he did say it. The Honourable Member Craig Cannonier said in this House during the debate for the concessions for Fairmont Southampton that the concessions that we Bermuda House of Assembly gave were criminal. That does not sound like …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member What do they say? Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: They say . . . The Opposition— POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Point of order, Mr. Speaker. The Honourable Member is misleading the House.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member That was easy.

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Point of order. Yeah, it is easy —

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member That was easy.

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier If memory serves me correct, you know, he is saying that we did not agree with the concessions. We voted for the concessions, and we said in our general statements —just about every single person at that time—that we supported this here. But we were very much questioning the increase. …

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier —against the point. It still went through, so you know, it is kind of contradictory for the Honourable Member Deputy [Premier] to get up. And that can be found in The Royal Gazette easily in 2013 and 2014 where the then Opposition Shadow Financial . . . Speaking against the …

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Point of order, Mr. Speaker. I certainly am not getting confused. On February 28, 2014, the Premier, well the Shadow then, now Premier . . . Tax concessions cannot go on forever . And it goes on to speak to the fact that he was against the $11 million increase. …

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Point of order again, Mr. Speaker. The Honourable Member is misleading the 368 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly House. The whole purpose behind the fact that we were saying that it was criminal [is] because we had already bailed them out. And why are we …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member That is on record because they . . . We . . . You remember that? [Laughter and crosstalk] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Wow. I will gladly take my seat if you want to clarify that. [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I want to know …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes, you did! Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —but we felt as a Government —

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Say it! Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —we felt as a Government —

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member You heard right. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes. We felt as a Government, Mr. Speaker, that that was the right thing to do, to look after our people sooner than what they were going to get taken care of. So, it was not a thing about bailing them …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member I agree. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: When we bring things to this House so that we can progress construction, in-vestment, and jobs for our people quickly, the Hon-ourable Member Craig Cannonier is complaining. POINT OF ORDER

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Point of order, Mr. Speaker. Point of order, Mr. Speaker. I think it is clear that I just showed that we were willing to work together for them to make something happen very quickly for Fairmont Southampton, which is why we did it so quickly, because we were willing to …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member You are running out of time. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —it states on page [12], and I will quote: “tourism has seen some improvements from 2023 to 2024, but remains far behind 2019,” (Far behind 2019) “and continues to remain behind our competitors to the south. Tourism arrivals …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Deputy Premier. All the items are carried over. [Inaudible interjection]

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Read the motion that the Premier used to open it. We will close it out. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I move that the House do now resolve in committee of supply to consider the Estimates of Revenue and Expendi-ture for 2025/26.

The Speaker The Speaker And Deputy, you need to take your chair while that is done. [Pause] House in Committee at 6:26 pm [Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo, Chairman] COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY ESTIMATES OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR 202 5/26

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo Minister? Yes. You move.

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo Oh. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Madam Chairman. I now move Heads 37 Ministry of Justice Headquarters 03 Judicial Department, 04 Attorney General Chambers, 25 Department of Corrections, 74 Department of Court Services, and 75 Department of Public Prosecutions.

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo Okay. It has been moved that Head 87, Head 4, Head 3, Head 25, Head 74, and Head 75 be considered. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Madam Chairman, I move that the Committee rise, report progress, and ask for leave to sit again Monday, 12 May 2025.

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo It has been moved that the committee rise, report progress, and ask for leave to sit again on Monday, 12 May 2025. Any objections? No. There being none, approved. The Speaker will resume his seat. [Motion carried: The Committee of Supply agreed to rise and report progress, and sought leave …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, all other orders on the paper will be carried over. So, Deputy would you like to close the House out. ADJOURNMENT Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House adjourn until Monday, 12 May 2025 at ten o’clock [am].

The Speaker The Speaker Any objections to that? There are none. MP Simmons, I see you standing. Are you standing because you are ready to leave?

Mr. Jamahl S. Simmons No, sir. No, sir. I have got an early night, and I am all dressed up. I think I might as well say a few things.

The Speaker The Speaker Oh. Okay.

Mr. Jamahl S. Simmons Mr. Speaker —

The Speaker The Speaker Let me . . . Let me just check the time and get us all . . . I packed up my things —

Mr. Jamahl S. Simmons Mr. Speaker, you know — 370 9 May 2025 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: —ordinary little things —

Mr. Jamahl S. Simmons —my motto is to hit quick, fast, and leave them wanting more. I am going to stick to that. CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECH

Mr. Jamahl S. Simmons Mr. Speaker, I am rising today because the two minutes during the congrats and obits were not enough for me to speak about two very important constituents of mine who passed. And Mr. Speaker, I am going to begin with your bride, Ms. Miranda Lister, who I cannot speak enough …

Mr. Jamahl S. Simmons —when I was a member of Youth Parliament. And Mr. Speaker, I can tell you I was a very sick little boy. I have wanted to be a Mem-ber of Parliament since I was eight years old, and from the time I was that age, I was reading everything about …

Mr. Jamahl S. Simmons Thank you. I do not think I have ever been in the House and had the OBA ap-plaud for me as well, so I feel — [Inaudible interjections and laughter ]

Mr. Jamahl S. Simmons I know, right? But thank you. No, but I think that we all . . . Look, we all can point to a mother or mother figure who shaped our lives. And we . . . I particularly am grateful to my mother for all she did and continues to …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP. MP Famous. CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECH

Mr. Christopher Famous Mr. Speaker, as the Honourable Member from 33 said, three minutes is not enough for some persons. So, I want to start off. After your son got up, I figured, you know, it does not make sense me standing up. Mr. Speaker, [in] 2018 you took me on my first …

Mr. Christopher Famous Mr. Speaker, I am going to move on to a topic that affects everybody in Bermuda. I am not going to be long. Mr. Speaker, it seems that sometimes when you read stuff from the Opposition and hear stuff from the Chamber of Commerce, it is like, Whoa, they are …

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Point of order, Mr. Speaker. If the—

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Standing Order 19, Rules of Debate ]

Dr. Douglas DeCouto Yes. My understanding is this is not properly following the standing orders because we have already debated these topics. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker He is not debating. He is not taking on the budget debate. He is just making comments to some topic.

Dr. Douglas DeCouto I appreciate your guidance.

The Speaker The Speaker Had he gone specifically back to a budget debate or something like that, a budget item, it would have been different.

Mr. Christopher Famous Mr. Speaker, if the fish did not open his mouth. Mr. Speaker, the reality is that no matter what the circumstances are, we are in an affordable housing crisis. There are reasons such as probate, property transfers taking too long, planning regulations taking too long, banks charging too much money, …

Mr. Christopher Famous Beg pardon?

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Blame the Government.

Mr. Christopher Famous Yes. Blame the Government. Right? [Laughter]

Mr. Christopher Famous We have to be honest with ourselves. All right? And there are ways to not neces-sarily fix the problem but mitigate the issue that we have. The Housing Corporation is doing their part. We are providing affordable housing, but there is no way we could provide the amount of housing …

Mr. Christopher Famous Hey! Whoa! Happy Mother’s Day, Scott. [Inaudible interjection]

Mr. Christopher Famous Yeah. And, Mr. Speaker, I am your full son.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP Famous. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution this evening? No other Member? We will rise and call this day a conclusion, and we thank Members for their participation. We thank you even more for making it a shorter night than we expected. And we …

May 9, 2025

Session Summary

Key Topics

Bills & Motions

Notable Moments

Debate Transcript