Hansard — June 14, 2024 — 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 Good morning, Members. The House now is in session. [ Gavel] CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES [Minutes of 31 May 2024]

The Speaker The Speaker Members, the Minutes from the 31st of May have been circulated. Are there any amendments? There are none. The Minutes will be confirmed as printed. [ Minutes of 31 May 2024 confirmed] MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR

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

The Speaker The Speaker We have been informed by two Members that they will be absent today. MP Ben Smith and Minister Jason Hayward will both be absent. MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE

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

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. PETITIONS The Speaker: There ar e none. STATEMENTS BY M INISTERS AND JUNIOR M INISTERS

The Speaker The Speaker Ther e are six suc h Statements this morning. [Inaudible i nterjections]

The Speaker The Speaker There are six Statements this morning. The first is actually in the name of the Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier, w ould you like to do your Statement? Hon. W alter H . Roban: Real qu ick, Mr . Speaker. That is what I t hought. [Laughter] Hon. W alter H …

The Speaker The Speaker Good mor ning. WORLD OCEANS DA Y 2024 Hon. Walter H. Roban: Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members of the House and people of Bermuda, I rise today to ack nowledge and c ommemorate World Oceans Day, which was celebrated on June 8. The global observance serves as an important reminder of …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Works. Minister.

Lt. Col. Hon. David A. Burch Yes. Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning. GRADUATION OF BERMUDIAN POWER ENGINEERING STUDENTS UNDER THE TYNES BAY TRAINING PROGRAMME

Lt. Col. Hon. David A. Burch Mr. Speaker, I rise once again to highlight the fruits of this Government ’s labour in cultivating young talented Bermudians for success in the future as better equipped graduates able to make more informed choices about their career paths. Mr. Speaker , natural attrition and the competition for employees in …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of Education. Minister. BERMUDA COLLEGE PRESIDENT Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday of this week, after an extensive and meticulous search by Bermuda College’s Presidential Search Committee, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement is also in the name of the Minister of Education. Minister. BIOS/ASU SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to inform Honourable Members and the listening audience about an initiative in collaboration with the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister of National Security. Minister. BERMUDA FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE — FIREFIGHTER RECERTIFICATION Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to notify this Honourable House that …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, the next Statement this morning is in the name of the Minister for the Cabinet Office. Minister. Hon. Vance Campbell: Good morning and thank you,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Good morning. DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING STREAMLINING PROCESSES UPDATE Hon. Vance Campbell: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide updates to this Honourable House about the continuing and new initiatives the Department of Plan-ning is actively working on in its quest to streamline processes. Mr . Speaker, this Government recogni ses …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Members, that brings us to a close of the Statements by Ministers and Junior Ministers this morning. We will now move on. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

The Speaker The Speaker There are none. For the listening audience, whenever the House is in session on the second Friday of any given month, we add Premier’s Questions to the list of questions on the Order Paper. So today is the second Friday of this month, so the Premier’s Questions have been added. …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Hon. E. David Burt: If I may? It is also important to know that the Minister is not involved in any particular matter and that the particular law is handled by the Labour Relations Office under the Department of Labour. So, I just want to make sure that the …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, please, Mr. Speaker. Given the significance of the sole utility company in Bermuda and the necessity for consistent power supply for our economy and to the entire coun-try, should not the Government have engaged with BELCO as it relates to this labour matter? …

The Speaker The Speaker Further questions? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, thank you, supplemental, Mr. Speaker. What, if any, plans does the Government have should the redundancies as spoken about publicly take place? Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I am not even sure that question is in order based upon the things that would …

The Speaker The Speaker Further questions? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you. Second question?

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. QUESTION 2: CONSISTENT ELECTRICAL SUPPLY Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that BELCO is having fewer and fewer customers these days as customers come off the grid for various reasons including renewable energy and moving overseas, as well as commercial enterprises closing, how will this Government ensure …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes, please, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. So it is fair to say that this Government is relying on the Regulatory Authority to ensure consistent power supply in the— Hon. E. David Burt: Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order. POINT OF ORDER Hon. E. David Burt: It is not the Government. It is the law of the country, Mr. Speaker. That is the body that this Parliament has put in responsibility for that activity. That is the law.

The Speaker The Speaker Opposition Leader, just be guided by what are the guidelines under which the laws prescribe the processes to be governed. QUESTION 3: EDUCATION REFORM —RELEASE OF NEW TABULATED SCHOOL SCORES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My third question, Mr. Speaker, is in relation to the new scoring …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, the similar report was asked [for] by the media, and the response by the Government of Bermuda is that when the matters are finished being collated, they will be released to the public. There is no change in that uptick or response from …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. I just want to be quite clear. My understanding is that this process is in fact completed. Is the Honour-able Premier saying that there are still calculations or tabulations to take place?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that the report, all the videos, all of this information that just needs to be made sure —put together so it can be released in a fashion—is being put together. The decision was …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Thank you. To this end, as it relates to the new scoring mechanism, how will the Honourable Premier reply to the PTA [Parent Teacher Association] at Somerset Primary as it relates to their concerns raised in the media?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Well, Mr. Speaker, given the fact that the PTA’s concerns are surrounding their schools, it is no different than the PTAs of many schools or the PTA of the school of which my children attend. Education reform is difficult. But here is the thing, Mr. …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. I think you have used . . . You had your two supplementaries on that, right? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Just a point of order then,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Point of order? Hon. Jarion Richardson: The second one was a clarification —

The Speaker The Speaker I do not think you are allowed a point of order. I do not think you are allowed that. You have used up your question and your supplementary. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker The next Member who gave an indication—

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Mr. Speaker, supplemental. Yes.

The Speaker The Speaker No. Only the Member who asked the question can ask supplementaries on Premier’s Questions. The next Member is MP Jackson. QUESTION 1: PREMIER’S FINANCIAL INTEREST IN TAXI APP “HITCH” AND RIDESHARE TECHNOLOGY

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Good morning, Mr. Speaker. My question to the Premier is, Will the Premier explain his financial interests and professional collabo-rations between the unregulated taxi app HITCH and the proposed rideshare digital technology?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, though Standing Orders may possibly not allow that question, I am happy to take to the floor and just state two things. Number one, it is absolutely amazing and astounding that the Honourable Member would get up and ask such a question in …

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Second question or supplementary?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Yes, I only had the one question, but I do have a supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. SUPPLEMENTARY

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Yes. So the rideshare digital platform that is being developed. Can the Premier please explain how he is proposing to move forward with the tendering process, the procurement of that technology? Hon. E. David Burt: And see, Mr. Speaker, may I respond? This is the challenge again. The Honourable Opposition …

The Speaker The Speaker No further questions?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson No, I do not have any further supplementary questions.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Thank you. The next question this morning is from MP Famous.

Mr. Famous. Mr. Christopher Famous Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning.

Mr. Christopher Famous How are you doing? Mr. Speaker, for those of us who canvass, we go out there— [Inaudible interjection]

The Speaker The Speaker The Member is speaking to the Chair. Let him speak to the Chair. Come on, Member. Speak this way. QUESTION 1: GOVERNMENT’S HOUSING ACTIONS

Mr. Christopher Famous For those of us who canvass, every day we hear different complaints —roads, no rain. Last year they were complaining because there was too much rain. But one thing that is consistent, Mr. Speaker, and I am sure this is anywhere in any country in this world , is the …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. Christopher Famous Yes, Mr. Speaker. For those who already own homes, over the last two years or year have been faced with increased mortgage rates, some would say it’s criminal. I say it’s criminal. So I ask the Premier again, What is the Gov-ernment doing about that?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, this is an issue which we have had to tackle. And it is not an easy issue be-cause we know that because of the structure of Bermuda we do not regulate our interest rates. We do not have a lenders’ last resort. We …

The Speaker The Speaker Second supplementary or a new question?

Mr. Christopher Famous New question, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm.

Mr. Christopher Famous I just need some clarity from the Premier. I am going to do a little preamble if you do not mind.

The Speaker The Speaker Well, we prefer you would get right to the question.

Mr. Christopher Famous Okay. All right. Well, I just need clarity from the Premier: How many —

The Speaker The Speaker Ah . . . the Premier’s Questions. The Assistant Clerk: I have the sheet.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, yes, yes. Sorry. Premier’s Questions, one question and two supplementals.

Mr. Christopher Famous Okay. All right.

The Speaker The Speaker Sorry, sorry. Taking you down the wrong road that time. My fault, my apologies. You had two supplementals to one question. The next question this morning is from the Government Whip. MP Tyrrell. QUESTION 1: RISING COST OF HEALTH CARE PREMIUMS

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, many will be concerned by the news that local organisations are being affected by the increasing cost of health care. The Government has made it clear that they will continue to work to reduce the cost of living, including health [care] …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I thank the Honourable Member for that question. And it is a question that is particularly important, as I am sure that many persons . . . I know that the Government was asked a question by a local media organisation surrounding a …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Mr. De Silva, we are in Premier’s Questions. You cannot get on your feet like that, sir. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: I was just going to say good morning.

The Speaker The Speaker No-no. No- no. MP Tyrrell, do you have a supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARY

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell I do have a supplementary, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first of all I would like to thank the Premier for his response. And I am sure my constitu-ents will be happy to know that the Government has already taken steps to reduce costs where they are able. Can the Premier …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I thank the Honourable Member for his question because it is something that comes up on the doorstep, because people get confused. They are like, Well, you said you froze the rates. But then the rates have increased. The fact is, Mr. Speaker, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Second supplementary?

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell No, thank, Mr. Speaker. But I thank the Premier for that response. Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker The next question for the Premier is from MP Pearman. MP Pearman. QUESTION 1: HEALTH BILL DELAYED BY GOVERNMENT

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Honourable Premier please explain to this Honourable House why your Government’s Health Bill has now been delayed twice in the upper House?

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I am not entirely certain if I am going to speak to matters related to Parliamentary items, and I am not sure if that deals with particular matters. But the Honourable Member can ask a supplementary question if he wishes.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Honourable Premier, in the Health Bill, your Government has now dropped your proposed law to imprison Bermudian health care workers if they fail to provide the government with information. Given the Government’s U -turn, can the Honourable Premier explain why he voted to support imprisonment in …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, it is important that in all matters there are penalties that apply to any provision in law. This is no different from the exact same law Bermuda House of Assembly that was passed by the OBA in newer amendments to the Health Council …

The Speaker The Speaker Second supplemental?

Mr. Scott Pearman Second supplementary.

Mr. Scott Pearman Will the Premier’s Government be further amending the Health Care Bill to take into account the concerns of Bermudian health care workers about patient confidentiality? Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I am not going to speak before the Honourable Minister of Health who does this, but what I can …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, that is the half -an-hour that has been allotted for the Premier’s Questions. It signals that we have used up the allotted time. We will now move on. QUESTION PERIOD

The Speaker The Speaker The regular Question Period sets the clock at 60 minutes. This morning we are starting with written questions. There are a series of written questions that are presented to Ministers. All of the written questions are seeking oral responses. So the Member asking the question will have the opportunity to …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister. Hon. Vance Campbell: Mr. Speaker, when all matters pertaining to the overarching transaction that governs the project have been completed, the SDO will be brought into force.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? 1352 14 June 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What are the matters outstanding that are required to be completed before the SDO is gazetted? Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Vance Campbell: Mr. Speaker, those matters are of a private nature. They do not involve the Government. And when we are advised that everything has been agreed and signed off, we will bring the SDO into force.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Who is advising the Government as to the completion of the necessary or outstanding matters? The Speaker: Minister. Hon. Vance Campbell: Mr. Speaker, as I said, it is a private matter. It is not a government project. When we are advised by …

The Speaker The Speaker Second question? QUESTION 2: GAZETTING OF THE FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT ORDER Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Is there any way that this Honourable House can be assured that the matter will be brought, will be gazetted in a timely fashion?

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Vance Campbell: Mr. Speaker, as soon as we are advised that all matters are completed, we will bring the SDO into force.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. All right. Thank you. The second written questions this morning are from the Opposition Leader to the Junior Minister of Tourism. Opposition Leader, put your question. QUESTION 1: UPDATES ON FINANCING, CONSTRUCTION AND TIMELINES OF THE FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the seminal role …

The Speaker The Speaker Junior Minister.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is a two- pronged question. The [answer to the] first half of that is regularly.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Yes. Would the Junior Minister be able to give any more specifics relating to these updates for the benefit of the public?

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Yes. The answer to the second part of that question is, Usually weekly updates are provided by the developer. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you. Would the Honourable Minister be able to inform this Honourable House who is updating the Government on this matter?

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan I believe that answer was provided by the Honourable Minister on the previous question. But it is a private matter, and the developer will advise accordingly.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. New question? Hon. Jarion Richardson: Second question, please,

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Yes. QUESTION 2: UPDATES ON FINANCING, CONSTRUCTION AND TIMELINES OF THE FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON Hon. Jarion Richardson: Given the seminal role the Fairmont Southampton plays in Bermuda’s tourism product, will the Junior Minister commit to updating the public and this Honourable House on a regular basis as to matters of financing, …

The Speaker The Speaker Junior Minister.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Yes. While these matters are matters for the developer, as and when substantive updates are available, these will be shared with this Honourable House and the public.

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead. Bermuda House of Assembly SUPPLEMENTARIES Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you. Are there any substantive developments that can be shared at this time?

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan When those are provided to the Minister, as stated previously, we will make them available.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you. And just for the purposes of clarity, Mr. Speaker, the Government is being updated on a weekly basis relating to matters of financing, construction and timelines. And we do not have a substantive update at this point regarding the project.

The Speaker The Speaker Put your question. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Can the Minister please confirm that that is accurate?

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan As stated, Mr. Speaker, when the Minister has information, we will provide it.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Okay. The second question . . . you are going to put your second question, right? The second question is to the Junior Minister from the Opposition Leader. Hon. Jarion Richardson: From the Honourable Whip, the Opposition Whip, the next [set of] questions, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Oh, okay. Okay, so you have done your two. Opposition Whip, your questions to the Junior Minister. QUESTION 1: REDUCTION OF BUDGETED ALLOCATION FOR THE BERMUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Thank you, and good morning, colleagues. My first question to the Junior Minister is, Will the Junior Minister please inform this Honourable House as to whether the Bermuda Tourism Authority’s budgeted allocation from Government has been reduced or sums reallocated since the 2024/2025 National Budget was approved by Legislature?

The Speaker The Speaker Junior Minister.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Yes, Mr. Speaker. Yes, it has.

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Supplemental?

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, yes. Ask your supplemental. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Yes. What was the reason given for the further reduced amount?

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Mr. Speaker, the House will be advised that the CEO and the Chair of the Bermuda Tourism Authority were advised in the face- toface meeting on Friday, the 17 th of May, of a further reduction in the grant to the BTA from the Government. Further to this advice, it …

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier The question was, What was the reason given for the further reduced amount? I am not sure if he is saying it went to sports. I am lost on that one. [Inaudible interjections and laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker You are putting a second supplemental to that answer. And your second supplemental is actually . . . what is your second supplemental asking? [Inaudible interjections and laughter ]

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Yes. Second supplemental. What was the amount that was taken or re- allocated from the BTA to wherever all that stuff he said? [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker For my clarity, you are simply asking for the dollar amount that was taken from one spot to another spot?

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Correct.

The Speaker The Speaker Junior Minister, I hope that is helpful.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Yes, it is. Thank you. Funding was also essential for the completion of the National Sports Centre Energy Project, which faced substantial challenges due to issues with shipping supply chain. The most crucial component of this, the microgrid, began installation last week. Once the necessary legislative updates are implemented, the …

The Speaker The Speaker Junior Minister, Junior Minister.

The Speaker The Speaker Let me help you out a bit. [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker Because the first response gave a long response to the question. The supplementary that the Member asked was basically, Is there a ballpark figure that you can allocate that went from here to there? That is basically what the question was. And it is not a question that the first …

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Yes, $500,000, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Thank you. [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker Would you like to do your second question now?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson I have a supplementary. Can I ask?

The Speaker The Speaker Ask your supplementary. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you. I am just curious how the BTA has been impacted by this financial reduction? [Pause]

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe I mentioned in that response that the Minister did meet with the BTA and gave them assurances that they can adapt to meet the situation pre-sented.

The Speaker The Speaker Supplementary?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson [What is the] board’s position on the unplanned reduction? The BTA board’s position on the unplanned reduction?

The Speaker The Speaker I am not sure if he can speak for the board. He can attempt to.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan I cannot speak in this forum on this set of questions, to that question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker All right.

Mr. Scott Pearman Supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Okay. SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you. To the Honourable Junior Minister, given that during the budget this Parliament approved a grant of Bermuda House of Assembly $500,000 to the Bermuda Tourism Authority, on what legal basis did this Government decide to change that approval by Parliament? [Pause]

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan We dealt with that matter in the budget. I am in no position to answer anything further.

The Speaker The Speaker I think you may want to find the information. The question was, the money that was allocated in the budget was moved after the Budget [Debate]. So you cannot say it was dealt with in the Budget [Debate]. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Mr. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: May I please assist the wonderful Junior Minister —

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead. Hon. E. David Burt: —who of course is on the Bermuda Tourism Authority Board? I am surprised that Members over there would be asking this Member to disclose board discussions. But nonetheless, let me just make it clear for the Honourable Member, Honourable and Learned Member who …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Thank you, Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: It is perfectly, legally, 100 per cent lawful inside of the Constitution.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Premier. That was the answer. Thank you, Premier. I am glad you are able to assist. That is the answer. Thank you.

Mr. Scott Pearman Second supplemental.

The Speaker The Speaker Oh, second supplemental?

Mr. Scott Pearman I do not know whom I will have the pleasure of hearing the answer from. [Laughter]

Mr. Scott Pearman Given the decision was taken to change a Parliament -authorised $500,000 grant to the Bermuda Tourism Authority, who took the decision to change that? Thank you, Mr. Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, I am just going to give clarity. Grants are not authorised by Parliament.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes, they are. Hon. E. David Burt: Budgets are authorised by Parliament. The budget set out in the Appropriation Act . . . I would ask the Honourable Member to please refer to what he is speaking about in the Appropriation Act. He can take the time. But I can …

Mr. Scott Pearman My question was, Who took the decision? [Pause]

The Speaker The Speaker Does anyone . . . Okay.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the indulgence by the Finance Minister and Premier who sits in Cabinet who shed ample light on the matter. I do not sit in Cabinet, so I will defer from that.

The Speaker The Speaker We will move on to your question? Your second written question. QUESTION 2: REDUCTION OF BUDGETED ALLOCATION FOR THE BERMUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Yes, thank you. Since there has been a reduction in the allocation for the Bermuda Tourism Authority, would the Junior Minister please inform this Honourable House what sporting events have been affected, postponed and/ or cancel led as a result? ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER HOUSE VISITOR

The Speaker The Speaker Junior Minister, before you respond, let me just acknowledge the fact that the Minister is in the Chamber this morning, and we welcome him to the Chamber. Minister Darrell. [Desk thumping] [Question Period, continuing]

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead, Junior Minister. 1356 14 June 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there have been no events affected or postponed or cancelled. It is important to note that the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary? SUPPLEMENTARIES

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Yes. Supplementary. Supplementary, thank you. Since there are none, I believe there are only a few recurring sports events in Bermuda. Can the Junior Minister then tell us, In any of those recurring events, are any of those not happening for the budget year 2024/25?

The Speaker The Speaker Junior Minister.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Can I ask the Opposition Whip to restate that?

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Recognising that there are recurring events —as an example I will say PGA —on a regular basis (I will just use that as an example) . . . I am sure the Junior Minister is well aware that there are only a handful of recurring sporting events in Bermuda. Can …

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Mr. Speaker, as I stated previously, no events have been affected. But this boost in tourism income is expected. The Ministry has noted that there is going to be an uptick, Mr. Speaker, in cruise and hotel visitors to the Island, leading to increased revenues. Because the revenues for the …

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Second supplementary. The Speaker: Go right ahead. [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier Yes, I got it, I got it, I got it. Yes, I got it. [Inaudible interjection and l aughter]

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier I got the rambling. Will there be a SailGP event for the budgeted year of 2024/25? [Pause]

The Speaker The Speaker Junior Minister.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Mr. Speaker, we are in 2023/24, 2024/25. And we just had an event recently for that year. [Crosstalk and laughter]

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan The event was held in this budget year already.

The Speaker The Speaker Any further?

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier For 2024/25. So if there is another event to be held in 2025, he should say.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Clarification. The year 2024/25, which means April 1 of 2024 through March 31 of 2025. Is that what you are looking for?

Mr. L. Craig Cannonier There should be another SailGP by that time. [Laughter] [Pause]

The Speaker The Speaker I missed that, Junior Minister. I missed what you said. [Inaudible interjection]

The Speaker The Speaker Oh. Okay. Any further questions, supplementary or other? No further. That brings us to an end of the written questions. We will now move on to the questions from the Statements this morning. And, Members, there is a question for the Deputy Premier from MP Pearman. MP Pearman, would you …

The Speaker The Speaker Minister. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you for the question. The work to prepare a Bill is ongoing. And the expectation is that I am working to have a Bill tabled in this particular session of the Legislature.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Scott Pearman Sorry. I did not quite hear the answer. You are working to table a Bill in this particular session? Is that what the answer was?

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you. I am grateful. No supplementary.

The Speaker The Speaker No supplementary. Okay. Members, that was the only question for this morning’s Statements.

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

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. So we can now move on. CONGRATULATORY AND/OR OBITUARY SPEECHES

The Speaker The Speaker Would any Member wish to make a contribution here? Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was not able to be in the last session. So I just wanted to be associated with remarks of condolences that were offered in the last session, I am …

The Speaker The Speaker So you are associating yourself? Hon. E. David Burt: Associating. I missed that one as well because I was not here.

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Woods was a fixture inside of the party, a fixture inside of the community and even acutely felt on Sunday when I was at a national football match and remembered that Mr. Woods would always be a fixture on the sideline as …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Would any other Member wish to — MP Simmons -Wade, you have your three minutes.

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons- Wade Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning.

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade First I would like to send my congratulations to Paget Primary, specifically Principal Sonia Raynor and her team. Last week they had an appreciation breakfast, and that was for community partners and volunteers. And basically it demonstrates when you get t he support of your community how much can be …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Thank you.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP [Simmons -]Wade. Opposition Leader, you have your three minutes. Hon. Jarion Richardson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to encourage this House to give condolences to the Richardson family of St. David’s on the passing of my Uncle Russell Richardson. It is a very hard thing to …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member I would like to be associated with that.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member The whole House. Hon. Jarion Richardson: I would associate the whole House including—

The Speaker The Speaker Yes. Hon. Jarion Richardson: We are all so very familiar with Uncle Russell. Did I get it?

The Speaker The Speaker Yes, yes. The whole House, the whole House. Hon. Jarion Richardson: His life was over five decades in sports. But I remember him from the prison ser-vice, where he served with distinction and was awarded for his service on a number of times. He worked incredibly hard to make Bermuda …

The Speaker The Speaker MP Foggo, you have been standing for a while.

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo I certainly have.

The Speaker The Speaker Would you like your three minutes?

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo Yes, I would.

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead.

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo Good morning to the House and to the listening public. I would like to be associated with the remarks for Mr. Brian Russell Richardson, who indeed is the uncle of the Opposition Leader. He was a patriarch in St. David’s. And he did champion many causes for the underdog and …

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo And because he gave a full background of his uncle, I will say . . . I will not say what I was going to say. But yes indeed, he is well known in the sporting arena, particularly for his beloved sport, cricket. And he held a great many young …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP Foggo. Minister, you were up before. So, Minister, would you like to add your comments at this point? Hon. Diallo V. S. Rabain: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, following in the vein of the MP who just sat down, I would like to send congratulations to …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. MP Ming, would you like your three minutes?

Mrs. Renee Ming Absolutely. Good morning, Mr. Speaker and listening audience. Firstly, I would like to be associated with the comments for Mr. Richardson, Mr. Woods, Ms. Burchall and of course Muriel Richardson, who was my constituent. I think that when you think of someone who is eccentric, that definitely highlights Muriel in …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Member, for your contribution. Deputy Premier, would you like your three minutes? Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just a brief congratulations to a lady who is a stalwart of the North Village community, who cele-brated her 104 th birthday last week: Ms. Eva Outerbridge, …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Deputy Premier. MP Lister, would you like your three minutes?

Mr. Dennis Lister III Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Good morning to the listening audience. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to start off by sending condolences to the family of (and I like to associate) Ms. Donna Castle. While I did not know her, I knew her son and her husband. Whenever I see …

Mr. Dennis Lister III It would be remis s [of me not] to say, Mr. Speaker, that last week y ou celebrated your birthday last week, Mr. Speak er. And while we were not in the House, I would like to belatedly send you Happy Birthday wishes for your birthday last week, Mr. Speaker. …

Mr. Dennis Lister III And also on that note, Mr. Speaker, while I am sending out birthday c ongratulations, I would like to, on behalf of the House send congratulations to His Majesty the King.

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Ooh! Ooh! [Laughter]

Mr. Dennis Lister III Mr. Speaker, as I said, in the mode of giving our birthday congratulations I would like to associate the House in sending congratulations to His Majesty the King. [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. Dennis Lister III And with that, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Did you all just jump up to be associated with that last part? [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker Everybody jumped that time. Minister Furbert, would you like your three minutes? Hon. Tinee Furbert: T hank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to give condolences to the family of Ms. Leila Jeanette Robinson. She is the mother of our very own Office Administrator, Tammy Bermuda House of …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. MP Swan.

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly would like to be associated with the condolences being extended to the Woods family, to the Richardson family and especially to the family of Ms. Albena Bean from St. George’s, whose family I and MP Foggo’s, wish to be associated with those condolences …

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan You know, Mr. Speaker, on the Atlantic Publishing House, I cannot forget Ms. June Caisey who was honoured (in the last few seconds I have), because she is a living legend. And they honoured her while she could still smell those beautiful flowers.

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Minister Weeks. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For my three minutes, Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off with being associated with the condolences for Mr. Russell Richardson. I knew him reasonably well. He is actually the great -uncle of one of my sons, …

The Speaker The Speaker Now, you cannot make mistakes here, you know. You cannot get that one wrong now. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: So often, Mr. Speaker, we talk about the children. But it is the staff and the leadership of these different schools whom we must take our hats off to whenever we …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister, thank you. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Government Whip, Mr. Tyrrell.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker You have the floor, sir.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell And again good morning to my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, on Monday this week I received some sad news of the passing of a very good friend of mine, Mr. Tony Bari, known as “Mr. Music” to a lot of people. I will associate the entire House. We all know the …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Fivesome.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Fivesome, yes, sometimes. And so to hear as I arrived at Bellmont on Monday that he had passed really set me back and did not help my score on Monday, of course. But I certainly would like condolences to be sent especially to his wife, Marlene, who normally drops him …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Government Whip Tyrrell. Anybody? MP Anthony Richardson.

Mr. Anthony Richardson Good morning, Mr. Speaker. To my colleagues and the listening audience, really quickly I just want to give a shout -out really, congratulations to Terry and Terryn Fray . I do so because they have opened up, effective May, a cricket institute called FrayStar Cricket Institute. And there are lots …

Mr. Anthony Richardson And that speaks volumes. We would not want to let that happen. He also informed me that there are several persons who assist him. But the two I want to mention are Gus Logie and Ms. Debra James. They both are integral in its success, and they have right now …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP. MP Famous, would you like three minutes?

Mr. Christopher Famous Yes, Mr. Speaker, good morning.

The Speaker The Speaker Good morning.

Mr. Christopher Famous Mr. Speaker, Devonshire has lost two persons this week. Ms. Anne Grimes of Sousa Estate; and as Minister Diallo Rabain said, Rock Hodson, my Uncle Rock Hodson of Mary Victoria Road. Mr. Speaker, when you are canvassing, you meet all sorts of people. And first impressions can always be one …

Mr. Christopher Famous But Mr. Speaker, I want to speak to the love of a daughter and a son who called us to say, Listen now. Dad is on his last and he wants to see you guys. Have you been there? And it was hard to see him in that condition. But …

The Speaker The Speaker Eighteenth? Would any other Member wish to make a contribution? Any other? There are none. We will move on. MATTERS OF PRIVILEGE

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 GOVERNMENT BILLS

The Speaker The Speaker There are two Government Bills to be introduced this morning. The Deputy Premier will do the first. BILL FIRST READING REGISTRAR OF COMPANIES ( ANNUAL CORPORATE REGULATORY FEES ) AMENDMENT ACT 2024 Hon. Walter H. Roban: Yes, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of the Premier and the Minister of Finance I …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. And next is the name of the Minister of Transport. Minister. BILL FIRST READING MOTOR CAR (ELECTRIC OR HYBRID PRIVATE MOTOR CARS) AMENDMENT ACT 2024 Hon. Wayne L. Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am introducing the following Bill for its first reading so that it may be …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. OPPOSITION BILLS

The Speaker The Speaker There are no Opposition Bills. PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BILLS

The Speaker The Speaker No private Members’ Bills. NOTICE OF MOTIONS

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

The Speaker The Speaker And the one item this morning, or this afternoon I should say now, is the second reading of the . . . Well, before we do that, I am looking at the clock. Minister, is your brief a long brief? We could take the break now and come back so …

The Speaker The Speaker So would you like to just hold and start so you go straight through? Or would you like to start now and take the lunch? Hon. Tinee Furbert: I can start after lunch.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Members, with the indulgence of the House we would like to take the recess now and come back at two o’clock so the Minister can present her brief in its entirety. Any objections to that? No objections to that. Thank you. Members, the House now stands adjourned until 2:00 …

The Speaker The Speaker Good afternoon, Members. I trust everyone had a good lunch. [Gavel]

The Speaker The Speaker Members, when we rose for lunch we were about to start the first Order of Business for the day, which is the second reading of the Financial Assistance (Short -Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024, in the name of the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors. Minister, would you like …

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker, can I get the slant board, please?

The Speaker The Speaker They are both right up front there. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you. [Pause] Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker, I move that the Bill entitled the Financial Assistance (Short -Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024 be now read the second time.

The Speaker The Speaker Are there any objections? There are none. Continue, Minister. BILL SECOND READING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (SHORT -TERM RELIEF BENEFIT) ACT 2024 Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this Bill before the House today is to establish a framework to provide immediate …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Would any other Member like to make a contribution at this time?

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker MP Jackson, you have the floor.

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you, and good afternoon. I would like to begin by thanking the team at Financial Assistance. It sounds as though they have worked very hard on establishing the short -term relief benefit. And certainly the information that has been pro-vided to me has shown that they have really ex …

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker Thank you, Member. Deputy Speaker. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am so glad that the Minister with Government has brought this Bill to this House. There is nothing unordinary or extraordinary about the Bill in that in the terms in …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Deputy. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? MP Jamahl Simmons.

Mr. Jamahl S. Simmons Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 1370 14 June 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly When you are a part of a labour party, this is what we should be doing, and it is what it is expected that we do, because nobody else will do it. And I am …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member And men.

Mr. Jamahl S. Simmons —and men, my colleagues express, to give them a lifeline to escape when they are ready . . . and work with the available resources. And as this has been incremental moving forward to fill gaps that have been long identified, we must also look to see new g aps …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Deputy Premier. Hon. Walter H. Roban: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A number of the speakers have already touched on the main points. But I think it is important that those points be reiterated, particularly when it comes to when …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Deputy. Does any other Member — MP Famous.

Mr. Christopher Famous Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. How are you doing?

The Speaker The Speaker Good afternoon.

Mr. Christopher Famous Mr. Speaker, sometimes we get bogged down in the technicalities of stuff versus the ethos of stuff. Right? And let me just take a little trip back in time. Mr. Speaker, in 2011, I met this young lady in her capacity as a branch chair. So I was like, Okay. …

Mr. Christopher Famous Yes, with sprinkles on the top, blue and blue. Just like your tie, blue and blue. [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. Christopher Famous My point, Mr. Speaker, is often we get confused when we get in positions of influence that the position is about ourselves, how to enrich ourselves and people around us versus using that position to help the needy. I do not know the Bible verse, Mr. Speak er. (Happy Sabbath …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP. Does any other — MP Pearman.

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And good afternoon to the listening public. I would just like to rise in support of my colleague MP Susan Jackson, the Shadow Minister, who spoke in favour of this Bill and in favour of the Minister’s presentation today on short -term financial relief. It is …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? None other. Minister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do want to start and thank my fellow Members of Parliament for their intervention. But before we move into Committee, Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring re-membrance to …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Deputy. House in Committee at 2:5 6 pm [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Chairman] COMMITTEE ON BILL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (SHORT -TERM RELIEF BENEFIT) ACT 2024

The Chairman Chairman Okay. Honourable Members, we are now in Committee of the whole for further consideration of the Bill entitled the Financial Assistance (Short -Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024 . Minister Tinee Furbert, you have the floor. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, this Bill seeks to establish a framework to provide financial …

The Chairman Chairman Mm-hmm. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I move clauses 1 through 6 to be approved.

The Chairman Chairman Continue. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Clause 1 provides the citation for the Bill. Clause 2 provides for the interpretation of terms used in the Bill. Clause 3 provides a description of the short - term relief benefit, its temporary nature, the maximum period for which it can be paid and the …

The Chairman Chairman Thank you, Minister. Bermuda House of Assembly Are there any further speakers to clauses 1 through 6? The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Pearman. You have the floor, Mr. Pearman.

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the Honourable Minister. Honourable Minister, my first question relates to page 3 of the Bill, clause 3 at the top of page 3 under the heading “Short -term relief benefit.” And if you read down through that clause 3(2)(b), you see that …

The Chairman Chairman Are there a ny further speakers to clauses 1 through 6? The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Susan Jackson. You have the floor.

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My question is around clause 3(2) where it says that the “benefit paid to a recipient for a maximum period of three months during a financial year, and such maximum period may be . . . continuous . . .” and so on. But my question …

The Chairman Chairman Any further speakers?

Mr. Pearman. Mr. Scott Pearman Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Minister, my next question arises at clause 4 of the Bill, still on page of the 3 of the Bill. And it is at clause 4(3) where it says, “ The Director shall, as soon as practicable after the end of the financial year, make …

Mr. Scott Pearman Mr. Chairman, would you prefer for me to go through all of the ones in this section?

The Chairman Chairman Yes, yes.

Mr. Scott Pearman Yes. Fine So next question then, please, would be clause 5. And at clause 5(1)(a) it is what the Director may require an applicant to provide. You see clause 5(1)(a), “require an applicant or a recipient to provide him” (being the Director) “with such information and produce such documents as …

The Chairman Chairman Mm-hmm.

Mr. Scott Pearman And we are through to clause 6; is that correct, Mr. Chairman?

The Chairman Chairman Yes. Yes, you are.

Mr. Scott Pearman Okay. Then I have nothing further.

The Chairman Chairman Are there a ny further speakers?

Ms. Jackson. Ms. Susan E. Jackson Yes. Thank you. Clause 6, it says that “ Every Government department shall provide to the Director such information as he may reasonably require in the exercise of his functions under this Act. ” And when it is speaking to “Government department,” I am just curious whether any of the …

The Chairman Chairman Okay. Are there a ny further speakers? Minister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to inform this House that I did have the opportunity to meet with MP Jackson, and we did provide [answers] to all of these questions that are being [asked] here today. [Inaudible …

The Chairman Chairman Mm-hmm. The law is very clear. Hon. Tinee Furbert: There was a question of whether or not you could re- apply. Yes, you could re- apply the following year if you found yourself within one of those eligibility criteria. There was a question in regard to requirement for [the report …

The Chairman Chairman Minister. Minister. We are in Committee. What clause are you talking to? Because we are in Committee. Hon. Tinee Furbert: There was a question in regard to proof of domestic violence.

The Chairman Chairman What clause is that in? In clauses 1 through 6? Hon. Tinee Furbert: I am sorry, Mr. Chairman. I am just answering the questions. My apologies.

The Chairman Chairman Yes. But we have to do clauses. We are in Committee now. We have to be specific. That is not one for this. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Yes. Okay. [Pause]

The Chairman Chairman Do your next one. Hon. Tinee Furbert: I am going to do it.

The Chairman Chairman Yes. Hon. Tinee Furbert: All right. I will wrap up there, Mr. Chairman.

The Chairman Chairman Are there any further speakers on clauses 1 through 6? Minister, do you want to move clauses 1 through 6? Hon. Tinee Furbert: Yes, Mr. Chairman. [Pause] Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move clauses 7 through 12 to be approved.

The Chairman Chairman No, no. Let us approve clauses 1 through 6 first. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask that we approve clauses 1 through 6.

The Chairman Chairman It has been moved that clauses 1 through 6 be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 1 through 6 passed.] Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move clauses 7 through 12 be approved. Clause — Bermuda House of …

The Chairman Chairman Yes. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Clause 7 provides for who is qualified to apply for the short -term relief benefit. Clause 8 provides who is eligible for the short - term benefit. Clause 9 provides the application process for the short -term relief benefit and the requirements of any application to …

The Chairman Chairman Thank you. Are there any speakers for clauses 7 through 12? The Chair recognises the Honourable Mr. Pearman. You have the floor.

Mr. Scott Pearman Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to the Minister. Clause 7(2)(a) provides that someone is not qualified for short -term relief benefit provided by the Act if the person is a recipient of Financial Assistance award or subsequent award is provided by Financial Assistance. So just to clarify, if you …

The Chairman Chairman Any further speakers? Go ahead, Mr. Pearman.

Mr. Scott Pearman Yes. Moving to clause 8(b), it says, “ the value of the individual’s investments and assets . . . does . not exceed $5,000. ” So that is a threshold qualifier. It says “other than real property.” And I am just curious. Is that also excluded from standard Financial Assistance? …

The Chairman Chairman What clause is that?

Mr. Scott Pearman It is page 5. It is clause 9(2)(c)(v). And it is there that in fact the Minister anticipated the question on the meaning of “domestic violence.” And to be fair to the Minister, that was raised in the debate by my colleague MP Jackson. But could the Minister just give …

The Chairman Chairman Mm-hmm. Are there a ny further speakers? Minister.

Ms. Susan E. Jackson Mr. Chairman, I have a question.

The Chairman Chairman Oh, I am sorry.

Ms. Jackson. Ms. Susan E. Jackson In clause 10, under clause 10(4)(b), the duration.

Ms. Susan E. Jackson “Where the Director approves an application for the short -term relief benefit, the Director shall inform the applicant in writing of . . . (b) the duration of the benefit . . . .” My question is, Can the judgment be less than three months? Can the Director say, I …

The Chairman Chairman Are there a ny further speakers? Minister, you may answer. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There was a question in regard to clause 7, whether or not if a person who is already on financial assistance could not apply for the short -term relief benefit. That is correct. …

The Chairman Chairman Mm-hmm. Hon. Tinee Furbert: So evidence would be police reports. (I did mention this already in my ministerial brief, Mr. Chairman.) Police reports, recommendations of domestic violence agencies, domestic violence protection 1376 14 June 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly orders are all sort of proof that the …

The Chairman Chairman Well, let me just see if there are any further speakers. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Okay.

The Chairman Chairman Mr. Pearman.

Mr. Scott Pearman Yes. Just to pick up on that answer, the last answer on domestic violence. Does that mean that an applicant would have to establish a pro-tection order in order to qualify there? Or was that not necessary? Thank you. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you for the question. No, that does …

The Chairman Chairman Are there a ny further speakers? Minister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that clauses 7 through 12 be approved.

The Chairman Chairman It has been moved that clauses 7 through 12 be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 7 through 12 passed.] Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move clauses 13 through 18.

The Chairman Chairman Continue, Minister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Clause 13 provides that the short - term relief benefit is inalienable. Clause 14 provides the Director with the power to review a short -term relief benefit on new facts being brought to his attention or if he is satisfied that the de-cision was given …

The Chairman Chairman Thank you, Minister. Are there a ny speakers to clauses 13 through 18? There appear to be none. Minister, do you want to move clauses 13 through 18? Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move clauses 13 through 18 to be approved.

The Chairman Chairman It has been moved that clauses 13 through 18 be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Clauses 13 through 18 are approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 13 through 18 passed.] Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to move clauses 19 through …

The Chairman Chairman Continue. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Clause 19 provides for the offence of knowingly making any false statement or knowingly providing any false information. Clause 20 provides that the Director can recover from a recipient any sum of money improperly paid in connection with the short -term relief benefit (overpayment) as a …

The Chairman Chairman Mr. Pearman.

Mr. Scott Pearman Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Bermuda House of Assembly My question is in clause 23 at page 10 of the Bill. Yes, it is clause 23 in terms of just the regulations.

The Chairman Chairman Mm-hmm.

Mr. Scott Pearman I do not think the regulations are yet available or in existence. But I anticipate that these two questions, which are practical questions, would be covered by the regulations if made and when made. But roughly, could the Minister assist us and assist the public as to what the waiting …

The Chairman Chairman Minister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Department of Financial Assistance will follow established timelines to ensure an efficient process is managed from the point of receiving an application to its pre- screening and then its final payment. This process also ensures that the department does …

The Chairman Chairman Are there a ny further speakers to clause 19 through 24? There appear to be none. Minister, do you want to move those clauses? Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to move that clauses 19 through 24 be approved.

The Chairman Chairman It has been moved that clauses 19 through 24 be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. [Motion carried: Clauses 19 through 24 passed.] Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you. Mr. Chairman, I would like to move clauses 19 through 24.

The Chairman Chairman We just did that. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Oh. Then we are done, Mr. Chairman. We are done?

The Chairman Chairman You just move the preamble. Just move the preamble. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I would like to move all clauses 1 through 24 be approved.

The Chairman Chairman All of the clauses have been approved. Just move the preamble to be approved, Minister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Okay. Mr. Chairman, I move that the preamble be approved.

The Chairman Chairman It has been moved that the preamble be approved. Are there any objections to that? There appear to be none. Approved. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Chairman, I move that the Bill entitled Financial Assistance (Short -Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024 be reported to the House as printed.

The Chairman Chairman It has been moved that the Bill entitled the Financial Assistance (Short -Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024 be reported to the House. Are there a ny objections to that? There appear to be none. The Bill will be reported to the House. [Motion carried: The Financial Assistance (Short -Term Relief …

The Chairman Chairman Mr. Speaker. Proceedings resumed at 3:21 pm [Hon. Dennis P. Lister, Jr., Speaker, in the Chair] REPORT OF COMMITTEE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (SHORT -TERM RELIEF BENEFIT) ACT 2024

The Speaker The Speaker Members, are there any objections to the Bill entitled the Financial Assistance (Short -Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024 being reported to the House as printed? There are none. The matter has been reported to the House. Members, that brings us to a close of the Order of Business for today. …

The Speaker The Speaker Are there any objections? There are none. Continue. [Motion carried: Standing Order 21 suspended.] BILL THIRD READING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (SHORT -TERM RELIEF BENEFIT) ACT 2024 Hon. Tinee Furbert: Mr. Speaker, I move that the Bill be now read a third time by its title only and passed.

The Speaker The Speaker The Bill has been now read a third time by its title only and has passed. [Motion carried: The Financial Assistance (Short -Term Relief Benefit) Act 2024 was read a third time and passed.]

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. Hon. Tinee Furbert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker There are no other matters on the Order Paper.

Mr. Premier. ADJOURNMENT Hon. E. David Burt premier Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move that this Honourable House do now adjourn until Friday, the 28 th of June.

The Speaker The Speaker Does any Member wish to— [Inaudible interjections]

The Speaker The Speaker Mr. King. Mr. King. You realise this is your maiden speech, then.

Mr. Robert King I do indeed, sir. I do indeed.

The Speaker The Speaker Well, you make your maiden speech today. And it is customary that Members who make their maiden speech have a clear path along that speech.

Mr. Robert King Wonderful!

The Speaker The Speaker So we will provide you with a clear path for that. And you can begin your speech now. MAIDEN SPEECH

Mr. Robert King Thank you, sir, and to Honourable Members of this House. Before I get cracking on it, what I want everybody to do is reflect on what it was like for each and every one of you in this Honourable House on your first day. Because based on my experience, it …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Do not forget it.

Mr. Robert King I will not.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Good.

The Speaker The Speaker It is his maiden speech. He has a clear road, I suggested. And I intend to make sure it is a clear road. If he gets out of order, I will bring him in order. No one else.

Mr. Robert King First of all I want to extend heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the Attorney General, Kathy Lynn Simmons, the Honourable Kathy Lynn Simmons, and the Permanent Secretary for Legal Affairs, Ms. Gina Hurst -Maybury, who played a large role in making this poss ible for me by giving me the …

Mr. Robert King Not all; some.

The Speaker The Speaker Members.

Mr. Robert King So, to wit, when we are talking about Honourable Members in this Honourable House, how does one then explain that on my first day I am getting threatened to a fight because of a transgression that I did not do? And being mindful of the fact that it is my …

Mr. Robert King Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Talk to me.

Mr. Robert King So the point is we have a duty and obligation to the people of this Island as an Opposition. The current Administration would have you believe that there is no place for Opposition. That is a dic-tatorship. We have a dual role as Members of this Government to hold the …

Mr. Robert King It is about the people whom I represent and the Oaths of Allegiance and Office that I swore to uphold. Honesty, integrity —that is what I stand for. Difficult decisions are going to have to be made. Questions will have to be answered, actions taken for the benefit of the …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, Members.

Mr. Robert King And that’s okay. So, my point is this: The time for change is now. And I would ask — [Inaudible interjections]

The Speaker The Speaker Members.

Mr. Robert King So the point is (right?), the time is now for change. We are a part of the new Bermuda, with my One Bermuda team here. And I would actually invite Members on the other side to remember their oaths and maybe to consider doing perhaps what happened in 2003. You …

Mr. Robert King I am suggesting that if we view each other as equal partners —

The Speaker The Speaker Members!

Mr. Robert King —in this government —

The Speaker The Speaker Hold on.

Mr. Robert King —and we—

The Speaker The Speaker Whoa! Whoa! Hold on.

Mr. Robert King Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.

The Speaker The Speaker Hold on.

Mr. Robert King Sorry.

The Speaker The Speaker Hold on. Members, if it is getting too difficult, I suggest you take a walk and go outside, because it is a maiden speech and, like all maiden speeches, whether you agree or disagree there is a code of conduct that goes along for maiden speeches. And we are in …

Mr. Robert King Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The point I am making is that we are in this House as elected officials. We take oaths of office. We get elected to this Honourable House to act with honour and respect for each other and the people of this com-munity. And we are supposed …

The Speaker The Speaker Members, remain in your seats for a minute. Member, you are new to the House. And you have said a couple of things that I am going to respond to, which I wish I would not have to respond to. But if ever something happens in this House that you …

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: One of the questions was, Was the appointment of [so -and-so] recommended by the J udicial and Legal S ervices Committee? And it also said that this person may not be able to judge on certain cases for a period of years because of …

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: They have power! [Inaudible interjection] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: And there are a lot of them. And guess what? It is increasing every day. Lovitta is not going to remain 64.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh! [Inaudible interjections and laughter ] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: She will be 65 shortly. [Laughter] Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: You know? We have to be cognisant of our age because we go a certain age, we are useless. Some of the most brilliant people in this country …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: Three years, Mr. Speaker! Doing a damn good job! And recently they gave this person the post that they have been acting in. And guess what, Mr. Speaker? They got him on probation. That is silly! Been doing this job with competence; no complaints …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Ooh. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: It is basically just outside of government but in government because we pay for it. [Hired] to be a consultant at 32 years old after eight years’ service in their country. How can you do that, Mr. Speaker? This is what is happening in …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Deputy Speaker. Would any other Member wish to speak? MP Scott. MAIDEN SPEECH REBUTTAL

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. In a previous life I was a DJ.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member What? [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott When I was in university.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh no!

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Yes! There was an artist named DMX and he had a saying, Always trust everyone to be themselves; but trust in your ability that you can see them well.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Trust a liar to lie to you. A snake to bite you. A thief to steal from you. But trust that you see them and you know them when you see them. In my current life, Mr. Speaker —

Ms. Lovitta F. Foggo How many lives do you get? [Laughter]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott In my current life, Mr. Speaker, I do martial arts.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Really? [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And my sensei has always taught me how to get home. [Inaudible interjections and laughter ]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And he has taught me never to get into a fight with an ignorant person because they will bring you down to their level and beat you on expe-rience. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr.: The Bible tells you that too.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Earlier today, Mr. Speaker, we heard a Member who might have been giving his first speech on that side of the House—on the right side of the House— 1384 14 June 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly [Inaudible interjection]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott —but yet talking about the country’s first political party. So he might have his first speech, but we are the first party. He wanted to talk about a bit of history. But he failed to talk about the history of the party that he represents, Mr. Speaker, the party that …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh!

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Why? Because all they did was take their business interest and create legislation around it to purport and to push that interest alone.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Mr. Speaker, that group of individuals, because they were not a party at the time, were happy with the property vote. They were happy making sure that persons that did not have property did not have the inalienable right to vote. They were happy ensuring that a certain demographic of …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And yet he says he did it by himself, as a no- name, as if the current Member of Parliament for that seat did not win by 300 votes, as if the former Member of Parliament did not stand next to him, vouching for him —

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Begging for him.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott —and ensuring that the support that he had was transitioned over to him. Unearned, Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, where I get a little perturbed, is that the Honourable Member decided to use aviation as one of his examples.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh! [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And talked about pilots, Mr. Speaker. But if we are going to use aviation as an analogy, there is such a thing in aviation known as flying behind the power curve.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Now, you are coming in for a landing, Mr. Speaker, and you notice that you got a higher -than- usual sink rate, meaning the plane is descending faster than you want it to descend. And so what happens? The novice pilot —somebody who does not really know how to fly, …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Tell me you are not talking about eggs. [Laughter]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott You pull back a bit more. The plane will continue to sink and increase its sink rate. But by the time you realise that you have got to add power . . . so you start to add power. And no matter how much power you add, that attitude will …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Now, Mr. Speaker, in 2017, this country found itself in an unusual attitude ( if we are talking about aviation). But it is a good thing that our leader is a pilot. It is a good thing that part of training for your pilot’s licence is going and recovering from …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member That’s right.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And the then Minister of Finance came back within a year asking to borrow more. But yet, today, we can stand and say that the PLP Ad-ministration— the same Administration that a gentleman earlier had the audacity to talk negatively about — can stand and say t hat we are …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member You exported it all! [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And so . . . and I hear that people . . . that we exported it, Mr. Speaker. But let me tell you. Under the OBA, you know what they exported?

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh!

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Two thousand jobs!

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Mm-hmm. Bermuda House of Assembly Another Hon. Member: Yes, t hat’s right.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And what did they think [that] was going to do? They tried again to use aviation as an analogy and messed it up with the airport deal.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes, they did!

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott When they had the subject - matter experts sitting here and, in a parliamentary speech, gave them the answers to their questions, the solution to their problems, what was the then Finance Minister’s response? Oh, because he has read a few textbooks and has a couple of degrees, he thinks …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm. Another Hon. Member: Whoa! Whoa! [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott We always get you home safely. [Inaudible interjections and laughter ]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Aha! [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And so Mr. Speaker —

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member There is only one party that can jump off the plane around here.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Oh-oh! Oh- oh! Another Hon. Member: Ooh!

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Oh-oh! Oh- oh! [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott The Honourable Member, Mr. Speaker, was not — [Inaudible interjections]

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Go ahead.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Under the OBA, Mr. Speaker, what the Honourable Member did not talk about was how they had a plan to grow a piece of the pie. A piece of the pie! That is what their focus was. You can go look it up in Hansard where they said, We are …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes, I remember that.

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members Hmmm.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott But yet an Honourable Member will stand in this Honourable House and claim his fame tied to that history. Tied to right -wing agendas. Mr. Speaker, you were correct when you started your speech and said that there are those who want to talk about working together and that he …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott Versus actually pounding the pavement. [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And this is a far cry from a party that could not put a full slate of candidates to-gether.

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

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And so Mr. Speaker, what we need to start looking at is that if the new generation is coming in thinking they are going to make a name for themselves with guns blazing, thinking they are going to make a name for themselves by taking on everybody on this s …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And so Mr. Speaker, we also have to remember that when we stand in this House, yes, the Honourable Member is right. We are representing the people we represent and we are speaking on their behalf. And when we speak we should be mindful that there are others who are …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member It’s too late.

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott —so that she could learn the way of the House. Learn the way that things should go. Because with the skeleton crew that is on the other side, Mr. Speaker, and the lack of experience that is on the other side, I believe that the Opposition, as much as they …

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott That is where you get your leaders from.

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

Mr. W. Lawrence Scott And so Mr. Speaker, although we had a former leader, former Premier, running in the last bye- election and persons refer to that former leader as an elder statesman, the former leaders and former Premiers on the other side will not get that dignity because they do not act with …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you. MP Famous, would you like your 20 minutes?

Mr. Christopher Famous Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead. MAIDEN SPEECH REBUTTAL

Mr. Christopher Famous Mr. Speaker, I have never in my entire life seen a Speaker have to get to his feet on a maiden speech. But I will get to it. Mr. Speaker, I am going to take up where I left off during Condolences. You see, one of things, Mr. Speaker, we …

Mr. Christopher Famous But Mr. Speaker, when we knocked on his door the soul that he showed was not of whatever colour. He was like, Listen, we just want somebody who is going to come and take care of us. Take care of the parish. Take care of the neighbourhood and be there …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Bermuda House of Assembly Mr. Christopher Famous: We went into this bye- election, prior to even the bye- election being called knowing that we have to knock on every door. So guess what, Mr. Speaker? We went to places that people who [have] a little less melanin than the …

Mr. Christopher Famous So when I sit down and do the math, Mr. Speaker, at the last minute our National Hero entered the race. So ask yourself: If this is an OBA seat, how does someone take all those OBA votes? Must not be an OBA seat. [Inaudible interjection]

Mr. Christopher Famous I’ll get to you in a minute. [Inaudible interjections ]

Mr. Christopher Famous So Mr. Speaker, a statistician says, Listen — [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. Christopher Famous I think you might want to turn around. [Inaudible interjection]

Mr. Christopher Famous I’m watching you too.

The Speaker The Speaker Let the conversation flow this way.

Mr. Christopher Famous Mr. Speaker, somebody got 181 (that’s us). Somebody got 184; that was John Swan. And somebody got 209. If you do the math, that is almost a three- way split. That tells me it is not a safe seat. So someone in here need not be comfortable —

Mr. Christopher Famous —because we are working that seat. We shall take that seat back. [Inaudible interjections]

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Call the election.

Mr. Christopher Famous So Mr. Speaker, I sat here and I listened to all this interloping and then they said, Oh, let’s work together. All that type of talk. But at the first bat it was all about division. I can’t quote no fancy things but you basically shared yourself, who you are, …

Mr. Christopher Famous Mr. Speaker, I am going to close here with something that you have stood to your feet about. A few months ago an OBA Member said, What’s happening in Gaza is not apartheid. He said it shouldn’t . . . people shouldn’t be looking at them so radically. They have …

The Speaker The Speaker Genocide.

Mr. Christopher Famous Because when you are bombing women and children—

The Speaker The Speaker Genocide.

Mr. Christopher Famous —when you kill 100 people to rescue four, it is no longer apartheid. It is now genocide.

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm. [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. Christopher Famous Right? Now I know we are a colony of the greatest colonisers in the world. So we as a Government cannot say much. But we as a party must say something, Mr. Speaker. We were never a party of bowing down to oppressors. We were never a party of going …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Mm-hmm.

Mr. Christopher Famous Thirty -seven thousand! And there is going to be more because once they start digging up they are going to find more dead bodies. [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. Christopher Famous More people are going to starve to death because of aid being blocked. But yet we have politicians around the world afraid to speak up because, Ooh, I don’t want to get blacklisted. (No pun intended.) Ooh, I don’t want to get cancelled. (No pun intended.) Well, what were you …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, MP Famous. MP Anthony Richardson.

Mr. Anthony Richardson Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker —

The Speaker The Speaker Good afternoon. SIGNIFICANT HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUM INCREASES IN BERMUDA

Mr. Anthony Richardson —and to my colleagues and those in the listening audience. Mr. Speaker, my comments today are actually offered in response to a specific constituent request which relates to health care costs in Bermuda. And as part of my comments, I also want to recognise what I want to say is …

Mr. Anthony Richardson In my capacity I then said, Oh, this cannot be right. I contacted the insurance com-pany and I explained my concern. Their response was, Well, Mr. Richardson, you effectively (or they effectively ) have three choices. One was for me in my capacity to get all the information and explain …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member That’s right. [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. Anthony Richardson I could not believe that that was the response, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Anthony Richardson Because clearly when it comes to health care provision, it is based on a relationship, and based on the confidence that you as the person have with the provider —so you and your doctor. And also it is based upon the fact that there is longevity in terms of the …

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm.

Mr. Anthony Richardson And so it is actually quite appropriate, Mr. Speaker, I believe today to reference that and to understand the history of what has happened here in this House, figuratively. Mr. Speaker, I will say that I am a proponent of the free market economy. I have said before that in …

Mr. Anthony Richardson —and the physician— [Inaudible interjections] Mr. Anthony Richardson: Well, the comment was from me, How much time do you have to service (that’s not the word) but to examine me (let’s call it)? Let’s say “examine me.” And thankfully I was aware of the person and they were able to …

Mr. Anthony Richardson And my response was, How can that be because you never know how long it is going to take to examine me? Thankfully though their response was that they do not go by that guideline. They go by the fact of, well, guess what? It is going to take as …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Honourable Member. Minister Weeks, would you like your 20 minutes? Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Go right ahead, sir. COMBATING THE SCOURGE OF GUN VIOLENCE AND CRIME IN BERMUDA Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Mr. Speaker, today I stand before you with a heavy heart. As we continue to witness the devastating impact of gun violence and crime in our beloved community. A young mother, Mr. …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Michael A. Weeks: Let us be vigilant. Let us be proactive. And let us be relentless in our pursuit of a 1392 14 June 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly safer and a more secure Bermuda. Together we can make a difference. Together we can build …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Minister. MP Simmons -Wade, you have the floor. ADVANCED PREPARATIONS FOR AGE ING

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today wearing many hats. First, as an MP , also as a very, very proud senior. I stand here as a member of the Bermuda Hospitals Board. I also stand here as an advocate for seniors, as well as the administrator …

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead.

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade “Healthy aging is the continuous process of optimizing opportunities to maintain and improve physical and mental health, independence, and quality of life throughout [the life course].” Mr. Speaker, as you all know, in every session I take the opportunity to wish happy birthday to my seniors who are over the …

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade And most often it is the child that you do not want to live with who swears that you said, I want to live with you. [Laughter]

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade And also what happens, that same child is going to say, Mom said I could have her car. Mom said I can control the bank account. [Inaudible interjections] Bermuda House of Assembly Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade: Not too long ago I was speaking at a tea, and I was asking …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member I heard you. I heard everything.

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade Because if you love your children—

The Speaker The Speaker The hand is going. The hand is getting sore.

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade Oh, yes. [Inaudible interjections]

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade Mr. Speaker, I say this all the time: You love your children, you love your children equally, but you know which child who is going to have the patience to take care of you when you get older. [Inaudible interjections]

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons- Wade You also know which child is a spendthrift, who may be going through your money. So if you do not make the preparations, if you do not make the decision, someone is going to make those decisions for you.

The Speaker The Speaker Mm-hmm.

Mrs. Ianthia Simmons -Wade So, colleagues, and the listening audience, I encourage you to get your house in order and have that conversation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker The Speaker Very good. Very good. Does any other Member wish to make a contribution? Government Whip, Mr. Tyrrell.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you for the opportunity and privilege to speak on motion to adjourn. You need not even probably put the clock on because I am going to be very brief. 1394 14 June 2024 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly The Speaker: Oh, I …

The Speaker The Speaker Go ahead. MAIDEN SPEECH REBUTTAL

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell I am just going to address something very briefly. I am only sorry that only two of the Opposition Members are in their seats. But I will go on. Let me say a quote first. Something that I . . . my mother used to tell me, and I know …

The Speaker The Speaker Uh-huh.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Ooh! [Inaudible interjections]

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Mr. Speaker, I do not normally speak in code. I normally try to be straight to the point. [Inaudible interjection] [Laughter]

The Speaker The Speaker Well, speak to me. You will be all right. Speak to me.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell I am waiting. I am patient. As I said, I don’t normally speak in code but I try to be de-liberate about what it is that I say. I was given a heads -up that a certain Honourable Member was going to direct some of his comments on the floor …

The Speaker The Speaker It is the same advice I give to any Member who goes too far —

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell And I know that. And having been here long enough, Mr. Speaker —

The Speaker The Speaker Same advice. Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell: Having been here long enough I am—

Mr. Robert King I crave the indulgence, Mr. Speaker. He is misleading the House. Point of order . . . sorry.

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order?

Mr. Robert King Point of order.

The Speaker The Speaker Point of order. You would like to make a point of order. POINT OF ORDER [Misleading]

Mr. Robert King He is misleading the House. He was the person who made the threat towards me, talking about he is challenging me to a fight ; you and I are going to fight .

The Speaker The Speaker Ah! Ah! Ah! Wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

The Speaker The Speaker I am going to ask both of you Members . . . this is not going anywhere else but in my office. When this House finishes, both of you in my office, because I am not having this. I am not having it. Mr. Tyrrell, I am going to ask …

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My line is not going to change as of —

The Speaker The Speaker As long as you are not going down there, you are okay.

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell I am not going anywhere. Mr. Speaker, I know some of us . . . I know that it begets parliamentary privilege in what we say on the floor. And I understand that it should be balanced. It should be cautious. You should be factual and truthful at the same …

Mr. Neville S. Tyrrell I understand that people wish to make political points. It happens on both sides. So I will accept that, and I will leave it there. Bermuda House of Assembly I am going to cut out some of the things that I wanted to say, but I am going to end, …

The Speaker The Speaker Does any other Member wish to make a comment? MP Swan. HISTORICAL UNEQUAL PLAYING FIELD IN BERMUDA

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan Yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to start on this historic weekend that we are about to embark upon and join in the plea by the Minister of National Security for all of those citizens that we have in Bermuda, all the persons living in Bermuda to exercise caution …

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan L. F. Wade on the Mistress , every year with the late Colin Pearman. So, they, you know, were always out there in that race. So, it will not be uncommon, and I will mention it on Monday because he one of the sponsors that is going to contribute to …

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan But you know, Mr. Deputy Speaker, it is important that we capture all the history. Particularly, you cannot cherry -pick history sometimes. Do you know that if I today came to this House, peti-tioned for a bank charter, I would be told, Look Member, you have got a conflict. What …

Mr. Hubert (Kim) E. Swan A third of that vote was a Michael Dunkley vote. And I am here to tell you that there was no surprise to me that there was an Independent candidate. The name of the game of Bermuda politics since 1963 and the emergence of party politics introduced by the PLP …

The Deputy Speaker Deputy Speaker Thank you. Any further speakers? The Chair recognises the Honourable Member Zane De Silva. MAIDEN SPEECH REBUTTAL Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker . Mr. Deputy Speaker, I had to sit and listen with everyone else today to the speech given by the newest Member …

Some Hon. Members Some Hon. Members No. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: —because that is just parliamentary speak.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: Hey, look. We are going to fight later on. You watch when I get up and debate this thing.

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member I will meet you on the side. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: No. We ain’t talking about you are going to meet me outside . No, that is different. So, I hope when the Honourable Member returns to this House that he does not apologise to us as MPs …

The Speaker The Speaker Ah! Ah! Ah! I said I am dealing with that. I suggest you move on and do not go down that road. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: What? I am talking about something totally not to do with that, you know.

The Speaker The Speaker You mean the Member and I suggested — Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: No, no, no, no.

The Speaker The Speaker Okay. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: If you would let me finish with . . . Sorry, Mr. Speaker . If you let me finish, you will see what I am saying.

The Speaker The Speaker All right. Hon. Zane J. S. De Silva: What I am saying is that the Honourable Member just needs to learn the rules of the House. When he got up from his seat just a couple of minutes ago, he bowed to you, and he walked straight through the rope. …

The Speaker The Speaker Premier. Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker .

The Speaker The Speaker I am going to call on you at this time. MAIDEN SPEECH REBUTTAL Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Bible contains a book, the book of Proverbs, which gives wisdom. I will read two verses that hopefully will be a part of my contribution today. …

An Hon. Member An Hon. Member Yes. Hon. E. David Burt: And Mr. Speaker, fathers play an important role in this particular country. [Inaudible interjection] CELEBRATING NATIONAL HEROES DAY AND THE ROLE OF FATHERS Hon. E. David Burt: Fathers play an important role in this country, Mr. Speaker. And many of the men who sit in …

The Speaker The Speaker Thank you, Premier. Members, the House now stands adjourned until two Fridays from now. I trust that everybody will have a peaceful and enjoyable holiday weekend. And remember it is a [National ] Heroe s’ weekend. And all of us want to recognise that heroes be-come heroes for what they …

June 14, 2024

Session Summary

Key Topics

Bills & Motions

Notable Moments

Debate Transcript