Members
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The Hon E. David Burt, JP, MP

The Hon E. David Burt, JP, MP

952
Speeches
126,382
Words Spoken
99
Sittings Active
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
55 words
Thank you very much, Madam Chairman. Madam Chairman, I just have a quick questions on section . . . If we are in clause 8, if we are on clause 8(1), where it speaks about “Any person who seeks employment as an officer or employee of the Authority who has, directly or” — [Inaudible interjection]
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
397 words
[Clause] 8(1). “Any person who seeks employment as an officer or employee of the Authority who has, directly or indirectly, by himself or with his business or other partner, entered into any contract with, for or on behalf of the Authority, shall make a declaration of such con-tract as a matter as the Board may determine in its rules.” And …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
75 words
Thank you very much, Madam Chairman. I do believe that the Whip has submitted an amendment to the table. And I would like to officially move that amendment. The amendment is the Amendment to the Bermuda Tourism [Authority] Act 1913, and it is mov-ing to amend clause 13, the interest register. And the amendment reads, “to delete the words from …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
89 words
Well, Madam Chairman, I think that we have heard the arguments on this side. We know that the register of interest, for instance, for the Members of the House of Assembly is published online. We k now that many people publish their registers of interest online. And I just think that it does not make sense for, in a digital …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
175 words
Thank you, Madam Chairman. Madam Chairman, I am on clause 27(8). And I am looking at [where] it says, “The annual estimates approved for purposes of the Board in respect of the financial year in which this Act comes into operation shall be deemed to be annual estimates of the Author-ity for the remainder of the financial year, but those …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
59 words
And what I would say is, just as a follow -up, Madam Chairman, I would like to support the recommendations of the Independent Member and the member of the Public Accounts Committee, and hoping that the Minister will take that on board, as they seem to be minor, cosmetic changes which hope fully can make this legislation work better.
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
261 words
Thank you, Madam Chairman. I thank the Minister for his answer. I was not in the Chamber, but I did hear him from the Gallery. If the Minister could please clarify his answer for clause 27(8). I just want to be absolutely and cry stal clear. Because, of course, it says “the Board” in this clause, means the Board established …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
86 words
However, the clause that we are speaking to speaks of “the annual estimates approved for the purposes of the Board in respect of the finan-cial year in which this Act comes into operation . . .” And I am just asking if the Minister can confirm how much that was. He does say that does not belong to the Department …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
209 words
Just real quick, Madam Chairman. So, would it be safe to assume that the Mini ster, that his date for transition is going most likely to be in coming into operation of the Tourism Authority a date that will be April 1 st? The reason why I pick that is because, clearly, the money for the Department of Tourism is …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
140 words
Madam Chairman, just as a clarif ication, and I thank the Minister for answering the question, because I do not believe in his spirited r esponse in the general debate he addressed that par-ticular issue. And that particular issue is that he is abolishing the Department of Tourism. However, there are the six positions in hotel administration. Is he also …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
18 words
Madam Chairman, just a point of order, a question. Do you not have to go through the Schedules?
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
12 words
No problem. Hon. Shawn G. Crockwell: Madam Chairman, I move the Schedules.
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
189 words
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, allow me to start by saying that I do not believe that I, or anyone on this side of the House, considers international business as the big bad wolf. I hope that no one on that side of the House [does]. And I sincerely hope that nobody in Bermuda considers international business …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
7 words
—because they are specific issues on Committee.
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
372 words
But I do want to say this: I think it was very telling when the Minister of Finance said that the rot is still going on. When we have heard that their election, their change of policies will stop the rot, [they] will bring the country back. We are hearing [about the] turnaround. We are hearing the things . . …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
28 words
Now, Mr. Speaker, I have a few questions, right at the top, for the Minister, and I hope that he can answer them when he gives his response.
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
490 words
That is it. So I think that that, Mr. Speaker, is definitely a challenge. I do not understand why the Minister feels the need to add that in. So I am hoping that he can elaborate on that, because it does not make any sense. We have already had a number of companies that have qualified for this, and I …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
990 words
Yes, exactly. Sorry. Now, the Minister has the power to vary this number, as we see in the guidelines that are currently in existence. So what is the reason for lowering the threshold? I do believe, as the Shadow Minister of Home Affairs said, it sends the wrong message. We want companies that are committed to Bermudians. We want them …
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
43 words
What happens, Mr. Speaker, when ABIR says their members do not feel welcome with House of Assembly the PRC and they are going to leave and go to anot her company because we will not give them citizenship? What happens then? [Inaudible interjection]
27 Sep 2017 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report
596 words
What happens then? And I think that this was the point that the Honourable Member from constituency 17 was making. It is the thing about we can continue to give and continue to give and continue to give. And I have this challenge, Mr. Speaker, because we know that there have been some people that have said that PRCs are …