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Lauren Bell

Lauren Bell

400
Speeches
47,070
Words Spoken
42
Sittings Active
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
131 words
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to, as I normally do, try and find the positives when I stand up and speak about the work of the Government . And I learned that from a former S enator that I had the privilege of serving under. He was an independent S enator. He would start 1932 27 …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
184 words
I live in Devonshire. Repayment in full of the $605 million Senior Notes maturing in January 2027 —that is an extreme positive. I will not dwell on it too much because it has already been spoken about. And I really did not hear anybody mention this one, but I really believe it is a positive —the plan for the Ministry …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
7 words
You know, and as — [Inaudible interjection]
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
172 words
You know, it could always be a little more. No. Given the fact that our workforce is ageing, and having just become a senior myself ( so I am going to declare my interests ), I was pleased to see that the employer portion of payroll tax rates is to be exempted on the first $ 96,000 of remuneration for …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
57 words
Well, you know there is always a hook, right? There is a hook, and that hook is coming. Further customs duty changes to plug the gaps in some of the parts for motor vehicles and also con-struction. And I declare my interest . The company I work for is in the construction supply industry . [Inaudible interjection]
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
661 words
And, yes, I was consulted. Fourteen million dollars for [the] H ealth Insurance Department to fund the expansion of health services under Health Insurance Plan [HIP] and FutureC are—that is really great , because that , again, benefits our seniors to a large extent , and others. And that is the expansion. We will see free annual health examinations, expanded …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
94 words
Still am, still am. I am just bowling the googly now. “This Budget delivers the largest reduction in national debt in Bermuda's history . . .” In 1998, if I am correct, the budget deficit . . . or, not the deficit, the debt, national debt, was somewhere between $130 million and $140 million. And there is no way that …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
43 words
Now, Mr. Speaker, they want to claim credit for paying back the debt that they incurred. I want to call it the largest payment, but , yes, relative to what the payments had to be before, it is the largest. [Inaudible interjections ]
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
10 words
It is called drunken sailors and spending money like— [Crosstalk]
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
13 words
Two. Unemployment is at . . . Unemployment is at historic rates. [Crosstalk]
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
224 words
Unemployment is at historic rates. “One of the clearest signs that our economic policies are working is what we see in the labour market with unemployment at record lows. ” Now, I am not going to stand here and say jobs were not created. But I also am not going to stand here and not mention the fact that through …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
646 words
It is a fact, yes, because of your delinquent maintenance programmes. You failed to maintain anything to the extent that it was required, thereby shortening the lifespan of the asset. Now, with your indulgence, Mr. Speaker, I will take a look at the theme. The theme of this Budget [Statement] is: “Responsible choices —Lasting benefits for Bermudians. ” I think …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
44 words
No, you just had one of your guys stand up and say that we did not talk about anything good in the budget. So, we are talking about something that is good in the budget and complimenting a Minister for doing his job— [Crosstalk]
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
23 words
And complimenting a Minister for doing his job in a swift manner , something . . . something — [General uproar] [Gavel ]
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
16 words
—something that you would need, Minister Hayward, to teach your colleagues about —speed and response. [Crosstalk]
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
127 words
There w ere recent concerns, and this is just a warning. That’s all. This is something that we need to pay attention to as a country. Everyone in this Chamber . There was a recent downgrading of Bermuda's reinsurance industry outlook from positive to stable. And this hints towards the volatility, the potential volatility in corporate income tax receipts. I …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
209 words
Failed education reform. I do give the current Minister kudos for pulling the handbrake up and parking the reform bus while they decided what to do . . . $8.4 million spent on failed education reform. A moment of silence for the death of the dreams of a generation of kids and their parents because the mess called education in …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
145 words
Does this budget improve the lives and the well -being of the people who are struggling to live day to day , the people who are struggling to enjoy a quality of life after years of working ? They cannot afford to retire. They cannot afford to enjoy life, cannot afford the basics. Ratings do not buy groceries . They …
5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
1 words
Supplementary.
5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
347 words
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Madam Deputy Speaker, I want to thank the Minister for bringing this. It is a vital part of providing up-to-date information for the Government of the day. It is critical that they have that up- to-date information for shaping policy, allocating resources and also better understanding what is going on with the population of Bermuda …