Minister of Works and Engineering Derrick Burgess said the cost of the new Police/Court building is "fully justified" despite going over budget by more than $20 million.

Mr. Burgess was speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday during his Ministry's budget debate and he said the Hamilton complex was originally due to cost $71 million, but that number rose to $74 million, then to $79 million and now the cost had escalated to $91.3 million.

"Honourable Members will know that the Ministry of Works and Engineering has nothing to hide with respect to the construction project. We are satisfied that it is well managed and that the allocated funding is being expended prudently and effectively.

"We are satisfied that the increase in the cost of the new facility is fully justified. There is no wastage of public funds or mismanagement here, the bleating of a few remaining naysayers notwithstanding," Mr. Burgess said.

But Shadow Works and Engineering Minister Pat Gordon-Pamplin said she did not accept the Minister's explanation and said there were changes in the building codes and errors in the plans. Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said: "That's not enough. The Minister entered that some of the development costs were as a result of unforeseen conditions, errors in the drawings and changes in planning. Now when I check about the building codes (they said) there has been no significant changes in building code recommendations. I admonish the Government to be careful with things like that."

Mr. Burgess said the complex was one of the "largest in the history of Government".

"Following the widest possible scrutiny, including being subject of a Special Report of the Auditor General, following the most intensive media scrutiny imaginable, the project is now making excellent progress.

"Early next year, this handsome new structure on Church, Court and Victoria Street will have its official opening, changing the face of this part of Hamilton dramatically and magnificently.

"Members of this Honourable House will recall the regrettable negativity that existed in some quarters of the community concerning the construction project, negativity that was more often than enough based upon malice and misinformation.

"Happily, that negativity seems to have all but disappeared. Instead, the people of Bermuda, including most of the news media, are focusing upon the obvious and extraordinary progress that is being made at the site."

Previously, Mr. Burgess has said that the rise in costs is due to unforeseen ground conditions, changes of the building code, a larger generator, tenants, a local design team, building permit fees and having an owner's representative on the site. In addition, the project has been delayed costing more money.

Problems have included contractors being forced to rip out an elevator core because it was founded on sand and an old water tank filled with dirt. A computer modelling analysis showed the uneven pressures would have caused the elevator shaft to lean and would have damaged the floors if not corrected.

Mr. Burgess said the North Building will house five Magistrates' Courts plus offices. Government offices for the Ministry of Energy, Telecommunications and E-Commerce and Ministry of Environment and Sports will also be located there.

The South Building will house the Department of Court Services and other Court/Police premises, as well as the Ministry of Culture and Social Rehabilitation and the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.