The Premier said he wanted to end controversy over the appointment of consultants and advisers to ministers as he tabled legal amendments in the House of Assembly Friday.

David Burt said the Government will be required to publish all appointments and their salaries every year under changes to the Premier and Opposition Leaders Personal Staffs Act.

The Premier told MPs: “In an era when phrases like openness and transparency are used more as weapons than genuine encouragement of best practice, this government has determined to demystify the appointments and terms of service of those men and women who bring to bear their talent and expertise in support of ministers and their policy objectives.

“The Act will see an end to the ‘gotcha’ nature of ministerial appointments by requiring the annual publication of all such appointments with details of remuneration to be tabled in this Honourable House.”

Mr Burt said the amendments were in line with the ministerial Code of Conduct.

He added: “This government is providing the initiative required to move our political discourse beyond the small politics that so often distract us from the very important issues of true significance to the people of Bermuda.

“Bermuda is a complex society with a delicate economy and is facing equally complex issues around economic diversification, social change and building a fairer society.

“We must ensure that ministers of this and future governments can call upon the expertise and support required to properly discharge their responsibilities as demanded by the modern era of public service.”

The amendments also changed the name of the legislation to the Premier, Ministers and Opposition Leader Personal Staffs Act.

He said the Act would also allow the creation of a ministerial private office to remove some of the burden on permanent secretaries.

• To read David Burt’s statement in full, click on the PDF under “Related Media”