A referendum on gaming in the early months of this year was one of a string of high-profile pledges made in the last Throne Speech.

Delivered by Governor George Fergusson on November 8, the Speech outlined plans for everything from gambling to discounts on groceries to implementing SAGE Commission recommendations.

Gaming

Government said it had created a Gaming Committee that was “reviewing and analysing existing material on gaming”.

“The Government is committed to having a referendum on gaming in the first quarter of 2014,” the Speech said. “The referendum will be preceded by a substantive public information campaign.”

However, just five weeks later, then Premier Craig Cannonier said the referendum idea had been scrapped, and that Government would move ahead with gaming legislation.

“Gaming will be brought to the House of Assembly in the form of legislation where it will be either passed or rejected by vote,” he said. “We will allow our politicians to speak to the topic of gaming and let the decision there be made.”

Mr Cannonier claimed the Opposition had threatened to “undermine” the referendum process, despite previously stating they would be supportive.

The Progressive Labour Party denied this and then acting Opposition leader Derrick Burgess said they supported a referendum, going on to criticise the One Bermuda Alliance’s “complete disregard for the democratic process” and attempt to “shift the blame”.

Conscription

Last year’s Throne Speech included a promise to end conscription for the Bermuda Regiment.

Premier Michael Dunkley said in July that legislation to achieve this would be brought to the House of Assembly during the coming session, and that a considerable amount of planning to halt the practice had been carried out.

A phased end to conscription has been outlined, with the last ballot for recruits in 2015 for Recruit Camp in 2016 and a completion of services for those soldiers in 2019.

“Achieving the number of volunteers required to maintain ‘fitness for role’ capability will take some investment in enlistment and retention, as well as in advertising and recruiting,” Mr Dunkley said in July.

Jail terms

A pledge to amend the Criminal Code to enable a judge to set the minimum amount of time in jail that must be served before a prisoner can be released also featured in the last Throne Speech.

The move followed a ruling by the Privy Council in October last year stating that the maximum term someone convicted of premeditated murder should serve before being considered for release was 25 years, affecting the jail terms of several convicted killers in Bermuda.

The Speech noted the “disquiet in the community” caused by this decision and “concern about the efficacy of the criminal justice system in relation to serious offences”.

Legislation was passed soon after in March in the House of Assembly giving judges greater flexibility to sentence murderers.

Also on crime, Government highlighted in the last Throne Speech a previous promise to implement a “cash back for communities” programme that would involve the proceeds of crime being invested in neighbourhoods most affected by violence and antisocial behaviour.

Anti-gang initiatives

A pledge was made to allocate funding to Team Street Safe, an anti-gang mediation programme, and Focus Counselling and Family Centre.

As part of this, more than $200,000 in criminal proceeds was handed out to community projects yesterday.

Marijuana

The last Throne Speech stated that “Government will produce a public consultation paper on the decriminalisation of marijuana and an examination of its wider uses”.

Mr Dunkley announced in May that the Government had no plans to legalise the drug because “it is wrong to yield to a more permissive attitude socially without due regard to the social, economic and health consequences”.

But under planned reforms of cannabis laws, he said, police could be allowed to give on-the-spot cautions to offenders caught with small amounts of the drugs intended for personal use.

The Premier spoke during a House of Assembly debate on the findings of the Cannabis Reform Collaborative — an independent advisory group that spent months reviewing the Island’s cannabis laws.

Their 137-page report included recommendations such as making cannabis immediately available for medicinal use, the decriminalisation of possession for personal use and the eventual legalisation of cannabis.

Debate following the report included Opposition leader Marc Bean’s famous revelation that he gave his three-year-old daughter “ganja tea” to treat her asthma.

The rest

Other pledges of last year’s Throne Speech included MarketPlace, Supermart and Lindo’s offering 10 per cent discounts on Wednesdays, and mandatory ID checks for bars and nightclubs to require proof of age before serving alcohol. It was also announced that wine and spirits would be sold on Sundays.

SAGE recommendations were to be put in place and legislation amended to strengthen debt collection and enforcement methods, with Government saying it was owed $70 million in unpaid taxes.

The regulation of energy was to move to the Regulatory Authority, which will aim to cut energy costs for consumers.

Pathways to Bermuda status for persons born in Bermuda or those adopted by Bermudian parents would be made to ensure the Island conformed to the European Convention on Human Rights.

A Good Samaritan Act was to be introduced to provide legal protection to those who donated food to people in need, while a Vulnerable Persons Act would be put forward for those with disabilities or cognitive disorders between the ages of 19 and 64.

The Senior Abuse Register Act would be strengthened and amendments would be made to introduce controls on the entry of new, high-cost health technology.

Parole responsibilities were to be shifted from Court Services to Corrections, while failure to pay child support would move from prison sentences to “more creative solutions”.

A National Sports Policy was to be developed, while a National Gender Policy would establish a framework for including gender perspectives in all activities of Government and society.

A White Paper was to be tabled on Inclusive and Special Education, setting out a plan to meet the needs of all students, including gifted and those needing extra support.

Alexandra Battery, Gates Fort and the Ferry Reach Martello tower were to be renovated, and a temporary jobs programme created to bring the St George’s Golf Course back up to a playable level.

Work was also expected to conclude on the Exclusive Economic Zone around Bermuda.