Opposition MP John Barritt has again demanded to know why Government has failed to answer parliamentary questions about its municipalities review.

Responses were due on February 19 to three written queries posed by Mr. Barritt on February 10 — but they have yet to be given by Zane DeSilva, the Cabinet Minister responsible for overhauling the corporations of Hamilton and St. George.

Mr. Barritt told the House of Assembly on Friday: "I'm losing patience waiting for answers."

His questions — originally put to Health Minister Walter Roban, who was then in charge of the review — were to do with the review of the corporations announced by Government on January 22.

The UBP politician asked for:

• The names and addresses of all the private firms that responded to a RFP (request for proposal) from the Bermuda Government for an $800,000 contract to carry out reform of the municipalities.

• Details of each of the proposals received in response to the RFP, including estimated costs.

• Details of the proposal submitted by the successful bidders — local law firm Attride-Stirling & Woloniecki and US-based attorneys McKenna Long & Aldridge — including the services to be provided, the total number of estimated hours to complete the review and the applicable hourly rates.

Mr. Barritt said during Friday's motion to adjourn debate: "Is the Government embarrassed to answer them? Are you ashamed to answer them? What is $800,000 being spent on or proposed to be spent on?"

He suggested that if the $800,000 hadn't been spent yet, the review could be shelved and the cash used for something more worthwhile.

The Opposition spokesman on legislative and public administration reform said it was surely time for a progress report on the review, adding it was crucial that the public got value for money.

He said parliamentary questions on how taxpayers' dollars were being spent had previously uncovered information that had led to Police investigations, including into faith-based tourism and an alleged fraud at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.

Mr. Barritt told The Royal Gazette yesterday that he had spoken to the Speaker of the House about the lack of answers on a number of occasions and had written to him recently asking him to intervene.

"Still nothing," he said. "I cannot speak for the Speaker and what attempts his office has made but I expect that he is embarrassed and as frustrated as I am. It's just plain wrong of them to continue to hide behind a wall of silence and, in my humble view, they ought not to be allowed to."

Mr. DeSilva wrote in an e-mail last night: "I am off Island and as soon as I am able to review I will comment." Speaker Stanley Lowe could not be reached.

Mr. Barritt is also still waiting for answers to queries posed in February on the terms of the Coco Reef lease, as he reported in his View from the Hill column on Friday.

This newspaper's A Right To Know: Giving People Power campaign urges Government to be transparent about how public money is spent.