A law moving National Heroes' Day to June was passed yesterday although it it will not be named after anyone this year.

Last year, Government created a national holiday in October dubbed by many as the PGA Grand Slam holiday as it coincided with the first day of the golf event to celebrate Bermuda's national heroes. It meant the traditional June 15 holiday, the Queen's Birthday, would be scrapped this year.

The decision to move National Heroes' Day to June was announced last month by Cultural Affairs Minister Dale Butler, after a series of community consultation meetings.

Yesterday he kicked off debate in the House of Assembly on the Public Holidays Amendment (No. 2) Act 2009 the legislation that needs to be passed before the date can be changed.

"It is critical that we recognise National Heroes' Day. Most countries recognise people who go above and beyond their duty, who go the extra mile," said the Minister.

"But the people said this (an October holiday) is not working out for us. The Government listened to the feedback that we received and changed our mind," he added.

Mr. Butler said although Government could name someone immediately, it was never intended that a person would be named as a National Hero every year and said the UBP had called for criteria to be drawn up to establish who could qualify, which would take time to draft.

Bermuda celebrates its 400th anniversary this year and Mr. Butler added: "Personally I would name someone this year, especially given the significance of the year, but we will have the criteria first which could take years."

During the debate, UBP MPs said they supported the move to June 15, but criticised Government for not listening to the people before deciding on a day in October.

John Barritt, Shadow Minister for Legislative and Public Administrative Reform, said: "We were supportive right from the get-go for a National Heroes' Day, but there were concerns from this side and the community about October.

"We do not recall a great deal of consultation in the community about a holiday in October. That is the lesson. It highlights the need for greater consultation. We did not understand why we were abandoning a traditional mid-summer holiday other than to abandon the Queen's Birthday holiday," he added.

Shadow Works and Engineering Minister Patricia Gordon Pamplin repeated that the UBP supported the concept of a National Heroes' Day, but that the timing was not right.

"When Government members say 'they listened' had they done the consultation first, we would not have this debacle today," she added.

Walter Roban, Junior Minister for Labour, Home Affairs and Housing, said the fact that Government had listened to the community and acted on the feedback was "an example of how democracy works".

And Michael Scott, Junior Minister for Justice, congratulated Mr. Butler for listening to his colleagues and the community. "We can be sure that the people in the community are deeply appreciative of this effort," he said.

Terry Lister, Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and E-commerce, said: "I am pleased that we have a Minister who is prepared to listen. The people have been heard and the Minister has listened."

The Tall Ships are due in Bermuda as part of the 400th anniversary celebrations and are due to leave on June 15. Mr. Lister added: "With the Tall Ships leaving, June 15 will be a glorious day."

In moving the Bill for the National Heroes' Day be passed, Mr. Butler told MPs: "It is a foundation for raising a sense of national pride, recognising the contribution of other people."

He said they had sacrificed time with their families for their country. "They have given so much," he said.

Referring to the public feedback for a date change, Mr. Butler said: "You learn from your mistakes and have to move on. I'm also happy, as the Opposition Leader is happy, for Bermuda that in light of this, change has taken place."

The amended clauses to the Bill yesterday moved the public holiday from the second Monday in October to the third Monday in June.

The Minister said: "This is a holiday for everybody, with the parade the Saturday before and the holiday on the Monday.

"The process of picking a second national hero, we will get the criteria done and get it debated."

There were no objections as Mr. Butler moved the Bill to its third reading and the Public Holidays Amendment (No. 2) Act 2009 was passed.

n Further reports from the House of Assembly will appear in Tuesday's Royal Gazette.