Measures to improve education and public health, solve the long term residents issue, and the new City of Hamilton Plan were among the ruling party's achievements during the parliamentary session which ended Wednesday.

"Our path has not strayed from that set in November 1998 and the initiatives highlighted today, which represent some of the legislation enacted in this session will help rekindle hope, heal any remaining divisions, replace apathy and alienation and bring a feeling of unity to the people of Bermuda.

"A feeling that will not be dissipated by our partisan feelings as expressed during the next two days as we celebrate the annual Cup Match," Premier Jennifer Smith said in an address to her House colleagues Wednesday morning.

"I believe that the true character of any country is measured by its efforts to educate its young people and care for its elderly," she said noting that the Island was about to have its "first ever" national standards for education. We recognise that at this stage these standards are just goals to be achieved. It will fall to our schools and our teachers to encourage fulfilment of these goals," Ms Smith continued. "Just as we are establishing standards for schools and students - so too will our teachers establish standards for themselves.

"The Educators' Council Act 2002 was introduced to provide for the licensing of principals, teachers and paraprofessionals through the establishment of an independent Council, which will create and maintain a register of licensed teachers."

Ms Smith went on to say that "good progress" was being made by the school literacy initiative and that health and safety in the public schools was being addressed by installing fire-rated doors and windows.

Another highlight of the session, she pointed out, was a bill which restructured the National Training Board, approving pensions increases and reducing land tax payments for seniors.

"All of us seniors as well as young people can take comfort from knowing that automatic external defibrillators have been placed at strategic locations throughout the Island as a result of the Health Amendment Act 2002," the Premier continued.

"Following a lengthy and highly valuable public consultation exercise, the passage of the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Amendment Act 2002 is a fulfilment of our promise to give effect to the provisions of the White Paper on Long-Term Residents."

The Premier said that the recent bill which allowed for random drug testing of prisoners was just the beginning of changes to the penal system.

And she noted that the recently established Bermuda Sports Hall of Fame was another fulfilled promise of her Government - "to honour the contributions of athletes who provide positive role models for our young people".

Ms Smith reminded the House that Government gave a year's worth of payroll tax relief to small businesses hit hard by the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Progress was made in technology too, she said, with a program to allow payroll taxes to be filed on the Internet, adding there is a scheme "to give official authorisation to the providers of digital certification services".

On the environment, Ms Smith cited the Historic Wrecks Act 2002 which laid out a new regime for the preservation of Bermuda's wrecks and led to Bermuda's recognition as "the first country in the world to adopt the UNESCO Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage".

"In addition, to maintain and improve air quality, we have enacted legislation to ensure that all vehicles imported into Bermuda meet approved emission standards."

And she lauded the new City of Hamilton Plan, approved last month, as "the first plan to incorporate a strategy for managing traffic circulation and parking throughout the city".

"While on the topic of traffic, I should mention that the National Transportation Management Report was made available for the public's consideration. Legislation making it mandatory to wear a seat belt while riding in a motorised vehicle has been passed and in September a public campaign illustrating the importance of wearing seat belts will commence."

The Premier added that her Government had also introduced a number of measures to improve the Island's competitiveness as a business environment.

"None of these achievements would have been possible without an accountable and responsive Civil Service," she said. "The new Code embodies the core values that underpin the Bermuda Civil Service - impartiality, fairness and the desire to deliver excellent service to all."