Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards yesterday accused Paula Cox of trying to dodge responsibility for $10 million in cost overruns at the Transport Control Department.

"The fact is the Bermuda Constitution makes the Finance Minister ultimately responsible for the public purse and the buck, therefore, should stop there," said Mr. Richards.

In a report by Auditor General Heather Matthews, it was said that costs for three safety and emissions testing centres rose from $5 million to $15 million.

While the Ministry of Works and Engineering usually takes responsibility for large capital projects, the Ministry of Tourism and Transport was given responsibility in this case.

In a statement released on Thursday, Finance Minister Paula Cox said: "Clearly the Office of the Auditor General's (OAG) recommendations highlight areas of improvement to further improve value for money from a governance and Government perspective.

"We have an identity of interest, as the Ministry of Finance also considers this to be a serious issue."

Mr. Richards agreed that oversight responsibility can be passed to the Department of Tourism and Transport through a footnote in the Estimates of Reviews and Expenditures, a Finance Ministry document, but added: "Finance let that happen. The result has been a series of financial disasters.

"The Minister speaks of reviewing the regime for tendering public projects. There's nothing wrong with the regime.

"There's plenty wrong if politicians, aided and abetted by civil servants, deliberately set out to circumvent existing procedures whose sole objective is to ensure fairness, transparency, and value for money.

"The Minister's statement is a weak response to failures that have cost the public purse dearly. Bermuda needs to know where the buck stops, who's going to stop it, and how."

The Auditor General said she was encouraged with Ms Cox's statement that sanctions against those who do not comply with regulations will be strengthened.

"However, I do expect that these sanctions and penalties will be enforced with immediate effect and retroactively," she added.