The Ministry of Labour, Home Affairs and Housing has tightened its belt in some areas but is working hard to meet the needs of residents, according to Senator David Burch.

On Friday, Sen. Burch said funds would be used wisely, particularly in providing affordable rental units and helping families become home owners. He said the Department of Labour and Training would extend its opening hours, a one-stop career centre would be implemented there and the student summer employment programme would be extended.

The Ministry was allocated a total of $137.5 million in the Budget, compared to $137.2 million in 2008/9.

Sen. Burch highlighted some of the successes within his Ministries including the Police force being just 10 short of its full complement, increased interest in joining the Police recruits, the expansion of the Hustle Truck and the opening of the Perimeter Lane housing development.

In June the first tenants will move into the development, which is the first geared to income development the Government has created.

This year will also see the first interest-free loans from the Bermuda Housing Corporation dished out to qualified Bermudians wanting to become first-time home owners.

Opposition Senator Jeanne Atherden said she hoped money spent on the prison system was being used to rehabilitate inmates and help them gain skills for the real world.

She also questioned if enough energy was spent preventing contraband from entering the prisons.

The Senator added that it would helpful to have a regular up date on progress made by the Bermuda Housing Corporation so that people would know how construction is coming along and when the new housing would be available.

Government Senator Walton Brown pointed out that while the Ministry sets the budget for Police they have no control over the operations, which fall under the Governor's control.

He said: "We are in a situation where we are not able to do anything, we have no authority."

Debating the Police budget, Opposition Senator Michael Fahy said: "I congratulate the Minister (Sen. Burch) for being prudent with the Budget.

"He has followed most of all of the original and the revised figures for 2008-9. They are pretty close to his Budget.

"The Minister has taken the Minister of Finance's request to cut budgets by 10.5 percent on board."

Sen. Fahy then said that under the Constitution, the Minister was responsible for Police organisation, recruitment and training, equipment, finance and community relations, while the operational control was the responsibility of the Commissioner of Police.

"Therefore I'm a bit concerned when I hear 'We need more control of the Police' from Government," he said. "The buck stops with the Commissioner of Police and those who have budgeting control, and that is the Government."

Sen. Brown however, said: "For the Member to try and assert that somehow the buck doesn't stop with the Governor is to misrepresent reality."

Sen. Fahy said: "Senior Police officers have said because the Government has budget control they certainly have an opportunity to sit down with the Commissioner to discuss how that budget is allocated.

"So I do get concerned when I see comments such as 'Well, it's the Governor's fault'. "

He then said he was concerned at a cut in the budget for the Police Intelligence Division. In 2007-8 the actual budget was $4,278,000 and this was reduced to an original and revised budget in 2008-9 of $3,877,000. However, for 2009-10, this had been further reduced to $3,752,000 a drop of three percent.

"Crime is reduced through the use of intelligence but then we see a reduction in the Intelligence Division," he said.

Sen. Fahy said the budget for the Serious Crime Unit had also been reduced, from an original budget for 2008-9 of $2,363,000 and revised budget of $2, 423,000, to $1,542,000. This marked a fall of 35 percent.

"It's a concern to us when you see a reduction in the Serious Crime Unit, when we know serious crime in this country is at quite high levels. I think it's an important unit and I'm disappointed in this reduction."

He also pointed out a "minor reduction" in the Roads Policing Units, from an original and revised budget of $1,858,000 in 2008-9 to $1,841,000 for 2008-9.

While he commended a greater Police presence on the roads recently, Sen. Fahy said more officers were needed.

"If that's going to be maintained to change the culture of driving in this country, people have to be caught and get fined," he said.

Sen. Fahy also criticised the expenditure on the new court/Police building. He said the new budget of $78,000,000 was "quite a significant bust" on the original estimate.

"We need to keep a very close eye on these costs," he said. "I still have grave concerns as to who is behind this project. We have yet to hear who is behind the Trust.

"It's incumbent on this Government to tell us, we the people would like to know who is the Trust who are the beneficiaries behind the Trust. It's important to get rid of all the rumours and hearsay.

"I am not making insinuations but it's important if we're awarding significant amounts of money, $78 million it's a lot of money. And we are not getting answers. What's the problem? Let's get it out there who is behind it, get it out.

"Just tell us and then the whole problem goes away, I hope."

Sen. Fahy said: "We have a Trust that is set up with beneficiaries. With most trusts you don't know who those beneficiaries are, but when there is public money involved, with $78 million, we shouldn't even be giving contracts to people we don't know behind a trust."

Independent Senator Joan Dillas-Wright asked whether the fall in the Reserve Police, of 85 officers below complement, was part of a "long-standing trend".

She said she also wanted to know whether there were specific programmes in place with the psychologists within the Department of Corrections to help rehabilitate sex offenders.

Opposition Senate Leader Michael Dunkley said he felt there was still "a good deal of room for improvement" in the Police and Department of Corrections budgets.

'We are talking about a significant amount of money but it's important because it's the health and fabric of our community," he said.

But he added: "Let me give kudos to the Minister (Sen. Burch). I also support the regular updates (on policing) to the Senate by the Minister."

Sen. Dunkley however said he wanted to see more money put aside for combating drugs on the Island.

"Drugs are the scourge of our community," he said. "It is impacting every family now and has a destructive grip on many members of our community."

He said people also wanted to see more officers on the streets.

"There has been an increase but I'm still not comfortable with it because we still see road rage on the roads."

Sen. Dunkley said that with a Police budget set at almost $61 million, "Bermudians expect results".

He said that unless rising crime was tackled head-on, international business and tourism the two major pillars of the economy, would crumble.

"The most important thing that travels quickly is concern about security in the community," he said.

"Business won't stay if they are not comfortable and our visitors won't come here unless they feel they are safe and secure."

Sen. Dunkley then spoke on the Department of Corrections, and said he was concerned that prison officers were not receiving adequate protection.

"Are the officers at Westgate afforded the security they need to do their job or do they just have their extended baton?"

He added: "The Commissioner did admit there were some blind spots in cameras and we need to look at getting more equipment or getting rid of these blind spots.

"But I don't see anything for Capital Acquisitions, such as for improving the lighting and cameras."

In the eight minutes left in the Senate debate on the Police budget, Public Safety Minister Sen. Burch said: "Many of the questions today were answered in the (Budget) presentation and it makes me wonder if people were actually listening.

"No matter how you slice it and how hard you try, the Government of Bermuda does not have responsibility for operational policing."

Among his answers to the Opposition's questions, Sen. Burch said the increase in the Human Resources budget of $1,302,000 on last year was due to officers being awarded a housing allowance.

He said the Police reserves being understrength was "a traditional thing". "People are not volunteering generally in this country across the board," he said.

Regarding sex offender programmes, Sen. Burch said: "They do exist within the system, they are not mandatory but like the other programmes they are mandatory for consideration of parole."