Spending more than $1 million on an official residence for the Premier, and all future Premiers of Bermuda, brought a taxing time for MPs in the House.

Why was it costing so much to renovate a suitable residence for the Premier, and why so soon after expense was lavished on The Laurels residence for former Premier Dame Jennifer Smith?

Well, for one thing there is a need to built a security hut at the entrance to the Premier's new home Clifton. As Premier Alex Scott himself said, in a moment of light relief during the debate: "If anything happens to me you'll be sorry."

And fresh from a House of Assembly debate on the fate of the Bermuda Homes for People project the question was asked why the "Bermuda Homes for the Premier" projects have succeeded twice without a problem.

Shadow Minister of Works and Engineering Pamela Gordon-Pamplin put a forceful case for answers as to why the Government has now spent large amounts of money on two official residences in short succession.

She wanted to know why, in light of the concerns for the plight of the homeless and the challenge of affordable housing on the Island, a project that she'd been told previously would cost less than $100,000 was now going to cost 15 times as much.

After the Government had concluded that the Clifton building was unacceptable for further usage without major renovation, she said: "Ministry staff went in and replaced windows and carried out demolition work inside to prevent further deterioration and then brought in a quantity surveyor and an architect to have a look.

"It would seem to me that somehow that's putting the cart before the horse. You build from the foundation first. You don't put on the roof and then decide that the foundation needs to be shored up. The cost starts to escalate when there is not a plan in place and very clearly from the cost of these renovations there was no plan in place."

She then rounded on Premier Mr. Scott who, as an aside, had tossed into the debate the $400,000 spent on renovations to Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin's sister Dame Pamela Gordon's residence when she was Premier.

The cost to renovate Tamarind Vale was $200,000, asserted Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin.

"The Premier, when he was Works and Engineering Minister, stood on the floor of this House and said $200,000 was spend on this residence at Tamarind Vale to help renovate it for the former Premier. Somehow that $200,000 has escalated by embellishment to $400,000 today," she said.

"If the Premier is saying $400,000 is the right figure then maybe his mathematics in regard to this project equates with his mathematics on the difference between $121 million and $71 million on another project.

If $400,000 is the figure that information should be put in the public domain with supporting information."

She continued: "It's irresponsible to throw out a number three of four years after the fact that had no bearing on what the actual number is and expect the public to accept it. The only reason is to justify the investment going into this property and throw up a smoke and mirror smokescreen so the public can be fooled by the inordinate expenditure and the haemorrhaging of the bank account this Government has adopted in respect of their management - or mismanagement - of capital projects."

But Minister without Portfolio Walter Lister was having none of it, he said the $400,000 cost for Tamarind Vale was fact and he went on to state that if Bermuda is indeed the world's wealthiest country then it was only right it should be able to spent $1 million fitting out a residence for it's Premier and all those in future who hold that office. He said: "It's low to try to dig this into the Premier for political advantage. I think the Premier deserves every penny that is going into that house. It's low to kick the Premier and his house about. She does not ask how much is spent on Government House because that does not gain her political advantage."

And he pointed out that no money had been wasted on the former Premier's residence at The Laurels as that property is now the home of Chief Justice Richard Grounds.

Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin interjected that she was not degrading the office of Premier by her questioning, but Mr. Lister continued his defence: "We felt in these days the Premier should live in a house and standard of living that is fitting for the office.

"A part of the cost of this, the real new thing, is the hut - the security hut that goes outside. The Premier must be secure. If we did not build this security hut we would be doing the Premier a great disservice."

Shadow Transport Minister Jamahl Simmons took up the debate, asking: "Why under this PLP Government has the Bermuda Homes for Premier projects succeeded twice if the Bermuda Homes of People project can't quite get there?

"The priorities of this Government seem to be more on providing comfort, more on providing luxury, more on providing trappings and baubles of power than housing the people of this country." In reply Mr. Lister said: "We are making every effort to provide housing for people in this country. It may take a little longer, but we are committed and keep working."