transport Tourism Minister David Dodwell claimed the Transport 2000 document was a good one.

"It's all about change and it recognises that we are going to have to have a major shift in our thinking if we are going to get that change,'' he said.

"We have got to recognise that the customer comes first and we have to try to manage customer expectations.

"I think we have a very dedicated minister and former minister -- they are people with conviction and they have gone out and got the contribution and participation. Transport 2000 in my view is going to take us forward into the next century with this Government leading the way.'' The PLP's Derrick Burgess then repeated his party's criticism of the plan.

He blasted the Government for not considering bus workers who, he said, could lose their jobs if part of the service was privatised.

"They are talking about privatisation when they talk about having a separate school bus system,'' he said.

"They have to consider what impact that is going to have on the employees of the bus service who do such a wonderful job.'' He also came to the defence of the taxi industry, claiming it had been "battered, beaten and stamped on'' by the Government.

"This Government is not concerned about the income of taxi drivers,'' he said.

"They have had two increases in 14 years -- they treat taxi drivers with total disrespect.'' He also suggested that taxi drivers should be able to get rebates on fuel and spare parts.

Former Cabinet member Quinton Edness highlighted his concerns for road safety and how driver attitudes had to change if the roads were to become safer.

"Punishment has had little impact so we can't continue to increase penalties,'' he said.

"We have to encourage courtesy and safe driving and this report goes a long way in contributing to how that can happen.'' He also argued that engineering strategies could reduce speeding on the roads.

Defending the Government's track record on the taxi industry he said: "We have had a lot of ups and downs and problems with the industry for some years but I know the Minister and previous Minister want to foster a better relationship with taxi drivers.

"These men and women do a first class job -- they are wonderful ambassadors and they deserve a better deal. We are fortunate that we still have a lot of first class people in that industry.'' Mr. Edness went on to say that people needed to be encouraged to use public transport.

And answering Mr. Burgess's concerns over privatisation he said: "The honourable member should know that if we set up an authority that's going to improve and get us to a place where we can better handle and deal with problems of that service.

"If you are going to set up a private organisation you are going to make an effort to ensure that people already in transport are going to work in the new organisation.'' Shadow Tourism Minister David Allen expressed visitor concerns over traffic.

"If you look at the surveys there's no question our visitors feel increasingly threatened on our roads,'' he said.

He went on to say that the PLP had continually put forward proposals to control traffic congestion.

"I can remember articulating a policy that we needed to increase parking facilities at the ferry terminals in the early 1980s,'' he said.

"I didn't realise how far-sighted I was. We hoped that the UBP Government would debate this policy but I didn't realise we would have to wait 18 years to hear the Government consider these proposals.'' He also questioned the value of setting up an independent airport authority and laughed at claims by Mr. Dodwell that the airport was "the envy of the world''.

"There are many banana republics that have better facilities,'' he said.

"You talk about new facilities for the taxi drivers to relax in but my concern is that the taxi drivers may have to sit there all day because there's no business.'' Pembroke East Central MP Stanley Morton , the PLP's spokesman on Housing, blamed criminal behaviour on poverty.

Claiming that drug pushers showed a certain aptitude for business he said: "If they feel that they can't get into the upper levels of international business because they are not qualified they are going to take the low road.

"In order to fight that we have to seek ways and means of how we can operate on people.

"The Union needs to get involved in business on Front Street because they will be in a position to train people on the welfare and problems that a number of people suffer from. I don't think employers and owners of businesses understand or have the time to empathise with people and I think the Union can train people to negotiate.

"We talk about a per capita income of $36,000 so is there any justification that we should have poverty rampant in our society? We wonder why people behave the way they do. There's a lot of stress in this country and we need to do something about it and we should empower people -- in the US they have profit sharing.

"There are many ways to make this country better. It may be good but never rest until your good is better and your better is the best.'' He then blasted the Government for pulling down houses while people were struggling to find affordable accommodation.

Mr. Allen continued the theme of lawlessness, blaming the fact that in many families both parents had to work full time in order to make ends meet, leaving children unattended and open to "negative influences''.

And he said he was shocked to hear that a tourism company had set up a charter flight to Holland, which has relaxed drug legislation.

"There was an intimation that there was an attempt to export Bermudians to Amsterdam to sample some dodgy culture -- I have a concern that that kind of role model can be used,'' he said.

New Public Safety Minister Maxwell Burgess defended Government's decision to demolish US Navy houses, claiming the properties were "second rate and second class''.

"We have set a standard and we are going to maintain that standard,'' he said.

But the Opposition's Renee Webb claimed she had inspected the properties herself and argued they would be cheaper to upgrade than demolish.

Mr. Dodwell said the PLP had become arrogant and "showed a disdain for the people of this country''.

He challenged the PLP to tell the Island what they were going to do and how they were going to pay for it.