Premier Dr. Ewart Brown promised that the hallmark of his new administration will be action, and he did not disappoint on Monday when he unveiled a sweeping reorganisation of the Cabinet.

While the Opposition claimed that little had changed, the reality was that the reorganisation of portfolios was quite dramatic.

The gargantuan — by Bermuda standards — Home Affairs Ministry was split up, as was the big-spending Health and Family Services Ministry, with the Family Services going to the new Ministry of Social Rehabilitation, which although it sounds like something dreamed up by unreformed Maoists, seems to make some sense.

Reducing the sizes of these two Ministries makes sense. The public safety aspect of Home Affairs — which once fell under the aegis of the Minister of Delegated Affairs — never sat that well with Labour and Immigration and spinning it off makes sense.

The challenges facing the Minister of Health and Family Services were enormous, and clearly overwhelmed Patrice Minors, the last holder of the post. Allowing one Minister to deal with the delivery of health services and the construction of the hospital while another tackles social questions concerning children, dysfunctional families, substance abuse and an ageing population is wise. There will inevitably be crossover between the two Ministries, and much will depend on the ability of Dale Butler and Nelson Bascome to work well together.

Some of the combinations of Ministries are less happy and should be rethought in time. Putting one Minister in charge of Environment and Telecommunications seems nonsensical, and has all the hallmarks of an effort to give Neletha Butterfield more work.

Similarly, Housing and Public Safety do not have any obvious synergies, apart from Sen. David Burch’s recent experience in housing, and his deep interest in the Regiment and law and order. Sen. Burch’s recent and very public spat with the Regiment over the appointment of its Commanding Officer will also cause some discomfort.

As some Ministers got more work, one of Dr. Brown’s avowed intentions, it is surprising that Wayne Perinchief, who lost the short-lived Drugs Control Ministry, will have even less to do with the Community and Cultural Affairs. This appears to be a poor fit for the ex-Policeman and, having risked his career in backing Dr. Brown, he must be wondering if it was worth it.

Dr. Brown’s decision to continue to run the Tourism and Transport portfolios may make sense in the short term as he finishes ongoing projects. But, even with his famous energy, it would be unwise for him to continue with them for too long. While it is true that Sir David Gibbons and, more recently, Dame Jennifer Smith held portfolios while they were Premiers, the increased size of government and the problems of balancing different demands from different Ministries would make it difficult for anyone to hold so many jobs at once.

Because Dr. Brown has appointed a reasonably small Cabinet, it should be possible to hand out more portfolios over time.

The changes Dr. Brown has introduced will also require some adjustments, and there will no doubt be teething problems as civil servants get moved around and the structure of Government is reorganised to match the new Cabinet responsibilities.

On that note, it is unfortunate that Cabinet Secretary John Drinkwater has chosen to resign, since his experience would be invaluable in the reorganisation. It is to be hoped that other senior civil servants do not follow his lead.