In March, the One Bermuda Alliance submitted formal questions in the House of Assembly concerning the creation of the Office of the Public Guardian. This was promised long ago.

The OBA’s goal was simple: to get clarity from the Government on how public money has been spent on this project and why Bermuda still has no functioning Public Guardian to protect vulnerable residents.

It has been publicly reported that former PLP MP Ianthia Simmons-Wade was paid $60,000 in 2022-23 for her work in relation to the Office of the Public Guardian. To be clear, my questions in Parliament were not about the former MP per se. My questions were about the lack of reported progress on a critical service the country needs. Simply put, the OBA believes there must be accountability on how taxpayers’ money is being spent.

In response, the Government confirmed that Mrs Simmons-Wade was hired as a consultant through a sole‑source procurement process. I stand to be corrected but sole sourcing is meant to be rare. Sole sourcing is used primarily when no other qualified providers exist or when an urgent situation demands immediate action. Since the Government has failed to offer any explanation why a sole source exception was justifiable in this case, how does the country know if the sole-source process was necessary, fair and competitive? How do we know if it’s in the best interest of taxpayers and the best use of our money?

The Government also claimed that a “foundational policy report” had been produced containing a legislative gap analysis, international jurisdictional comparisons, population assessments, and a “two‑phase implementation plan with legislation modelled on the Queensland and Victorian frameworks”. If such a comprehensive report exists, then why has it not been released? Why has it not been tabled in Parliament?

The reality is stark: after a full year and at least $60,000 spent, Bermudians still don’t know fully what progress has been made towards establishing the Office of the Public Guardian. Families caring for vulnerable loved ones continue to wait. Seniors at risk of exploitation continue to wait. Individuals without strong support networks continue to wait.

Despite being asked to provide Parliament with a full breakdown of expenditures to date on the project, the Government’s response simply repeated the figure of $60,000, being the contract amount already made public. That is not a breakdown. It is an evasion. Bermudians deserve to know how our dollars were allocated, what work was completed, and whether the public received value for money.

Contrary to what some may say, my parliamentary questions were not about political point scoring. This is about public trust and accountability. It is about good stewardship of public funds. And most importantly, it is about the people who need the Office of the Public Guardian the most — those who cannot advocate for themselves.

If the Government is confident that the procurement was appropriate, that the deliverables were substantial, and that the expenditure was justified, then it should have no hesitation in being transparent. The Government should provide the full justification for why Mrs Simmons-Wade, who was a government MP when she was contracted to work on the Office of the Public Guardian, was given a sole-source contract. The Government should also table the full report that was produced, with the supporting documentation, and the detailed financial breakdown of all expenditure to date related to the development of the Office of the Public Guardian.

Until that happens, Bermudians are left with more questions than answers. And when it comes to protecting vulnerable people, uncertainty is simply not good enough.

• Robin Tucker is the Shadow Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, and the One Bermuda Alliance MP for Hamilton South (Constituency 7)