Works and Engineering Minister Ashfield DeVent stymied debate on his portfolio by engaging in filibustering tactics, according to the Opposition party.

The Minister denied the charge saying that he wanted to fully inform the public.

Mr. DeVent took up more than three hours to give what he described as an overview of his Ministry?s responsibilities and Budget allocations.

The speech enraged his Opposition counterpart, Pat Gordon-Pamplin, who also accused him of being practically unintelligible.

?His presentation is perhaps the worst that we have ever seen before. And it?s an exercise in tedium,? Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said at the lunch break.

?We have 13 civil servants sitting in the public gallery to listen to a monosyllabic presentation that is painful as best and it appears to us it?s a clear attempt at filibustering.?

?Why would they say that?? asked Mr. DeVent. ?I?m a new Minister, and I wanted to take the opportunity to let the public know exactly what I?m in charge of.?

He said he had spent a lot of time on his Ministry?s involvement with the impact of Hurricane Fabian and wanted to thank his staff for their efforts.

?I spent quite a bit of time on waste management and water ? two very important issues to me personally, but issues which affect everyone in the country.?

Mr. DeVent assumed responsibility for the Works portfolio, which includes housing and all of Government?s capital projects, in January?s Cabinet reshuffle occasioned by the death of the Finance Minister Eugene Cox.

The Opposition party had allocated five hours to debate of the Ministry?s budget allocations, but Mr. DeVent took up the majority of that time in his address.

?We did not entertain having to sit through painful Government propaganda,? Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said.

As shadow Works Minister, Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin was expected to lead her party?s scrutiny of the portfolio.

But she interrupted him several times for clarification and on point of order objections. Backbencher Nelson Bascome who was chairing the meeting agreed with some of Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin?s objections ? that he was perhaps straying into areas not under his remit.

?We?ve tried to call him on it but he?s ignored them which means he has no clue of what he?s doing.?

The Works Ministry has been under intense public scrutiny since the Berkeley construction project was awarded three years ago.

And in July last year, Wedco, the Bermuda Housing Corporation, the Bermuda Land Development Corporation and the Office of the Rent Commissioner were all transferred to the Ministry. Mr. DeVent painstakingly outlined almost every aspect of every division of his Ministry, thanking his staff for their efforts each time. After a 10.15 start and a 90-minute break for lunch, he finished the marathon speech at around 3.30 p.m.