Two pieces of legislation were tabled in the House of Assembly on Friday which deal variously with the physical and financial health of Bermuda residents.

One, banning gaming machines, tidies up earlier legislation but makes it clear that the machines will be banned within three weeks.

The second, establishing a Bermuda Health Council and supposed to be in place by last July, is designed to resolve problems with Bermuda's health system and health costs.

The banning of game machines has been on the cards for the last six or so years. What has been missing is a full debate on the issue of gambling.

Different groups, from the Corporation of Hamilton to the Visitor Industry Partnership to the Progressive Labour Party are now investigating the issue.

But it's a shame that the ban will come into effect while Bermuda remains so undecided about what it wants from gaming.

Premier Alex Scott needs to open debate on the issue as soon as possible; while this newspaper has made its position clear on the question, a decision is needed.

But any decision should be taken not solely from a business perspective, where a case can be made that a casino would help the tourism industry, but also from a social one, keeping in mind that gambling can lead to greater social problems.

It is to be hoped that a debate and decision will not take as long to come to one as the formation of the Bermuda Health Council has.

It was first proposed by the Oughton Commission on health care in the mid-1990s, modified by the never-released Andersen report on the hospitals and now, a year after former Health Minister Nelson Bascome promised it, it is finally seeing the light of the day.

The major issue before the Council, assuming the law is enacted, is to find ways to deal with the soaring cost of medical care and to find ways to cap its cost while ensuring that Bermuda continues to see improvements in health care.

This is not an easy task and it has been left far too late.

Whether the Council can get a consensus between insurers, the hospitals, doctors and other health care providers remains to be seen.

But if the Council is made up of knowledgeable people who are prepared to compromise and recognise the value of others' contributions, then it may just work.

The concern is that this will simply be a talking shop, or that representatives of different industry bodies will refuse to move away from their positions.

If that's the case, then the same gridlock and crisis will emerge whenever new fees have to be set for different services and procedures.

The Health Council can play another important role. In Bermuda, many of the leading causes of death and the most common illnesses are preventable if residents are aware of the need for healthier diets, exercise and the like.

The Council an be a bully pulpit for the promotion of healthier lifestyles that should reduce illness and, by extension, contain medical costs.