The following concludes Friday's coverage from the House of Assembly

Government must lead by example if respect for the judiciary and law and order is to be restored, said the United Bermuda Party's Maxwell Burgess.

Referring to a number of court cases Government is embroiled in, he said "governments are not supposed to spend their time in court. They are supposed to pass the highest of tests."

He added: "If our offshore friends behave as we do, we'd all be starving by now."

And, to objection from Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott, he accused Government of "not getting around the table" with construction company Pro-Active to address problems with the Berkeley school project.

"There comes a time when you've got to face the facts... While we try to play politics, duck and weave and lower the standards, we are affecting an unborn generation" who will have less successful role models to follow," he continued.

He said while it seems as if drug dealers are "living as if they are in charge," drug users are "crying out for help more and more".

"If we are not prepared as a government, Parliament and a people, to raise the bar, we'll reap what we sow."

PLP backbencher and former Police deputy Commissioner Wayne Perinchief said Bermuda was becoming a society of haves and have-nots as international business flourished while a Bermudian underclass was left behind.

He said the time was right to reassess how the criminal justice system was working.

Drug dealing undermined the values of society and the "work ethic has been completely destroyed when people aged 18-25 can be literally become millionaires in a short space of time and not do an honest day's work."

Drug crimes rose sharply in 1988 when crack cocaine hit the Island with a big rise in violent crime.

"We saw people who were formerly stable people, professionals like lawyers and the rest, going through large amounts of money. Their families and their professions were breaking down.

"We have international companies and (staff there) all their income is deprived from that and they are very affluent, doing very well, and at the other end, we have tourism stagnating.

"There is a great divide that is fast developing in this country between those who have and those who have not. Those who are deriving money from drugs are impacting negatively on our society."

He said an opinion column by Mid-Ocean News editor Tim Hodgson on Friday when he said the Supreme Court had "legalised murder" was a "sensationalist and irresponsible comment from a journalist who should know better.

"Having said that, I would not go further and denigrate the entire opinion piece because there were some parts that provided food for thought.

"This country is ready and ripe for an overhaul of the criminal justice system. We have the leverage to track a child from the cradle to the grave and I want to know when we are going to start truly tracking children.

"A lot of people may feel uncomfortable with the `Big Brother' concept, following people through until they fall and helping them.

"But I've seen generations of families doing the same thing, making the same mistakes, almost with the same names. These cycles of dysfunctional behaviour can be addressed and remedy can be made before they become criminals."

More imagination, money and more help from outside professionals may be needed to tackle the problems, he said.

Shadow Health Minister Michael Dunkleysaid it was astonishing that after four and half years the PLP needed more overseas help.

He said Bermudians had lost their sense of comfort, with many locking their doors and installing security systems, and he called on the PLP to spell out what they planned to do.

He said King Edward VII Memorial Hospital was in financial crisis yet the Government was denying this.

"I thought it's Pro-Active (the Berkeley school contractor) today, King Edward tomorrow. The system in Bermuda is we deny we have problems," said Mr. Dunkley. "We need to be true leaders and stand up and admit we have problems."

Nurses' morale was low, the plumbing system and laundry needed upgraded, and now Bermudians realised health premiums were going up as a result of the dispute between doctors and insurers.

He said the PLP "hasn't done anything but talk" and while the UBP was castigated for the all the bad things it had supposedly done for 30 years, "there was a lot of good in putting Bermuda where it is today".

The health system had the potential to be first class but the leadership was not up to scratch.

It was incredible that a review of health care was completed in 1997, but the PLP was only now getting around to completing the review of it.

"For four and half years it has been completed and the Minister (Nelson Bascome) has the audacity to say we've now completed the review process. That's not acceptable to the Opposition or the people of Bermuda."

He accused the PLP of having no succession plan for when Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Reid leaves.

Health Minister Nelson Bascome hit back, saying that in 1993 the UBP had carried out its review of health care in Bermuda in 30 years of government.

When Mr. Dunkley said there were others earlier, Mr. Bascome challenged him to name them, but the shadow minister was unable to.

"He spouts off every week without the facts to get a headline," complained Mr. Bascome.

He agreed the hospital was old and in need of repairs but there were projects in place to renovate and upgrade equipment.

One problem was that all health care treatment - whether it be a toe nail being removed or triple by-pass surgery - was charged at the same price, which had to be changed.

The review by consultants Arthur Anderson which was completed in 1997 made a number of recommendations which had been acted upon, said Mr. Bascome.

A national office for seniors had been set up and a schools programme had been established to help educate people about disease management.

"The Opposition spouts that there is no plan but there is a plan," said Mr. Bascome.

He could not believe Mr. Dunkley complained about a succession plan when five Bermudians had been earmarked to train for the Chief Financial Officer's position and this had been narrowed down to two.

A new facility will also be built to replace the St. George's Nursing Home, offering a range of treatments, he said.

Shadow Youth and Sports Minister Cole Simons said a new body should be established investigate allegations of corruption in the Police, Customs and Prison Service, while PLP backbencher Ashfield DeVent said he did not believe Police were committed to solving crime because they turned a blind eye to drug dealing.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell said the top priority should be drug interdiction and a review of the National Drug Commission.

He backed Mr. Simon's idea of an independent body to investigate corruption allegations and he said Bermuda should consider special juries because the numbers of arrests were not resulting in convictions.

He said it was astonishing that while drugs were considered a major problem, the House of Assembly rules committee had still not found time to discuss a UBP motion from 1999 calling for all MPs to face random drug testing.

St. George's North PLP MP Delaey Robinson castigated the Opposition for having simplistic solutions to the drug problem which simply didn't work.

It was a fallacy to believe Police would solve all crimes if we had more officers. He said you could take one third of Bermuda's population (20,000) and still not be able to stop drugs coming into the Island.

It would always be profitable to sell drugs and it was "inane" to think interdiction could work when prices were high and people were physically addicted to the substances.

Youth and Sports Minister Randolph Horton said his ministry was holding a three day youth seminar this coming week to develop a comprehensive strategy for youths which install the importance of responsibility and respect.

"We have got to look on the bright side and have some hope. We are not doomed here in Bermuda as the Opposition seemed to want the people to know that as a result of the PLP there is doom and gloom," said Mr. Horton.

"It is utter nonsense. More people have hope than those who don't have hope. The important thing is that we care."