The Opposition's chief agitator for parliamentary reform has argued that the House of Assembly is nothing more than an "echo chamber" and that Government is stalling on the creation of an effective and bipartisan committee system.

Opposition House Leader John Barritt said yesterday with its sizeable majority, Government is currently able to force legislation through the House with few or no amendments, meaning that the influence of the Opposition ? as well community input ? is continually undermined.

Mr. Barritt was speaking at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's regional conference at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess on the role of parliamentary committees in a parliamentary democracy.

A healthy political process is reliant on input from all parts of the spectrum, Mr. Barritt suggested, while renewing his call for the formation of a bipartisan legislative committee to review draft bills coming to the House.

Such a body would negate the "tedious and time-consuming" process of going through legislation "clause by clause" when parliament is in session, he said.

Leading off the debate, the Bahamian delegation revealed that the committee system is well-established in its country and serves as a useful tool for investigating maladministration, holding the government fiscally accountable and bringing the average Bahamian closer to the legislature from which it is often possible to feel entirely removed.

Civil servants and specialists in the private sector are often called to testify or advise committee members on a wide-range of issues, the delegation added, while it is also incumbent on many committees to organise public meetings and listen more closely to public opinion.

But speaking candidly moments later, Mr. Barritt said that any attempt to instigate such a system in Bermuda would require the ruling party to use its majority to drive the initiative ? something which has simply not happened.

"The way we do things in Bermuda is out of step with a modern parliamentary system," he told afterwards.

"During my first five years in politics as a member of the Government, I was still finding my way. But since being in Opposition I came to see things from the other side of the aisle and I am convinced that we do not use committees like we should.

"We desperately need some kind of bipartisan legislative committee to review legislation prior to it coming to the House," Mr. Barritt continued. "In that way we could also interact with the people who actually drafted the legislation as well and make further suggestions.

"The advantages are that we would be working together, we would save and make more efficient use of time and we would be closer to the people making parliament are more relevant institution in the minds of the community."

Mr. Barritt concluded: "Any progress I've seen so far on this can be measured by a ruler and needn't be longer than a foot."