The United Bermuda Party is calling on Government to answer questions about the new senior secondary school after months of silence.

?Notwithstanding promises of regular updates, the last comment from the Minister was on February 26 when he announced that $20 million, on top of a $68 million contract, was being sought from Government as ?extras?,? Shadow Minister of Works and Engineering Patricia Gordon-Pamplin said last night.

?And, of that $20 million, $13 million was agreed to be paid to to the contractor, Pro-Active Management, with two outstanding issues being sent to arbitration,? she added. In total at last report, the project will cost more than $100 million. The $13 million paid to Pro-Active was reduced from a $20 million claim by the company against Government when Government agreed to give the contractor an extra year to complete the already-delayed project.

After an ?in-depth? Budget debate on the matter, Works and Engineering Minister Ashfield DeVent has not yet answered several key questions on the matter, either in the House of Assembly or through the media, Ms Gordon-Pamplin added.

?Specifically, the public has a right to know: What constituted the claim for the $20 million, and whose responsibility was it?... Is there anybody responsible for such gross miscalculations, and from whom should we expect a refund?

?How could a $68 million quote for a contract be so grossly miscalculated by a company that Government insists was the ?most responsive? and who won the bid on their merit, not their colour?

?What has been the resolution, if any, of the two items that were going to arbitration? How much more will that negotiation cost the taxpayer?

?And, more than ever, how can an individual who was part of the contractor?s team be chosen to represent Government against his team in a matter of arbitration??