Opposition leader Dr. Grant Gibbons has blasted Government for spending nearly $1.5 million on overseas advisors in finance after making consultants an issue in the last election.

In a written answer given to the House of Assembly it was revealed the Finance Ministry spent more than $1,430,848 on consultants since being elected in November, 1998.

And the United Bermuda Party is pressing for more answers from other departments.

Dr. Gibbons said: “The amount being spent on overseas consultants is really surprising given the Progressive Labour Party were very critical prior to the 1998 election about the amount being spent on foreign consultants.

“It's very clear that since 1998 the Smith Government has very few reservations, at least in terms of the spending we have seen so far, about spending money on foreign consultants.”

He said the UBP had no worries about hiring outside consultants for specific jobs where their expertise would benefit Bermuda, for example in advising on Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) matters.

But he said he feared there was some duplication going on with economic advisor Dr. Andrew Brimmer being hired in 1999 while Canadian consultant Ron Holberton was still in place. Dr. Gibbons said Mr. Holberton only left last month.

He said Mr. Holberton had not appeared in the Government answers because he was in established budgeted position for a foreign advisor but Government had then added Mr. Brimmer.

Dr. Gibbons said the budget for professional services in 1998/99 in the Ministry of Finance had been $315,000 for a major tax review but had soared recently.

He said: “In 2001, it had swollen to $1.2 million and this year it will be $626,000.

“You have to look at consultants on an individual basis. It makes sense to carefully look at how to get specialist assistance not available in-house.

“The real questions is are they getting value for money? Is the taxpayer's money being spent carefully?”

Bermuda Public Services Union General Secretary Ed Ball said: “Lots of times the experts don't give the expertise they were hired for.”

He said Government should use staff high flyers to research issues and make a presentation just as progressive companies did worldwide.

Mr. Ball said outside experts were not allowed to run a department or do anything that gave the impression they were in a full-time post.