last years worrying about how to make ends meet, the House of Assembly was told on Friday.

Premier Pamela Gordon, speaking after Opposition Leader Jennifer Smith delivered her reply to the Throne Speech (see text below), said criticisms of Government delays in reforming health care were unfounded.

Government was aware that funds were required but would be careful to ensure that it could afford its plan while keeping a balanced budget.

Ms Gordon then turned to Operation Cleansweep and Police Commissioner Colin Coxall's resignation.

"I want to make a message loud and clear to the people of this Country. This UBP Government has always had the best interests of its people in its heart.'' This was clear through its policies and its Police Service. The departure of a lone civil servant would not change Government policy, she said.

There had been a lot of criticism about tourism, continued Ms Gordon.

People did not seem to acknowledge that the Island now had thousands of competitors instead of the 50 or so it had when local tourism was booming years ago.

Government had stepped back and realised that the only way forward was through partnerships because if people had a stake in a project then they would be more committed to seeing it succeed.

This was why the idea of the Bermuda Tourism Authority had been suggested.

This vehicle would create partnerships, a consultative process, the necessary investment and "a two-way street'' between the public and the private sectors.

Ms Gordon noted that tourism and the infrastructure it had created was a major reason behind international business' desire to do business on the Island.

If the tourism product could not be promoted and enhanced, then international business might not look so favourably on the Island, she warned.

Government had a set of policies which would create the environment and opportunities necessary to go forward. It was proud of its record and would continue to put Bermudians at the forefront, she added.

She pointed out that the Island's natural environment had to be protected while this pursuit for opportunity and the creation of jobs was underway.

Bermudians losing out, says Scott Shadow Home Affairs Minister Alex Scott said the PLP had been in regular contact with chief executive officers of international companies and they were very sympathetic and supportive of the idea of employing Bermudians.

The Government's critique of these companies would cause people to think otherwise, he warned.

Employment statistics for 1996 revealed that the growth of non-Bermudian jobs exceeded the growth of Bermudian positions. This showed Bermudians were not faring well in the economy and were losing job share.

It also showed that international business opportunities were increasing and being filled by non-Bermudians while tourism positions, which were filled largely by Bermudians, were decreasing.

People needed to be trained and retrained so they could acquire the skills necessary to fill the available positions in the job market.

Mr. Scott said he was concerned, as were members of the public, about Mr.

Coxall's sudden departure. The amount of concern, he continued, warranted an investigation or inquiry into the two and a half years Mr. Coxall was on the Island.

He noted that it was unlikely that Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness , Ms Gordon or Governor Thorold Masefield would accommodate his request.

Government had promised to address the problem of long-term residents, continued Mr. Scott, but had "fumbled the ball''.

The PLP would pick it up, he vowed. The fundamental issues were that long-term residents wanted security while Bermudians wanted their rights protected.

Mr. Scott then turned to the Bermuda Regiment and noted that the PLP had always maintained that the Regiment's role could be expanded. As Bermuda was an Island, coastal patrols could be introduced, suggested Mr. Scott.

A network security group could also be formed, continued Mr. Scott, which would see the Regiment, Police and Bermuda Fire Service working together and sharing the benefits of their respective training.

"We must learn to do what the other side has failed to do over the last 25 to 30 years,'' said Mr. Scott. "They have not maximised the potential of Bermudians.'' This explained why the prisons were full, why young men sat on walls and why the sale of drugs on the Island was now considered an industry.

Education Minister Jerome Dill drew attention to the first paragraph of the PLP's Reply to the Throne Speech which said they would be presenting their views and policies in the document.

He said he had looked to find their policies and views about education and all he had found buried on page five of the document was criticism of Government's expulsion policy at CedarBridge Academy.

"Never mind that Government has not yet expelled a single student.'' Expulsion was the last resort, he said, but if he received a recommendation that a child should be expelled in the interests of that child and the student body, then he would not hesitate to do so.

However, he added, he would have to be satisfied that everything had been done to assist that child.

The PLP could not be aware of what was happening in education, he claimed.

Mr. Dill spoke on the education planning team and its recommendations to do away with the eleven plus examination and to create middle schools.

Bermuda was now one of the only jurisdictions which had a school curriculum that included business education, he pointed out.

And the Government was now reviewing legislation which would enforce parental responsibility, he continued. The PLP did not touch on this in its reply to the Throne Speech.

One course of action that could be taken was through civil law where parents could be forced to pay for vandalism their child inflicted.

Another course would be through the criminal courts where a judge could order a parent to enforce a curfew upon a child which would enforce the parent's supervision of that child.