The following concludes coverage of Wednesday's session in the House of Assembly.

The Opposition used debate on the budget of the Registry General on Wednesday to hammer at its theme that Bermuda's electoral boundaries are undemocratic.

A department of the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, the estimates for the Registry General were debated separately by agreement between the two parties.

Debate on estimates for the rest of the Labour Ministry is set for today.

Labour and Home Affairs Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman said registration of births, deaths, marriages, and mortgages were among the duties of the Registry General.

In 1994, it recorded 862 births, 468 deaths, and 975 marriages, Mr. Pearman said, noting there was a trend away from holding marriages in churches, with beaches and parks becoming more popular.

Also last year, the Registry recorded 1,456 mortgages, up 4.7 percent from a year earlier; 1,711 chattels; 390 deeds; and 392 conveyances.

But annual voter registration was the highlight of the Registry's job, Mr.

Pearman said.

The system Government used came into effect in 1980. He outlined how notices were sent out initially to each household, with the Registry General then zeroing in increasingly on those who had not responded.

Because this year's registration would be used by the Boundaries Commission in determining whether constituencies needed to be realigned, it was especially important to capture each household, he said.

This year, in addition to the voluntary scrutineers sent out by the political parties, Government would send out canvassers to capture households that did not respond to mailings.

As of February 27, 16,889 responses had been placed on the computer, he said.

That was 4,653 more than at the same point last year. Responses were coming in at a rate of 400 per day. Because there was a backlog of responses to be placed on the computer, it was estimated 30,334 voters had responded as of Tuesday.

Mr. Pearman noted that in 1987 a special registration drive was conducted for the Boundaries Commission, and it resulted in 33,327 people being registered, up from 26,159 a year earlier.

This year, it was expected the 35,000 mark would be broken in the largest registration ever.

A historical issue was the British Commonwealth citizens in Bermuda since 1963 who were eligible to vote, Mr. Pearman said. Their numbers were declining, but were now at 300, he said.

Growth in the registration of trade marks and service marks had created a space problem at the Registry General, Mr. Pearman said. Over the next few months, the department would expand from the main floor of the Government Ad ministration Building onto the fourth floor, he said.

The Registry had been trying to improve its service by computerising. Now, 90 percent of births had been put on computer, some of them dating back to the late 1700s and early 1800s. The job would not be completed until October, he said. Next, deaths and marriages would be placed on computer, a job that would take 26 months and require temporary help.

Last year's by-election in Paget East cost $6,900, Mr. Pearman said. Most of the money for the Boundaries Commission -- $138,000 -- was budgeted last year, so only $71,000 had to be set aside this year.

Shadow Labour and Home Affairs Minister Mr. Alex Scott said the statistics kept by the Registry were "very significant and important information.'' The two parties had differed on the annual voter registration, Mr. Scott said.

"Really, is it required that we go through this process every year?'' Mr. Scott felt that once the information was on computer, the Registry General could track births and deaths, since it recorded them anyway. Then, Bermudians would only have to notify the Registry General when they moved, in order to keep the voter rolls up to date. A registration drive would only be required about every five years.

The success of the registration drives this year and in 1987 showed that Government should use canvassers every year, if it must have annual registration, Mr. Scott said.

The present method "tends to turn people off the system,'' he said.

Mr. Scott noted the Boundaries Commission was to meet this year, but it would be unable to rectify "the undemocratic nature'' and "gerrymandering'' of Bermuda's electoral boundary system, which was "legendary.'' The Boundaries Commission, by its terms of reference, had to work within the parish boundaries, but those were meaningless old lines drawn by "earls and dukes'' to show "this is my fiefdom,'' he said. "These areas have pockets of prejudice.'' The postal zones now straddled parish lines, so why could not the electoral constituencies? He urged members of the Boundaries Commission to at least address the subject in its report.

Turning to "the foreign vote,'' Mr. Scott said those 300 people could decide whether Bermuda becomes Independent or not, should Government's referendum plan pass.

Mr. Scott said the statistics suggested the face of Bermuda was changing, but informed analysis was needed along with the numbers.

Dr. David Dyer (UBP) said the parishes were used for historical reasons, but the boundaries within those parishes had been moved.

Registry General Department responsibility: "To administer all of the acts relating to the registration of births and deaths, land transfers, mortgages and other deeds, voter registration, marriages (including the contracting of civil marriages), trade marks, trade unions, exempted and limited partnerships, pension trust funds, charitable organisations, etc.'' Budget estimate: $1,098,000 (last year $1,118,000) Budget allocation Administration $280,000 Intellectual property registration $242,000 Property, professional, and organisation registration $64,000 Births, marriages, and deaths $240,000 Annual Parliamentary registration $201,000 Boundaries Commission $71,000 Revenues $707,000 MR. IRVING PEARMAN: Largest registration ever.