The projected expenditure offers little that is new. With the exception of the Bermuda Experience Network, too much money is still being spent on marketing programs, and we have seen that this strategy has been a failure.

Little or no information is provided about what has been cut from the budget and why. Nothing has been revealed about the proposed new air-service strategy, which Bermudians are expected to support to the tune of $1.1 million.

Now is the time to stop the haemorrhaging of tourism and misspent tourism dollars. Now is the time to ruthlessly abandon expensive marketing junkets and ill-advised advertising campaigns and failed fly/cruise/stay policies. Now is the time to remember that throwing money at a problem doesn't guarantee success.

International Business Mr. Speaker. In his most recent 1999 annual review of international business in Bermuda, Dr. Archer noted, `The contribution of the international companies to the economic growth and well-being of Bermuda cannot be over emphasised.' The Minister of Finance, who predicts that international business will continue to be the mainspring of Bermuda's economy, echoed this point in the Budget Statement.

Given the importance the Minister and presumably Government attach to this sector, it is surprising more is not done to ensure the ongoing vitality of this sector and to make those involved feel welcome and appreciated.

Indeed, the continuing shift in tax burden to this sector, the xenophobic comments from members of Cabinet and blaming international business for everything from traffic to high rents suggest that the PLP Government sees international business simply as a cash cow that should be milked for all it's worth.

Incredulously, the PLP Government has attempted to pressure international business to subsidise various causes from low-cost housing bonds to purchasing a $5 million headquarters for the Department of Tourism.

Defending Government's attempt to have international business purchase `Cragmore' for tourism offices, the Attorney General declared that international business should do more for Bermuda after enjoying the Island's tax-free environment. `People must learn to give more-not simply take, take, take', she said. As a matter of record, it's interesting to note in the recent Archer report that international business in 1999 provided donations to charities, supported scholarships and made other contributions worth $39 million.

On a relative basis, these contributions effectively matched the $39 million Government allocated to the Health Department, Child and Family Services, the Bermuda Housing Corporation and Financial Assistance in the same year.

Housing Mr. Speaker. We were tempted to take the comments we made about housing from last year's Budget Reply and use them again, because so little has happened.

It has been over two years since the PLP Government promised a `quick fix' to the housing crisis. We have not seen a quick fix, and the people who are waiting for housing have not seen a quick fix.

What we have seen is the 100-homes project reduced to 68 homes. We have seen glacial progress on the renovation of derelict homes.

We have seen a PLP MP cut corners on asbestos removal and put the health of his workers and St. David's families at risk as part of the BHC solution for low-cost housing. We have seen the BHC ask international business to subsidise low-cost housing through a bond issue.

We have seen the BHC suggest that seniors' pension funds be used to subsidise low-cost housing. And now we see in the Budget Statement that the BHC has quietly borrowed $12 million from the Consolidated Fund, but we're not told what it was for or why it was necessary.

Education Mr. Speaker. One of the objectives of the 1997 Education Act, which was supported by the PLP in Opposition, was to decentralise education in Bermuda and return decision making to principals, teachers, local school boards and parents.

We note that over the last three years, the budget allocation for ministry headquarters has risen by 26 percent, while the amount of money going directly to preschools, primary, middle and senior schools has risen by only 16 percent.

If this represents a return to top-heavy, centralised micromanagement, we believe the public deserves an explanation.

The quality of teaching is fundamental to the quality of education. We are concerned that the teaching profession is nearing a crisis in Bermuda.

Police Mr. Speaker. We are pleased that recent statistics have shown some improvement in efforts by the Police Service to combat crime in Bermuda.

This should go some way toward making people feel safer in their homes.

However, we hold the PLP Government accountable for whatever discomfort the public does feel, because for almost two years the PLP Government played politics with the need to recruit and hire experienced police officers.

Seniors and Health Care Mr. Speaker. We note that the hospitals subsidy has increased by 13 percent, or $6 million. Since the PLP Government took control of Bermuda's purse strings, the subsidy has risen by 22.5 percent.

While we understand that healthcare costs are rising faster than inflation around the world, we are concerned that in Bermuda this huge subsidy is as much a reflection of poor management as rising costs.

Hardly a week went by in the past year without the hospital making headlines.

Over the past three years, the Bermuda Hospitals Board has suffered the loss of almost all its experienced senior management.

It was without a chief financial officer and adequate support staff for many months, at a time when the Board faced significant financial challenges. It has suffered from serious labour problems, a shortage of residents and a shortage of operating-room nurses.

The Board paid $75,000 in an out-of-court settlement and untold lawyer's fees following litigation prompted by questionable management decisions. Recently, poor maintenance of the wards led the Minister of Health to appeal-yet again-to the business community to assist with funding what should be covered by the BHB operations budget.

Mr. Speaker. What's going on here? Where is the promised implementation of Arthur Anderson Report recommendations that were designed to improve quality of care, access to care and reduce overall costs? We acknowledge that with the assistance of Anderson consultants, significant progress was made on implementing disease management and prevention programmes.

But work had also begun on evaluating and restructuring the method by which Government reimburses the hospitals, physicians and ancillary providers, a method that would have provided clear incentives to keep costs down.

Some effort went into creating a system of universal billing and coding as well as a central repository for healthcare data. Then, last year, the Andersen work stopped.

We ask the Minister of Health to provide the people with an explanation of what his ministry has accomplished on its own and how much money they expect to save, instead of spend, through the timely implementation of the Anderson Report recommendations.

Mr. Speaker. The PLP Government is not senior-friendly.

Conclusion Mr. Speaker. How much longer can Bermuda afford a PLP Government? The Minister has said that in preparing the 2001/02 Budget, he `heard, listened and responded'. We, too, have been listening carefully. And what we've heard is that the PLP Government is long on talk and short on substance.

What we've heard is that people are getting tired of living on hope and unfulfilled promises.

What we've heard is that the PLP Government is good at spending the people's money and increasing the people's debt. But, Mr. Speaker, we're still waiting for the PLP Government to deliver the goods.