Opposition MP Paula Cox led the PLP's presentation in the Budget debate concerning Community and Cultural Affairs after the Shadow Minister revealed family difficulties had prevented him from concentrating on his portfolio.

Following Community and Cultural Affairs parliamentary secretary Grace Bell's introduction to the debate, Rev. Trevor Woolridge announced that his wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

He thanked Opposition Leader Jennifer Smith and Ms Cox for their understanding and support of him during this very trying time for his family.

Ms Cox began by saying the department could be considered soft as it did not receive the same amount of funding as others.

But she stressed it offered intangibles that played a critically important role in the community.

She said she was glad to see additional money allocated for library books -- which she hoped was the first step of future increases in the allocation of funds -- but renewed calls for a purpose built facility.

Ms Cox acknowledged the role the archives played in the community and said she was pleased that due regard had been given to the safe keeping of Bermuda's records.

Turning to cultural affairs, Ms Cox said Bermuda should not simply sit back and enjoy its culture but should use it as a source of income revenue such as in cultural tourism.

She declined to comment further on this subject, noting that she expected Shadow Tourism Minister David Allen to pick up on the subject at another time.

Ms Cox noted that it was good to see more emphasis being placed on scholarships for people studying in the arts as before this area was neglected.

She added that small business people -- who felt their interests were being ignored in favour of larger corporations -- needed to be given the equipment to compete and win in the marketplace.

Mrs. Bell provided a break down of the five sections of the department -- library, archives, community services, Small Business Development Corporation and cultural affairs.

She said the library would be reorganised once construction concluded and there would be a noticeable increase in use of technology amongst the staff and public.

The library would also continue to explore alternative funding, she continued.

And Mrs. Bell noted that the elevator on the site would open all the library had to offer to everyone -- particularly the disabled who were unable to make use of the upstairs departments before.

Meanwhile the archives had recently upgraded their premises with a top-notch electro-mechanical system which controlled temperature and humidity to create the correct environment to preserve Bermuda's recorded history, she continued.

Turning to community affairs, she said the community education programme was proving highly successful with over 50,000 registered participants.

She also noted the consumer affairs bureau was receiving more calls as consumers were becoming more pro-active and were going out looking for advice.

The department had received some 375 calls ranging from complaints to people looking for legal advice and referrals to various professionals.

Looking at cultural affairs, Mrs. Bell pointed out that the Bermuda National Gallery was the newest recipient of a Government grant to help the organisation care for the Watlington collection.

If Government was to do this by itself, she continued, it would prove quite costly which was why it had stepped in to assist the gallery.

And Mrs. Bell noted the important part the Small Business Development Corporation played in supporting an important resource in Bermuda -- the entrepreneurs.

She said more than 700 individuals representing over 100 different businesses went to the organisation for advice last year and now these clients would receive site visits from corporation personnel armed with information.

Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs 1997/98 estimates Ministry responsibility: To promote and enhance community relations, support community activities, administer the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation Act 1980, promote Bermuda's cultural heritage, support the community as a whole with a modern library and to collect and preserve archival material.

Budget estimate: $3,819,000 (last year $3,598,000) Budget allocations Libraries $1,123,000 Archives $370,000 Community Services $976,000 Small Business Development Corp. $339,000 Cultural Affairs $1,011,000 Revenue $263,000