National Stadium, Shadow Youth, Sport and Recreation Minister Mr. Dennis Lister alleged yesterday.

"It's time for this Government to come to this House and come clean as to what their intentions are for the future of that stadium,'' Mr. Lister said in his hour-long response to the Ministry's $4.3-million budget.

The budget was presented by Community and Cultural Affairs Minister the Hon.

Leonard Gibbons , because Youth and Sport Minister the Hon. Pamela Gordon sits in the Senate.

In his speech, Mr. Gibbons said Government would contribute $1.4 million to development of the National Stadium this year, and co-operate on private fundraising with the Board of Trustees which officially takes over management of the stadium on April 1.

"The Government continues to have great interest in the completion of these facilities,'' Mr. Gibbons said.

Among the highlights of the past year was the addition of 2,000 bleacher seats to the stadium, he said.

Other highlights included completion of a Draft Comprehensive Wellness Programme which should be made public this fall, help with formation of the parents' group The Bermuda Youth Sports Programme, organisation of the first National After School Care Workshop, and support of the Bermuda Football Association and the World Cup effort, Mr. Gibbons told the House.

Work will begin soon to convert clay courts at the National Tennis Stadium to all-weather courts, improve facilities at Shelly Bay field, and fence the Royal Naval Field in Somerset, he said.

Mr. Gibbons said the Ministry's youth centres were rapidly developing into full community centres, with services that included sports, recreation, fitness, social services, free legal advice from the Bermuda Bar Association, consumer advice, and more.

In his response, Mr. Lister said he could not get too excited about $1.4 million allocated to the National Stadium, because $4.5 million was allocated in 1991/2 and "we have yet to see any real spending of that allocation.'' Mr. Lister said legislation in 1988 authorised a Board of Trustees to manage and operate the National Stadium, "not to build the project.'' With the trustees taking over on April 1, who would be responsible for construction delays and the finished product, he asked. Government, or the Board of Trustees? Mr. Lister also raised the issue of two existing groundsmen at the stadium, who were recently told "they would no longer be employed'' after April 1 as a result of the change.

Recently, there was a newspaper advertisement for a National Sports Centre general manager, Mr. Lister said. But, "in real terms, what we have is basically a field and a track,'' he said. "There is no National Sports Centre.

"I have a real concern as to when funds will be spent on employing someone to manage a centre that is not there yet -- that does not exist.'' Mr. Lister charged that the Board of Trustees is completing the stadium, instead of Government, because of "a hidden agenda.'' "Already we have heard the assistant chairman who is responsible for the project at the National Stadium say that the public must not expect to get what was originally conceived to be there,'' he said. "What really bothers me is that that same individual is the president of one of our major sporting bodies.'' When a former Youth and Sport Minister earlier tried to change the plans for the National Stadium, "that same individual as representative of that sports body led the call against it,'' Mr. Lister said.

"Now the same individual, as assistant chairman of the Trustees, while still representing that other sporting body, is now telling us that plans will change.'' Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan said if the two groundsmen at National Stadium become redundant, there are conditions of employment to compensate them. Under the takeover arrangement, the Board of Trustees has offered the men employment under the board's employment terms and are awaiting an answer, Sir John said.

"The Government considered it appropriate that a body that would work a relationship between the community and the Government -- a partnership -- would be best to develop the stadium,'' the Premier said.

The private sector will be involved and the Board of Trustees does "not intend that this should be a long, drawn-out process,'' Sir John said.

Finally, "we end up with a stadium that is not just a stadium put up by Government, but put up by the whole community.'' Mr. Lister was also critical of Government's support of the World Cup effort, allocation of funds to a National Sailing Centre that is supposed to be "unusable'' and "locked up,'' and the lack of reference to youth issues in the budget speech.

A greater omission is the lack of a Sport and Youth Minister in the House of Assembly, he said. The appointment of a Minister who sits in the Senate has raised "a suspicion among the community it was done primarily to highlight the profile of that particular individual, who we all know is a political candidate to enter these chambers,'' he said.

Mr. Gibbons, who had little time to respond to Mr. Lister's questions, said funding for the World Cup effort came late because there was some concern within the Bermuda Football Association as to whether it would enter the World Cup.

Ministry of Youth, Sport and Recreation, 1993/4 estimates *** Ministry objective: To promote and support leisure and sporting activities in Bermuda.

Budget estimate $4,299,000 (last year $4,080,000) Budget allocations Administration and Sport Development $1,304,000 Sports & Rec. Stadia and Areas $591,000 Aquatics $141,000 Youth clubs $446,000 Camping $602,000 Summer activities $338,000 After school care $878,000 Revenue $470,000.