Former school principal and Government backbencher Dale Butler yesterday blamed poor parenting for the Island's problems with unruly, law-breaking youngsters.

He said if parents showed their children more discipline, love and interest there would be fewer problems in Bermuda with truant and badly behaved children.

And he said if parents paid their youngsters more attention, and kept them in line, there would be no need for Government to invest $9 million in a new young offenders centre.

He was speaking out during the Budget debate on health in the House of Assembly last night and responding to claims by Shadow Health Minister Kim Young that the money was being wasted.

She said the money would be better invested in providing more youth counsellors, experts and psychologists on the Island.

But in a passionate speech, Mr. Butler said children needed discipline.

And he said when he was a headteacher, he slapped out-of-control pupils on the legs, and suspended and expelled them from school in order to keep disruption out of the classroom.

But he said the fact that Government had introduced a policy to reduce suspensions and expulsions meant it was vital that Bermuda had a proper facility, such as the proposed Pathways Youth Village, to deal with unruly children.

And Mr. Butler, who has openly said he was in favour of corporal punishment, said: "I believe in licks.

"If parents took responsibly for their children, we would not have to build this $9 million facility.'' But the licks he was talking about meant something different.

He said: "The L is for love. I still kiss my 14 and 17-year-olds.

"We don't need any more experts. We don't need any more psychologists.

"They need love.'' And he said `I' was for interest.

Mr. Butler added: "If parents took more interest in their children.... There are more than 121 churches, some of which are empty.

"C is for caring. Having children is a long term commitment.

Education budget debate -- Page 4 Former principal gives lesson in good parenting "K is for kindness. We have cruel parents in this country who do not show enough kindness to their children.

"And S is for sacrifice. We have to sacrifice things once we have children.'' And Mr. Butler said another problem in Bermuda was the high divorce rate. He quoted figures from an expert's study who had predicted that children without fathers were more likely to have psychology problems and be three times more likely to fail at school.

For that reason, he said Government had to provide facilities for youngsters who ran into trouble in a bid to get them back on the straight and narrow.

"We can have all the testing in the world, but we have to have a follow-up programme, and I am sure that's why this facility is being provided, he said.'' Mrs. Young hit out at Government's plans to spend $9 million on the new high security and residential youth centre in Pembroke.

It aims to cater for both serious young offenders, as well as residential care, counselling and treatment for low risk youngsters.

She said: "It is a concern that we can spend $9 million for the treatment of 48 youngsters just for the building.

"How much is the annual maintenance?'' She said when the United Bermuda Party was in power, the Progressive Labour Party always said that bricks and mortar would not solve Bermuda's problems.

But she said that was exactly what the Government was doing now.

She agreed that there was a need for a secure facility, but objected to the size and cost, and said the high security section should be completely separate from the residential area.

Mrs. Young added: "To spend $9 million to put all our young troubled children in a complex is not the way to go.'' And she said three smaller units for low and high risk youngsters, and girls, would be a better option.

The Shadow Minister feared the children would be stigmatised for being sent to the centre, and she suggested refurbishing the present facilities, allowing one to be high security.

And she said the Parental Responsibility Act should be enacted to make parents responsible for their youngsters' unsociable behaviour.

Opposition Minister for Development and Opportunity Alan Marshall said that in ten years' time the centre would not be big enough as more and more youngsters would be going off the rails without early help.

He said: "This Government is very willing to put money at the end of the line. The issue is trying to get things corrected at the beginning.

"Building this facility is not going to solve the problem.''