Health care Mr. Speaker, the Throne Speech's passing reference to "the need to enhance health care provisions for the elderly'' gives no satisfaction to residents' concern about the increased need for nursing homes, or the need for national standards and regulations for private institutional care, or the need for low cost prescription and over-the-counter medication, or programmes to increase home care for families willing to keep elderly relatives at home.

Mr. Speaker, the Progressive Labour Party would address these problems; reinstate the position of Health Prevention Officer to emphasise wellness and encourage healthy lifestyles within the community; and establish the Bermuda Health Council.

EDUCATION Mr. Speaker, the Progressive Labour Party believes that we can successfully educate all of our children, and research supports this contention that all children can learn.

A PLP Government will lay the foundation for our children's success in later years through the in titution of a developmentally appropriate early childhood programme for all children; and through the early implementation of the necessary corrective programmes; concurrently we will encourage and gain the support of parents and work as a team.

Mr. Speaker, whilst Government expends millions of dollars on a new senior school, today's students lack access to the simplest of educational tools.

Mr. Speaker, whilst school boards, middle school, high tech hardware and software are wonderful things to have in and of themselves they will do little to help such fundamental problems as illiteracy and truancy.

During the debate on the new Education Act in the last House Session, Government refused to accept a PLP amendment to reinstate the post of Attendance Officer. Since then, the Association of School Principals has publicly admitted there is a grave need for such officers.

Mr. Speaker, we note that the International business sector is forging ahead to create a Foundation for the education of Bermudians in the Insurance Industry. International Business recognises the need for training and retraining...when is Government going to recognise this need and respond similarily.

Mr. Speaker, while the Throne Speech includes reference to "a range of behaviour management strategies'' the reality is that young students are being put out of school with no alternative programme in place. These young people are being cast aside -- with no attempt to save them from themselves.

Mr. Speaker, young people are not expendable! We must utilise their innate ability and not be deterred from recognising that we need all of our young people and their varied talents.

YOUTH, DEVELOPMENT, SPORTS AND RECREATION Mr. Speaker, in the last year we have seen youth groups march up here to Parliament with their concerns while the United Bermuda Party continues to promise support for youth and youth groups.

Those members of the public who volunteer their services to youth and sporting groups around the country are frustrated with the lack of resources.

Government has to assist in providing resources such as fields, buildings and space.

Today our sporting bodies need the financial resources to afford the cost attached to providing drug free areas. Rather than a punitive approach of ostracising individuals who have been rehabilitated or who are working through programmes, we believe that sports can be a great motivator in allowing an athlete to remain drug free.

National Sports Centre Mr. Speaker, Government has washed its hands and given responsibility for the National Sports Centre to a Board of Trustees. This is a very special project for all of Bermuda, and Bermudians are watching this project very carefully.

Within weeks of the government and the Chairman of the Trustees promising that a portion of the original Bermuda College would be left for community and Ministry use, the site is now flat...cleared of all buildings leaving the public to wonder if regular procedures have been overlooked in the planning phase.

Mr. Speaker, we believe that the returned base lands should provide an opportunity for Bermudians to utilize this space during an interim period.

Instead, sporting groups have had `to pull teeth' to get permission to utilize the facilities. A supportive government would have devised a plan for the temporary use of such lands by responsible sporting bodies.

TOURISM Mr. Speaker, the lacklustre performance of the United Bermuda Party Government is nowhere more apparent than in its approach towards Bermuda's vital Tourism industry, our number one employer.

The fact that Bermuda is still in the position of having lost approximately one in five of all its regular visitors (those arriving by air and staying at hotels) under UBP stewardship is indeed a sorry indictment.

Mr. Speaker, this year we saw a misguided attempt to redirect the marketing effort with the "Let Yourself Go'' sex and sin advertising campaign, which has so far failed to achieve its stated minimum goal of 25,000 additional regular visitors, even measured against last year's very soft arrival figures.

Millions of dollars were squandered in a single roll of the dice with this campaign. The PLP predicted it was off base...and it was. The campaign sold Bermuda short and cheapened our product; in the process it alienated some of our loyal supporters in the overseas marketplace.

Mr. Speaker, the PLP has called for an entire new convention and meetings division to be set up within the Department of Tourism to lead the way in reviving our group business. Thanks to poor occupancy levels this year, there have been some hotel employee layoffs in the months of August and September...something that once would have been unthinkable. We are concerned that even in October, once a peak season month, occupancy levels in some of our largest resort hotels plunged to less then ten percent.

Government's Throne Speech brings little in the way of new action to meet these challenges, calling for yet another strategic marketing plan, after years of task forces, think tanks and other marketing plans. It becomes clear that such paper shuffling is just a surrogate for action. While one can understand the private sector's frustration with Government ineptness -- manifested by offering them the services of the Boston-based Monitor Group -- this really amounts to an admission of failure by the Tourism Minister and the United Bermuda Party Government.

Mr. Speaker, where are the tax incentives we have constantly advocated? Where is the programme scaled taxes and fees to address the seasonal nature of our Tourism? Where is the legislation to reduce import duty on key visitor merchandise to restore the lustre of Bermuda as a prime shopping destination? Where are the tax incentives to revive Bermudian entertainment in the hotels? And where are the Government policies -- and action -- that will ensure Bermudians can rise to the uppermost management levels of our hotel industry undeterred by glass or even concrete ceilings? Cruise ship policy Mr. Speaker, the Throne Speech promises to finally release the review of the restrictive cruise ship policy. Years have passed since the Progressive Labour Party -- and those in the private sector -- called for a weekend cruise ship to more effectively utilise the local infrastructure. Now, this week, we learn that golden opportunities are being missed.

Mr. Speaker, later in this debate the Shadow Minister of Tourism and Marine Services will present detailed remedies a PLP Government would provide to turn around Bermuda's Tourism industry.

ENVIRONMENT Mr. Speaker, it is amazing that on the eve of the 21st Century, our island government is contemplating using the ocean as a garbage pail. Apart from the fact that dumping asbestos in the ocean is not the `safest and most environmentally sensible solution' for waste; such action would be a violation of the London Convention on Prevention of Marine Pollution, to which Bermuda is bound, as a dependent territory of the United Kingdom.

Mr. Speaker, we urge Government to seek a solution which includes Bermuda's asbestos in the plans for the removal of the asbestos already buried at the former base site in its negotiations with the United States.

Mr. Speaker, Bermuda's 300-plus ship wrecks are under-water exhibition museums nestled amongst the reefs. This extraordinary heritage and legacy has been squandered since the 1950s. It is now proposed by the UBP Government to give away 50 percent of all recovered artifacts to private interests. This is not how Bermudians want their heritage handled. Protective legislation, promised in previous Throne Speeches, is now vital and should be addressed as a priority.

Mr. Speaker, while our underwater heritage is being plundered, our land based heritage is still not protected. What has happened to Government's proposed list of historic buildings and the attendant legislation that would preserve such monuments? Mr. Speaker, this seems an appropriate point to mention our regret that Government plans to demolish a historic and exciting element of Bermuda/American history, Longbird House. This building which has stood through more than 50 years of civilian and military airport operations is now considered a hazard, that Government says must be demolished in order to comply with international rules.

Mr. Speaker, the municipalities of Hamilton and St. George's and the countryside at large are dotted with a proliferation of illegal signs which are governed by the 1911 Advertisement Regulation Act which is largely ignored. New legislation to tighten control over street advertising has been promised by Government -- but ignored in this Throne Speech.

Mr. Speaker, while illegal signs are not a major environmental issue, the practice of ignoring some laws because they are old sends a message to young people that one can pick and choose which laws to obey.

Mr. Speaker, Bermuda has yet to fully utilise its marine resources to the best benefit of the country and people.

Greater emphasis should be placed on examining Bermuda's options with respect to developing a fishing industry.

Such political will has yet to be exercised, despite the positive results of Sargasso Seafoods and an ever increasing interest in our 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone by foreign vessels.

TRANSPORT Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that this Throne Speech makes no mention of the current state of the Taxi Industry. The threat of a strike by Taxi Operations caused by Government's inability to deal with the issues at hand, has loomed over the Island for months. We expected that the Taxi Industry would have been included on the agenda of Bills and Discussion Papers that Government intends to bring to this Parliamentary Session.

Mr. Speaker, we note that a Green Paper on Traffic conditions and behaviour will be laid before Parliament this Session. A Progressive Labour Party government would establish a National Transportation Plan to cover all aspects of Transportation on the island.

HUMAN AFFAIRS Mr. Speaker, by devoting a mere sentence to the subject of discrimination (via its promise to table a Code of Conduct), the government is backing away from its stated intention to fight racism on every front. Despite the heavy flow of public relations material from CURE, the government appears unwilling to tackle the problem of racism as it eats away at every aspect of Bermudian life.

Mr. Speaker, the Throne Speech made no mention of Government plans to address the problem of age discrimination in a society which is aging and needs the continued input of its elderly citizens.

Mr. Speaker, the speech did promise an aggressive effort to eradicate drugs from the community.

PLP'S RESPONSE TO THE THRONE SPEECH UNK HOA RG P4 18.11.1996 PLP's response to the Throne Speech Also included was the age-old promise to establish a drug-recovery facility.

We welcome the establishment of such a facility; but caution Government not to once again employ foreign experts whose cultural background renders them impotent in the reality of the Bermudian drug scene? We encourage government to Bermudianise the treatment facility from the outset.

COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS Mr. Speaker, in the almost twenty years since the Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs has been established it has been underutilized and under-supported. This Ministry could serve a valuable role in enhancing the culture awareness of our residents and building a sense of unity and cohesiveness for Bermudians. Mr. Speaker, the Bermuda National Gallery and the Children's Library can also play a part in this objective, but there must be properly equipped as national store houses of knowledge. Our libraries must have the facilities and technologies that put them solidly within the Information Age.

The cultivation and financial support of the Arts is important to the development of any society. We, as a PLP Government, would commit ourselves to the effective support of the arts. We believe the promotion and preservation of our cultural heritage is important to ensure that our children experience the rich cultural beauty of our island well into the future.

WORKS, ENGINEERING, PARKS AND HOUSING Mr. Speaker, recent road problems and public complaints about resurfaced roads suggests that a in-depth survey of Bermuda's roads infrastructure is sorely needed. A PLP Government will ensure that the entire road system is surveyed and assessed. Equal attention would be paid to private and public road systems.

Mr. Speaker, the increased opportunities made available through the Base lands return means that proper long-term infrastructural planning can be done. A PLP Government would ensure that these lands are properly incorporated into our existing land mass and, where possible some areas used to release the pressure on the existing infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, the need for affordable housing continues to plague our community. Many families' aspirations continue to be inhibited by a lack affordable housing and affordable financing thus leading to a pessimistic attitude towards the future.

Assessment of our existing housing stock and proper planning to satisfy future need must be made a priority.

Remainder of speech in Monday's newspaper.