A soft-touch debut Throne Speech from the new Government yesterday kicked off the first session of Parliament under a PLP administration.

And -- as predicted in The Royal Gazette -- the Progressive Labour Party's first outline for Government stuck largely to social issues and steered clear of controversial subjects like the plight of long term residents and changing the electoral map of Bermuda.

But major election issues like education, housing, international business, tourism and the system of electoral registration came under the spotlight in Governor Thorold Masefield's outline of the new Government's programme at Senate.

Education -- held by Premier Jennifer Smith -- came up first, with pledges to create truancy officers to nab non-attenders and introduce a national curriculum for pre-schools up.

Also on the cards are elected school boards and more power to schools to set their own agendas.

The Throne Speech -- prepared by Government and read by the Governor as the Queen's representative -- said: "There should be no homelessness in a country as rich as Bermuda.'' And the speech pledged to work with the Ministry of Development and Opportunity to improve the situation, using the former Baselands housing as a stop-gap measure.

The Throne Speech added: "Government will work to see that as many Bermudians as possible become home owners.'' In international business, no mention was made of the promise to create a special Ministry. But the document said a "schedule of legislation that will offere a wider range of financial products that will not only satisfy present locally-based companies, but will also attract new business.'' And the speech also promised to draft legislation and business plans to "provide the proper regulatory framework for the creation of an E-commerce industry.'' Government also annouced a 100 day plan to breathe new life into the declining tourism industry.

That will include a National Tourism Action Group, including interested sections of the population, designed to work with "a restructured Bermuda Tourism Board which will play a more pro-active role in developing tourism strategies, while the Government and the Department of Tourism provide leadership for this vital facet of our economy.'' Increased Bermudian employment and a product with a more Bermudian flavour, including entertainment, was also promised.

Government also promised to end the annual voter registration system -- probably by using existing Government records to update the voters' roll.

Social issues in Throne Speech spotlight That was one of only four hard-and-fast pieces of legislation highlighted, together with an amendment to allow for truancy officers an across-the-board curriculum system and elected school boards.

The other two were a promise to axe the rule allowing only members of a household where a car is registered to drive it and a new law allowing victims of dog attacks to receive compensation.

Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Fuhrtz created a mini-drama when he fainted in the packed Senate chamber -- a carbon copy of a collapse during the Throne Speech last November.

Mr. Fuhrtz -- understood to have recovered quickly -- was helped out of the chamber by Minister of Transport and medic Ewart Brown, who treated him last year, and Commissioner of Police Jean-Jacques Lemay.

Mr. Masefield, allowed to add his own comments to the Government speech, said he wanted to highlight the "vigour of democracy'' on the Island.

He told Government and Opposition MPs: "The very high levels of voter registration and of voter turnout for the election demonstrate the full involvement of the vast majority of Bermudians in the process, as well as the clarity of their choice and wish for change.''