Controversial regulations on race reporting would require employers to submit data which duplicated information available in the Employment Survey, a Shadow Minister claimed yesterday.

United Bermuda Party Health and Social Services spokesman Kim Young said the cash needed to carry out the Committee for Unity and Racial Equality survey could be better spent on dealing with pressing social problems.

She said: "This exercise that the Minister is trying to barrel through has increased the budget for CURE to $389,000, nearly $100,000 more for the taxpayer.

"We could be using this allocation helping the needy, for housing and other necessary social problems, instead of duplicating information already available.'' Ms Young also backed calls from lawyer Elizabeth Christopher for gender to be given as much weight as race to ensure fairness on the job.

Ms Christopher made the call as she was made Bermuda Professional Women's Association's Woman of the Millennium.

The CURE regulations, which were blocked by Senate, are currently the subject of a series of road shows organised by Development and Opportunity Minister Terry Lister.

Government can amend the legislation to suit Senate or wait a year and bypass the Upper House altogether.

Ms Young said: "It is amazing that the Minister continues to go out on the road with his PR machine, trying to barrel this CURE legislation through, when it is clear that it is cumbersome, time-consuming, invasive and expensive to the already over-burdened business community.'' She insisted: "It is also a duplication of information that is already available.'' Ms Young admitted the Employment Survey did not include a section on salaries but said this could easily be added to the existing forms.

And she said the employment survey included company codes so race, nationality, gender and positions held were identified.

Ms Young said: "It is obvious from the Minister brushing aside the issue of gender in the workplace that he is only interested in black and white statistics.

"If he were really serious about equity in the workplace he would have included gender in his list of invasive questions.

"It is a well-known fact that the median annual income for men is higher than the median annual income for women and yet there is a higher proportion of women who have a tertiary education than men.

"Government only needs pertinent information to see trends on racial and gender make-up in companies and organisations and all this is available in the employment survey. If Government is dead set on learning the workforce salaries, then perhaps a band of salaries could be devised and a separate column added to the employment survey.'' The original regulations applied to all firms with ten or more employees.

Firms would have had to have registered with CURE and provide an annual breakdown on race, employment level and income of employees.

Firms would also have had to provide information on the racial breakdown of job applicants and a list of people who quit by race and reason.

Employees would have had to fill in forms giving their ethnic origin, job, pay and perks, while job applicants would be required to give race and post applied for.

Business representatives pointed out that while they supported equal opportunities, the CURE regulations meant too much red tape and bureaucracy and complained they had not had the opportunity to see the final version before the rules were tabled in the House.

Mr. Lister could not be reached for comment yesterday.