A bill allowing car inspections to be contracted out from Transport Control Department was passed by the House yesterday.

Introducing the Motor Car Amendment (Number 4) Act 2008 Premier Ewart Brown said emissions testing will be performed by Bermuda Emissions Control staff.

He said research showed that motor vehicles were responsible for 75 percent of carbon monoxide pollution in the surrounding air. Vehicles emissions testing would help clean up the air and reduce health care costs, said the Premier.

Opposition MP Trevor Moniz said he had raised the issue of traffic pollution ten years ago and nothing had been done since.

He said Police and TCD staff did not crack down on vehicles pumping out filthy smoke.

Fellow United Bermuda Party MP Cole Simons questioned why BEC had been given the testing contract without it being put out to tender.

However his colleague Wayne Furbert said when he was Minister of Transport in the mid 1990s he had worked very closely with Donal Smith, one of the principals behind BEC but now people were casting aspirations because Mr. Smith was a cousin of the Premier.

Mr. Furbert said: "It started with me."

MPs also passed the Civil Airports (Landing Fees) Amendment Regulations 2008 which removes the rule only allowing fee breaks for new airlines.

Dr. Brown said it would allow concession for all airlines – a necessary measure given the pressure the industry was under.

"This year more than 30 airlines have gone under."

And that figure is anticipated to double in 2009. He said worldwide 60 million plane seats had been eliminated from published airline schedules by the fourth quarter.

Opposition MP Trevor Moniz said Government had been gradually hiking the fees to bring them up to those charged elsewhere.

"Now we are turning around and waiving these fees, initially for a period of six months."