Premier Ewart Brown has attended 81.5 percent of this year's Parliamentary sessions.

Yesterday the Premier hit back at criticism he was frequently absent from the House of Assembly, adding a record number of bills have gone before the House of Assembly while he has been leading the Government. Earlier this week Opposition leader Kim Swan criticised the Premier, who is currently in South Africa watching the World Cup and will miss tomorrow' session of the House.

Mr. Swan said: "We're not surprised the Premier has flown off to South Africa to enjoy the World Cup final games. This is part of a travel habit that has seen him spend more time off the Island than any of his predecessors, by a country mile. "That the Premier will miss this week's second last meeting of Parliament, which has a long list of business to get through, is completely beside the point. The Country's business is not his priority — he is."

But yesterday the Premier said his "primary focus is on addressing the needs and concerns of working Bermudians not with the misguided priorities of the Opposition". "My administration has introduced a record number of bills in the House," he said. "That is what is important. The Bermudian people are more concerned with results than they are with personal attendance statistics.

The fact that the Opposition leader has a near-perfect attendance is clear evidence that it takes more than just being there."

And late last night a Government press release stated: "The Sergeant of Arms of the House of Assembly today has confirmed that for the 2009/2010 Parliamentary session the Premier had attended 22 of the 27 House meetings held thus far [which is 81.5 percent]."

The Premier's Press Secretary Jamahl Simmons added: "While we are focused on reducing gun violence, preserving the quality of life for Bermudians and improving our education system, the UBP is wasting the people's time with this foolishness. Mr. Swan seems to be as effective in keeping his facts together as he is in keeping his increasingly irrelevant party together."