Opposition MP Patricia Gordon-Pamplin has accused Works and Engineering Minister Derrick Burgess of hiding behind a civil servant rather than facing the flak over the Police/court building.

After weeks of unanswered questions, Government held a press conference on Tuesday at the building site at the corner of Court and Church streets, and revealed the $78 million project was four months behind schedule.

Mr. Burgess was not present, however confirmation came from Works and Engineering Permanent Secretary Robert Horton that Canadian construction management firm Lisgar had left the job and been replaced by LLC Bermuda Ltd. – as was earlier reported by this newspaper.

Mr. Horton would not say why the firm had left.

The Permanent Secretary said the Works and Engineering Minister was not at the press conference because he was in Cabinet.

However earlier that day, the entire Cabinet attended a press conference for the signing of a memo of understanding with the Government of Nova Scotia.

Yesterday Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said: "It is unfortunate the Minister sent a civil servant out to do his bidding."

She said the site visit and press conference could easily have been held a day earlier or later.

"To arrange it on a day when the Minister was unavailable because of Cabinet commitments speaks to an arrogance that says, 'I really don't have to come out here and tell you people what's going on, but consider yourself lucky that I am sending somebody'.

"It doesn't bode well for good open and transparent communication."

She said the Permanent Secretary was senior enough to answer some questions on the project but added: "The civil servant ought not to answer political questions.

"The Minister has very blatantly shirked his responsibility to stand in front of the public and answer questions.

"The Minister ought not to put his civil servant in that position of even being exposed to the possibility of being asked those types of questions."

The notion was supported by Bermuda Public Services Union general secretary Ed Ball who said: "There is a demarcation line between the role of a Permanent Secretary and a Minister – a Permanent Secretary cannot speak to political policy. He is there to serve his Minister of the day.

"Any issues pertaining to policy must be addressed by a Minister concerned for that particular Ministry."

Government consultant Eddie Henri said that despite being behind by four months the building could still be finished by its September 2010 deadline without an increase in cost or a decline in quality.

However Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said: "The Government has a propensity to change the budget and the due date of projects and then boast that they were able to come in 'on time and on budget'.

"I can't see if they are four months late by their own admissions – if four months is the right number – that they are going to finish on time. It doesn't make any sense to me."

Other sources in the building industry believe the project is behind by anything from six months to a year.

At the tour it emerged management contractors Lisgar had gone – when revealed by this newspaper the fact sparked a press release from Mr. Burgess, who said his Ministry was not obliged to respond to "each and every malicious and/or crackpot and/or intentionally false allegation fed to The Royal Gazette or to any other medium".

Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said some of the so-called "crackpot" claims were now being vindicated.

And she added: "You have to question to what extent will they go to hide whatever is going on with that contract."