Opposition Leader Marc Bean has decried the One Bermuda Alliance’s record of transparency, calling it “elusive, more so than any other time in the history of modern government in Bermuda”.

The broadside came at the close of Premier Michael Dunkley’s presentation of the Budget items for the Cabinet Office.

Parliament will be sitting for three days a week through March 16 to discuss each item of the 2015-16 Budget in detail before it is approved.

Mr Dunkley had closed his remarks shortly before lunch, noting that the civil service had been the subject of great attention lately because of the state of the Island’s economy.

He told the House that it was “unfortunate that there is such a critical eye cast on them”, neglecting the good work done.

Rising to respond, Mr Bean commended Cabinet Secretary Derrick Binns for managing accounts for the Cabinet Office that had come in on budget.

He then read out the mission statement of Cabinet and its department objectives to strengthen governance, transparency and accountability across the public sector.

“We have found that in applying that theory, the current OBA Government has had great difficulties and challenges,” Mr Bean said, adding that the problems originated not with the civil service, but “at the top, where the tone must be set”.

He said there was no evidence that the objectives were being adhered to. “Quite frankly, on that note, and it starts from the top, the OBA record when it comes to transparency, accountability and governance is poor,” he said.

Questioned by Grant Gibbons, the Minister for Economic Development, as to the Budget relevance of his remarks, Mr Bean said he was pricking the minister’s conscience — causing Dr Gibbons to respond that “nothing could be farther from the truth”. Mr Bean replied that a person could not offer what they did not possess.

Mr Dunkley then rose to call his language unparliamentary, but Mr Bean maintained that it was the Opposition’s business to hold Government to account.

Recent meetings of the Public Accounts Committee had not left Cabinet and other technical offices in a good light, Mr Bean said, saying there had been a “coercion” of civil servants from above.

Telling public servants that they served the country and not ministers, Mr Bean called on them “not to allow any politician to influence you not to carry out your responsibility and obligation”.

Mr Bean’s response had to adjourn for lunch, leaving more than an hour of comeback, to resume at 2pm.