Legislators agreed last night to renew a parliamentary committee investigating a cyberattack in September 2023 that crippled the Government’s IT systems.

The move came as opposition MPs suggested that it would be better, at such a late stage, simply to put professional findings compiled on the attack before the people.

However, David Burt, the Premier, insisted that the committee should proceed so that its members could “enhance their knowledge and understanding and their ability to serve the country better” in light of the rising threat of such online attacks worldwide.

A motion reinstating the parliamentary joint select committee looking into the attack had been brought to the House of Assembly on March 25 by its chairman, government MP Lawrence Scott, because the original group had to be dissolved, along with the rest of the legislature, once a General Election was called for February 18 this year.

Mr Scott listed a string of other countries where governments were targeted at roughly the same time as Bermuda, telling MPs the United States, Britain, Australia, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago had suffered a similar hit.

The effects of the attack on September 20, 2023 reverberated for weeks, with little revealed in the aftermath.

Dwayne Robinson, a One Bermuda Alliance MP, countered that returning to a committee would “maybe be too slow to get the answers to the Bermuda public when they need it”.

Mr Robinson cited widespread public concerns over whether data had been compromised, or a ransom paid to hackers.

He added: “I feel as though, before December of 2024, the joint select committee was a suitable method. But I do wonder now if it may be well to take advantage of the Government’s touted stronger fiscal position and potentially pay to have an expedited and independent overlook of this particular attack, and get it to the people as quickly as possible.”

Douglas De Couto, the OBA MP, agreed, saying there was a “sense of urgency” around the findings and telling the House: “The ship has sailed, in my personal view.”

Dr De Couto said that the British Library had suffered a hack at about the same time as Bermuda but had been able to issue an 18-page report by March 2024.

He said that Bermuda was in possession of its own report into the attack and should “just publish the report that we have got — get it out there”.

Craig Cannonier, of the Opposition, said he had initially planned not to back the motion, but that he now supported it.

Mr Cannonier suggested a prompt time frame of three months or less for the JSC to finish its work, potentially releasing its findings before MPs take their summer break ahead of the Cup Match holiday.

Mr Burt said the purpose of the committee was “not just to produce a report” but to “learn lessons, to make recommendations going forward” to “benefit the country and our democracy”.

As the debate wrapped up, Mr Scott told the House it had been estimated that there were 100,000 attempted or successful cyberattacks on government systems worldwide in 2023, with the majority of them likely “unresolved”.

He said other jurisdictions had taken “one to three years” to compile reports on their findings.

Mr Scott added: “This is from nations that arguably have more resources and capability that we do here in Bermuda.”

He said: “We can either do this quickly, or we can do this correctly.

“I was raised in a household that said haste makes waste.”

The Progressive Labour Party MP added that he disagreed with suggestions that “we should put this into the private sector’s hands”.

Dennis Lister, the Speaker of the House, closed the debate by saying committees formed by Parliament were non-partisan — and that his desire would be for “continuity to be carried forward” rather than appointing fresh members to the JSC.

With no objections raised, the motion was passed.