Housing Minister Senator David Burch yesterday threatened to use parliamentary privilege to name those he believes have ripped-off Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC).

Sen. Burch said he would name those who had not acted honestly in cases where taking them to court would not result in BHC recovering money, or where corporation lawyers may not have a strong enough case to win a legal battle.

When asked at a Press conference in Senate yesterday if there was a danger of publicly naming companies and individuals if there was not a watertight legal case against them, Sen. Burch smiled and said: "It depends where I name them."

When asked if that meant naming them in Senate, he said may do it "from the very table you are sitting at".

Earlier he said: "In those cases where a court case is unlikely to bear fruit, we will place in the public domain the names of those firms and individuals who have not conducted their business dealings with BHC in an honest manner."

Sen. Burch said of those companies he believed had over-charged BHC, none had come forward and nothing had been repaid.

BHC has already put 37 companies and individuals on a stop list for either shoddy workmanship of over-charging.

"It is a lengthy process and in some instances we have written to say you owe us money, and in other instances they have been referred to our lawyers."

In previous Press conferences, Sen. Burch said these companies and individuals did not include the most serious cases being investigated by Police for fraud.

Sen. Burch outlined a host of improvements which he said showed the scandal-hit corporation was now moving in the right direction.

The emergency waiting list has been reduced from 137 to 81, and mortgage arrears have dropped by around $200,000 each month.

A $10 million contingency fund has been set up in worst case scenario to cover "over-spends" on 77 cases, including building projects, loans and fixed assets.

BHC sought possession orders on eight of its worst tenants who owed $67,452. Four agreed to have deductions from their salaries, one has not agreed a payment plan, one will be evicted, and warrants are being sought to evict the other two. Sen. Burch said $18,876 of the $67,452 had been repaid.

And eight mortgages with outstanding debts of $260,560 are to be foreclosed.

The ceiling on the master mortgage at Bank of N.T. Butterfield will raised from the $45 million set in 1992 to $75 million. He described this as a "house-cleaning" measure as the amount should have increased every year since 1997.

A register of all properties owned by BHC should be functional by September.

BHC has eight condominiums across the Island available for sale at less than $300,000, which will be offered first to sitting tenants.

Sen. Burch revealed BHC was in dispute with contractors over work to be carried out at Orange Hole apartments in St. David's and Shoreview Condos in Warwick.

"Final payments have been withheld and will not be paid until all work has been satisfactorily complete.

"In the case of Orange Hole, a major dispute exists between BHC and the contractor that will most likely be settled in the courts."

He said Pan Bermuda Ltd. had refused to accept responsibility for water ingress problems at five apartments it built and that an overseas consultant is coming to assess the issue.

"The company is in the process of liquidation and we are reviewing the agreements to explore all the options for redress," he said.

The seven BHC condo associations will become self-managed and governed by August 31 and meetings had been held with residents at all four seniors homes to address their needs.

A consulting firm has been hired for six months to review BHC job descriptions and future staffing needs.

"While we have not moved as fast as some would have liked, I believe a methodical, measured approach is the preferred route, rather than a haphazard one," said Sen. Burch.

"I believe the BHC is now headed in the right direction to deliver on its mandate."