Bermuda has sufficient housing, Government claimed yesterday - but Shadow Housing Minister Michael Dunkley shot back that this was just the perception of the Government, and not the reality.

Minister without a portfolio Neletha Butterfield, who spoke for Housing Minister David Burch in the House of Assembly during the budget debate on the Ministry of Housing yesterday, asserted that Bermuda has enough housing for the population, citing evidence from the 2000 Census.

The Census showed there were 2,217 vacant dwellings on the Island, she said, with a list of only 168 applicants who need housing.

"We can fix this problem right away," she claimed. "Bermuda has sufficient housing units ... it is therefore imperative to aggressively pursue this option in light of a very limited land mass."

However Mr. Dunkley, who represents Devonshire South, told the House based on the number of calls he receives and the level of concern he sees among his constituents about housing, it was clear the statement did not reflect reality.

"The conclusion has to be drawn that we aren't doing something right," he said. "That reality is still a perception."