Two-thirds of voters want to cut Cabinet from 13 to eight Ministers, according to a new poll.

Sixty-seven percent of people want Government to take up the SAGE Commission’s recommendation to reduce Cabinet by five, with 26 percent preferring the current size.

The survey by Mindmaps shows support for a smaller Cabinet is strongest among whites, with 75 percent voting for a reduction, compared with 64 percent of blacks.

It’s estimated a smaller Cabinet of eight Ministers including the Premier would save taxpayers $750,000 in salaries and benefits.

However, people are more divided over the SAGE Commission’s proposal to reduce the size of the Civil Service.

Fifty-one percent agree with that recommendation, with 42 percent disagreeing and the rest unsure.

Whites are more supportive of cutting the Civil Service, with 70 percent in favour and 24 percent against. Among blacks, 42 percent are in favour and 51 percent against.

A breakdown by age shows the older generation is more welcoming of a Civil Service reduction. Among over 65s, 65 percent want cuts, compared with 41 percent of the 18 to 34 age group.

Cutting both Cabinet and the Civil Service were key recommendations in the 140-page SAGE report, published on November 15 in an attempt to maximise efficiency and get to grips with Bermuda’s debt crisis.

The document claimed the Civil Service suffered from weak leadership, and called for poor performers to be fired. It suggested early retirement schemes and pay cuts, particularly targeting the highest-paid, and farming out many areas of Government to the private sector or turning them into quangos.

However, some workers have reacted angrily to the suggestion of Civil Service reductions, with a number of concerns raised at a town-hall meeting called by the Progressive Labour Party last week.

Finance Minister Bob Richards, who commissioned the report, has said Government will hold a debate on its recommendations in Parliament.

Mindmaps’ survey of 404 registered voters took place between November 17 and 24, and has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.