Housing Minister Ashfield DeVent's defence ? if it can be called that ? in the House of Assembly of Government's performance on what is perhaps the number one issue facing Bermudians would be laughable if the issue wasn't so important.

In debate on a United Bermuda Party motion deploring the Government's lack of progress on housing, Mr. DeVent had this to say:

"Governments do not solve housing problems ... and a report does not solve housing problems", and ... "we are now looking at housing from a holistic perspective", whatever that means.

That, essentially, was it. Six years since the Progressive Labour Party came to power, one major scandal, four Ministers and three (or is it four?) general managers of the Bermuda Housing Corporation, and there is no plan and, apparently no plan in the making for a crisis whose ramifications are now being felt in every social issue confronting the Island.

Mr. DeVent was right in saying that a report does not solve a problem. But you have to start somewhere. You have to look at the causes of a problem and then develop a plan to deal with it.

And no one in their right minds would suggest that Government can or should do this on its own. But Government ? and this Government was elected in 1998 largely because of what was then a much smaller housing problem ? must lead on the issue and must set up the framework for solving the issue.

And Government should be leading the way in increasing the supply of affordable homes where the private sector cannot or will not act, because if Government will not do it, who will?

There are ways of doing this without Government having to actually put up and pay for the block and mortar. And that might be wise given this Government's dismal record when it comes to building everything from the notorious Perryville complex to the disastrous senior secondary school.

Duty breaks on Customs duty for materials for affordable housing, tying planning permission for housing developments so that they have an affordable housing component and soaking up some of the Bank of Bermuda windfall into a bond that can then be lent on to developers are just some of the ways it can be done.

Some of these ideas, along with the UBP's proposal to put up affordable homes at Tudor Hill in Southampton were raised by the Opposition on Friday. None have been taken up yet, and anyone holding their breath waiting for them to be will die of asphyxiation.

That is because this Government, based on its record of the last six years and its latest empty promises on Friday, simply does not care.

Shadow Housing Minister Wayne Furbert pointed out on Friday in what was perhaps the speech of his career that that when the UBP Government was confronted with a similar problem in 1983, it put up $32 million to deal with it and then Premier Sir John Swan made solving the crisis his personal responsibility. Obviously, $32 million in 1983 terms is worth a lot more now.

This Government put up $5 million two months ago and no one wants to take responsibility.

Normally, this might be the time to call for Mr. DeVent's resignation since he has so signally failed to get anything done since taking on the portfolio. But that begs the question of whether any other PLP MP would do any better.

Given the Government's dreadful record and the apparent lack of will to improve upon it, perhaps the whole thing should be handed over to someone from the private sector who can get on with it.