Shadow Labour Minister Mr. Alex Scott yesterday questioned whether Bermuda's new law enabling international arbitrations to take place here would actually benefit Bermudians.

He raised the question during debate over the Bermuda International Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act 1994.

Introducing it, Labour Minister the Hon. J. Irving Pearman said it made it possible for any arbitration appeals to be heard ultimately by the Bermuda Court of Appeal. The bill enabling international arbitrations to take place on the Island was passed last year.

Mr. Pearman said the amendment before the House was a technical change.

Mr. Scott said while he supported it, his party's enthusiasm for it was dampened'' by the lack of support the Country had for its "brightest young minds.'' Bermudian lawyers were being turned away for some of the larger law firms, he had heard, or "frustrated right out of their offices.'' "What is the profit for Bermuda if we gain all the arbitration business in the world and lose our young people?'' he asked.

Mr. Scott said he was concerned at the declining number of blacks and both black and white males in the business world. Statistics showed there were only 105 black males employed in international companies.

But Government Whip Mr. John Barritt , calling Mr. Scott's speech a "political commercial,'' said the benefits of the bill would obviously not be immediate, but Bermudians would gain in the long term.

Having international arbitrations here would certainly benefit the tourism industry in the short-term though, he said.

He hoped the approximately 100 Bermudians currently studying law would consider specialising in arbitration law so they could enter the field immediately upon return as help in "developing Bermuda as a kind of Geneva, Switzerland.'' Mr. Ottiwell Simmons PLP, president of the Bermuda Industrial Union, noted arbitration was increasingly being seen by corporations as a popular alternative to going to court. It was both less costly and time consuming.

He said it was vital the Country start seeing that Bermudians were trained for the growing field.

Mr. Trevor Moniz (UBP) said that even without Bermudians immediately involved in the process, there would still be much to gain in the hotel industry by having international arbitrations here. He hoped the court system would unite and see that any such appeals to it were heard in a speedy organised fashion.

Mr. Walter Roberts (PLP) said it was important Government play a role in preparing Bermudians for the new field. He said the Opposition was not against non-Bermudians helping the Country develop the business, it just wanted to ensure Bermudians were involved.

Mr. David Dodwell (UBP), a hotelier, noted the arbitration initiative was one of the recommendations in the Commission on Competitiveness report.

The Justices of the Peace (Validation) Act 1994, introduced by the Human Affairs Minister the Hon. Jerome Dill , received speedy passage. It was to clear up a minor technicality, by which some JPs were unofficial, he said.