was still in the public interest even though it has been nullified by an anti-fast food Bill.

Government's Senate Leader Sen. Lynda Milligan-Whyte introduced the motion to debate the report of the Franchise Committee.

However despite calls for a full debate none of the PLP Senators took part in the discussion -- like their counterparts in the House of Assembly when the report was first debated.

The report was debated in the House of Assembly last week, but it was almost immediately made redundant when MPs passed the Prohibited Restaurant Bill outlawing fast food franchises.

Yesterday Sen. Milligan-Whyte said: "Notwithstanding what has happened, it is essential that the public be made aware of what the committee has done. It deserves a full debate in the Senate.'' She said the issue was not Grape Bay Ltd., but the future of Bermuda and whether it kept the status quo or changed.

"There are two views -- keeping the status quo on the one hand and on the other the young people saying open up Bermuda to make it more competitive,'' said Sen. Milligan-Whyte.

The report recommended setting up a Franchise Commission to oversee applications and said franchises should be allowed to operate, but heavily disguised.

Sen. Milligan-Whyte said the reason franchises had caused such controversy was because of the politics involved and "not necessarily the issue itself''.

Independent Senator Alf Oughton said it was unfortunate the report could not have been made earlier and commended the people who drew it up.

"It would have been good to have set this report in motion from the very beginning, but that is water under the bridge now,'' he said.

"The report is good. It should not be shelved, it should be looked at,'' added Sen. Oughton.

Fellow Independent, Sen. Idwal Hughes said the report came up with excellent ideas for controlling franchises.

He added that if there was a silent block of people in favour of franchises they had missed their opportunity. "The report came up with some very useful guidelines that I think will be used in the future.'' Government Senator Gary Pitman said he believed the report's recommendations were fair and represented a compromise on both sides of the issue.

"I agree with the recommendations and conclusions in the report,'' said Sen.

Pitman.

Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Sen. Yvette Swan commended the committee for its hard work and said some of the report's recommendations, such as on the size of signs, could be implemented elsewhere in Bermuda.

"The report should not be put on the shelf. I am sure in the future this report will be utilised,'' she said.

SEN. LYNDA MILLIGAN-WHYTE -- Deserves full debate.