United Bermuda Party outsider Trevor Moniz yesterday tore into Government's first-year record during the marathon Throne Speech debate in the House of Assembly.

Noting a B-minus mark in an opinion article in a Bermuda newspaper from a Progressive Labour Party supporter, Mr. Moniz predicted that even die-hard Progressive Labour Party voters would become disenchanted at the lack of progress on major issues.

Mr. Moniz said: "It was a very Civil Service type of Throne Speech -- referring to a new Bermuda or a new Jerusalem, but if you read that speech, it does not really live up to its billing.'' But Mr. Moniz said Government had earned a few A marks in its term of office.

He said: "One A is travel -- there is an A in here for travel. We've never seen a Government travel so much before.

"There was a record set for travel in the first quarter and a record for travel in the second quarter as well.'' And he added: "We have never seen so many parties -- a special holiday for a party and it's continued from that time.

"We're all looking forward to the Budget to see what is being charged and with what results -- tourism figures are down, it's very disappointing results with all the money that has been spent.'' But Acting Tourism Minister Alex Scott interrupted to point out figures were up.

Mr. Moniz, however, continued: "There's a third area where there's an A -- jobs for the boys. All of a sudden we have new positions filled.'' And he singled out political Attorney General Dame Lois Browne Evans, Cabinet Office Chief of Staff David Burch, and Environment Ministry consultant Roosevelt Brown as examples.

And he asked if the Environment consultancy would be examined by the Public Service Commission to see if it was value for money.

He added: "I've yet to see any reports coming to this House which is producing results.'' And Mr. Moniz hit out at the land tax hikes introduced under the PLP -- and questioned whether a discount scheme would continue in future years -- as well as the number of labour disputes since the PLP took over.

Mr. Moniz added that "jobs for the boys'' made it hardly surprising that Premier Jennifer Smith had warned against influence peddling from PLP party members.

Mr. Moniz said: "When they see the people did get jobs inside Government, they thought it was a pay day. Everybody was going to get jobs in Government -- it's certainly not going to stop with the inner circle. And the feeling out there on the street..is that it's an inner circle.'' He added that vehicle pollution -- a subject on which he had tabled a motion -- had not been addressed and neither had the plight of long-term residents.

Mr. Moniz said: "We have seen the Honourable Member promise a Green Paper on long-term residents -- in this year's Throne Speech, we have been promised it again.'' And he said from Green Paper through White Paper -- a position document -- to legislation could take three years.

Mr. Moniz compared the contribution of long-term residents with PLP plans to extend Bermuda status to children born out of wedlock to Bermudian fathers.

He said: "There are certainly gentlemen around this country who have been very generous in sharing their seed with the world. There are a lot of children out there who claim to be the illegitimate children of Bermuda fathers.'' And he asked if anyone had any idea how many people would benefit from a change in the rules.

But Bermuda Industrial Union president and PLP backbencher Derrick Burgess attacked the UBP's previous record in Government -- especially in tourism where "they wasted money on marketing rather than trying to improve the product''.

Mr. Burgess added: "The major hotels are investing money in their properties to bring them up to standard and also, in conjunction with the union, improving standards of service provided to our visitors.'' On law and order, Mr. Burgess said a recruiting drive by Police produced 150 applicants -- only 17 of whom were found suitable.

And he added he knew of two ex-officers in their 40s who applied to rejoin -- but were told they were not fit enough.

Mr. Burgess said: "There is a different fitness level for people who are 20 years old and people who are 40 years old.'' He added that some in the UBP linked "safety and stability'' to the number of Police on the beat.

But he insisted: "It doesn't come from that -- it comes from the ability of a family head to be able to feed and house the family comfortably. If families are safe, you will find a dramatic decrease in crime.'' Mr. Burgess added that some employers still treated workers badly -- with 50 hour weeks at straight time and a dictatorial approach to labour relations.

And he pointed out the first International Labour Organisation meeting in 1919 had singled out working hours.

But he said: "Here we are in 1999 and we're still talking about it -- shame.'' He added: "We still have some employers with the same bad behaviour we experienced under the UBP Government. If the Opposition want to help out they should ask those employers to treat their workers with some dignity.

"But they don't want to do that because they are some of those employers.'' And he compared the approach to white collar "trade unions'' for doctors and lawyers to the UBP's reaction to he and others serving on the Immigration Board.

Mr. Burgess said: "They don't think the workers should have any rights.'' Shadow Education Minister Tim Smith told the House that parents and the business community were very concerned about the future of their youngsters in the education system.

He added the UBP had been criticised for building new schools like CedarBridge Academy.

But he insisted: "Software for a computer is absolutely useless without hardware.'' And he said there was "no need'' for the private sector to outperform the public schools.

Mr. Smith added: "In our reply to the Throne Speech, it's really about getting down to basics.'' And he said it was "very unfortunate'' that work to turn Berkeley Institute into the second senior school had been delayed.

Mr. Smith added that consultation on safety and security survey of schools had been included in the Throne Speech -- as it had been in the first.

And he said the pre-election pledge by the PLP to abolish school zones had "mysteriously disappeared'' from the Throne Speech.

Mr. Smith added that leadership in the school level, the class level and the home level were all vital to education.

He said: "Principals have been very much tied down with administrative matters.'' Mr. Smith said over-management from the Education Ministry had to stop.

He added: "That's not saying we should abolish the Education Ministry -- but its sole purpose should be to establish educational standards and maintaining these standards. That's where it should start and finish.'' And he called for school performance statistics to be made public so parents could make informed decisions -- and resources could be targeted at special problem areas.

Mr. Smith added it was "regrettable'' that Education Minister Milton Scott sat in the Senate and not the House -- although he conceded previous governments had Ministers in Senate as well.

Government backbencher Neletha Butterfield said she had seen "so many students who dropped out of school'' and the previous governments had "done nothing to help''.

And she accused the previous Government of holding back potentially embarrassing educational statistics when it suited them.

Ms Butterfield added: "Somebody doesn't just appear on the scene after a year unable to read. It's been going on for years and years.'' But she insisted: "This Government is going to find the lost and help the lost at any cost.'' Shadow Youth and Sport Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin , was critical of Government in several areas outside her portfolio as she responded to the Throne Speech.

Claiming that Government had "failed miserably'' at making any progress on the affordable housing front, Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin charged that they changed their priorities in this regard after winning the election.

She defended actions of the previous Government in demolishing several housing units at Southside, St. David's, noting that they contained asbestos and were structurally dangerous.

"We are certainly not going to house people and their families in unsafe conditions,'' she said.

The comments on asbestos drew the attention of Environment Minister Arthur Hodgson who retorted: "There is no truth in that at all. This is the first time they've ever said anything like this.'' Senior citizens were the next group Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin claimed were not afforded sufficient attention in the Throne Speech.

"I was amazed to see the only attention seniors garnered there was a reduction in admission to the aquarium,'' she said.

Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin noted that Government offered a lot more when they spoke at the seniors conference last week, but questioned whether the exemption of these initiatives in the Throne Speech was an indication that they were employing what she called a NATO move of "no action, talk only''.

She called on the Finance Minister to make seniors exempt from paying land tax.

"If this Government want to show their commitment to our seniors, I would suggest to the Finance Minister that he look at ways to eliminate entirely the land tax on the primary land owner of homes of seniors,'' she said.

Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin added that the recently implemented increase in land tax was proving an unfair and harsh burden on many of the elderly who are now "unable to make ends meet with no additional income''.

Charging that the tax is a "slap in the face'' to many seniors, Mrs.

Gordon-Pamplin claimed that several are faced with having to sell their homes because they cannot afford the tax hike.

She noted that many seniors had endured "many years of hard work, blood sweat and tears for the pride and security of having their own home''.

"I think it is irresponsible and we owe a better commitment to our seniors,'' she said.

Touching on new legislation which increases the speed for which people will have to appear in court, Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said she felt it was a move in the wrong direction.

She suggested that lowering the speed for which people would have to appear in court might go a long way to serving as a deterrent for them to speed.

"An intelligent move would be to change that speed to 45 kph,'' she said.

"If people thought they would have to loose an entire day waiting in a long line-up at court, then perhaps that would have some impact.'' "You can't make legislation work just because everyone is doing it,'' Mrs.

Gordon-Pamplin claimed, "that just takes it down to the lowest common denominator.'' On the tourism front, she noted the necessity for Bermudians to change their general attitudes. She singled out two recent visitors to the Island and their experiences of "surly attitudes from shop attendants'', and indecent exposure from a worker on a construction site.

She warned that if this sort of behaviour was not changed, then the Tourism Minister's overseas efforts to lure people here will be in vain.

"He might just as well pack up and come home,'' she said.

In turning to her portfolio, the Shadow Youth and Sport Minister brought up concerns over the formation of a disputes tribunal for sports. She charged that Government was becoming "majorly involved in minutiae'' and held that was inappropriate.

Contending that most local sporting organisations have constitutions which regulate how they handle disputes, Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin charged that the Government was "wasting money'' in setting up such a tribunal.

Minister of Youth and Sport Dennis Lister countered Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin's claims, pointing out that Government's only involvement with the disputes tribunal is in a facilitatory role.

"This will not be a Government board,'' he said. "It will be made up of members of the various sporting associations.'' Mr. Lister also explained that Government recently hosted a seminar for all sporting clubs in the area of sport law and he noted that the tribunal was set up as a result of that seminar to help strengthen local sporting bodies.

"The need for this is extremely important,'' he added.

Trevor Moniz: The UBP MP said: "It was a very Civil Service type of Throne Speech -- referring to a new Bermuda or a new Jerusalem, but if you read that speech, it does not really live up to its billing.''