when he says that "rest homes come before post offices'', given the dreadful and depressing conditions of the parish homes.

Therefore, the decision to defer the construction of a new Paget post office for the umpteenth time is probably the right one.

This is an example of Government making a promise in the Election which should be fulfilled as soon as possible.

As the population ages, the demand for care for the elderly will grow and Bermuda must prepare to accommodate more elderly people.

Plans for the St. George's Rest Home will clearly be a model for the other homes, with provision for different levels of care.

However, given the ambitious scope of the plans, it is certain that the $670,000 budget for the post office now set aside for the renovations will not suffice to restore all four parish homes.

It is also unreasonable that Government should take on so much of the burden of elderly care. This is an area where the private and public sectors could work together, assuming reasonable standards are set.

It might make more sense to tender the homes to the private sector which could receive a grant for helping those who cannot afford private care, but who might run the homes more efficiently than the parish councils.

The current system, where even the four parish homes are run to different standards and requirements and there is little regulation of private homes at all, is a recipe for disaster.

In the last Parliamentary session, Government passed a new Nursing Homes Act, but the regulations which would enforce the legislation have still not been made public. Any changes to the rest homes will be wasted if the regulations are not put in place.

The fact that money required by the Post Office is being deferred to the rest homes raises a further idea; especially given concerns about the quality of service delivered by the Post Office.

Political fears about job losses have meant that automation and cost savings which would make the postal service more efficient have not taken place.

This in turn has meant that private courier services have been able to fill niches which the Post Office cannot, and in turn, that has cut into Post Office revenues. This would be a good time to look seriously at privatising the postal service. The revenues gained from its sale -- or the annual licence fees -- could then be put to more pressing needs such as care for the elderly.

If Government, rightly, believes that rest homes come before post offices, then this would be a way for it to really put its money where its mouth is.