yesterday because they said there was insufficient time for members to prepare for the session.

During the meeting, a disagreement broke out over the procedure for giving Senators notice for the items they were due to discuss.

Opposition Senate Leader Sen. Milton Scott was unhappy at the length of time given for him to prepare for the meeting.

But later, Government Senate Leader Sen. E.T. (Bob) Richards said it had been agreed beforehand that the intended item for discussion -- a transport study -- would be held over because members wanted more time to read the report.

As a result the report -- Strategies to Improve Transportation Mobility, Road Safety and Vehicle Emissions as Bermuda enters the 21st Century -- was carried over to next Wednesday, along with the eight remaining orders of the day.

Senate President Alf Oughton remarked on the lack of progress, urging fellow senators to move on some of the legislation -- much of which had been stagnating for months.

"When you look at these motions, some of them have been hanging back for seven months,'' he said."I would like some progress on these motions -- to give some serious consideration and some sort of action as to when we might see these.'' Sen. Neletha Butterfield said they had talked so many times of the need to discuss things and needed to ask themselves what they were doing there? "We need to be seen to be doing work,'' she said. "People who put these items on the order paper are responsible for them.'' Earlier Sen. Milton Scott said 24 hours notice was "totally inadequate'' for him to be able to facilitate the business of the house.

He asked if there could be a procedure where the Senate clerk could send details of the items to be debated well in advance of the Senate sitting.

Sen. Richards said it was unfair of Sen. Scott to criticise when he knew that the particular issue was beyond his control.