then claimed Government had stolen their ideas.

PLP Senate Leader Milton Scott said the new Children's Act -- designed to protect children and promote family values -- was one of "the most progressive pieces of legislation in the last five years''.

Senators around the table in the Upper House passed the Act after giving their full backing to the proposals, which were waved through the House of Assembly last week.

But PLP Senator Terry Lister sparked groans on the Government side when he said his party should take credit for the ideas.

He said: "The PLP is criticised for `criticising'. But I recall Renee Webb getting on the pulpit and calling for these measures some years ago.

"The Government have now implemented a Renee Webb programme. The truth of the matter is we have been giving away our ideas for 30 years.'' But Sen. Yvette Swan , who introduced the bill for its second reading, rounded on her Opposition counterpart and said the senior civil servants who drafted the laws should take credit.

"For any one of us to take responsibility for any one of these clauses is sheer folly,'' she said.

"The clauses included in this bill were done so because of the experience of the professionals.'' Sen. Lister called for parenting classes to be taught in school, adding that child abuse often stemmed from every day stresses and frustrations. And Government Senator Larry Scott joined Independent Senator Jeanette Cannonier in asking: "Where has our society gone wrong?'' Sen. Scott said: "How did we get to this stage that we've had to put this type of legislation on our books in order to regulate ourselves? "Something has gone wrong with our society if the old rules which governed us no longer seem to be applied by some people.

"Correction is important in our society. Abuse of children is appalling. I would be quick to use my hand to spank and I think it's important that that's not removed from parents.

"But abuse ought to be protected against.'' Sen. Cannonier said: "What's gone so wrong with our society that we need a piece of legislation like this?'' She welcomed proposals for a childcare placement board, to monitor child abuse. And she added that some children who are scolded had even got wise to ways of getting their parents in trouble.

"Some children threaten them with calling 911,'' she said. "That's a form of parent abuse. It's important we all work together.'' Government Senate Leader E.T. (Bob) Richards said child abuse was an age-old problem, but Bermuda had now become "more sophisticated''.

"We have had these problems in our society for a long, long time,'' he said.

"Let's not kid ourselves here by saying these are problems of the modern age -- they've been around since the beginning of time.

"People used to turn their backs on it, so this is progress.'' Senate President Alf Oughton , a foster child during the World War Two evacuation in Britain, said he was pleased foster parents within the "extended family'' would receive financial rewards under the new proposals.

"You hear more about child abuse today because people are more prepared to speak up,'' he said. "Hopefully this act will be able to strengthen that fine line between child abuse and child correction.'' Senators spent two hours going through the Act clause by clause in the committee stage before it was read a third time and passed without any amendments being put forward.

Senator Milton Scott