Minister without Portfolio Zane DeSilva challenged Opposition claims of cost overruns on projects, declaring that the United Bermuda Party was misleading the public.

The statement, made at the motion to adjourn in the House of Assembly on Friday, regarded recent reports of overruns at both Port Royal golf course and the new cruise ship pier at Dockyard.

"I think they're living in a fantasy, and think that they can trick the people of Bermuda with their constant misinformation," he said.

Mr. DeSilva said the UBP's assertion that renovations for Port Royal golf course were originally projected to be $7 million came from a quote given in the 2007/2008 Budget before the project began.

The final cost of the project was $15.9 million, which he stated was around 17 percent over the 2009 budget for the project of $13.6 million.

A change in plans added a concrete path, which Mr. DeSilva said increased the cost by $1 million dollars.

He argued that without the path the increase in expected expenditure was $14.6 million, leaving the overrun at less than ten percent.

"Anyone in the business of construction, I think if they came in under ten percent over budget, they would be elated, particularly after changes to the plans," he said.

"Golf course renovation is not an exact science. One can build a house and know how many bricks or how much mortar it will take, but with a golf course? No."

He also insisted that every aspect of the construction was put to tender, and defended the rental of a heavy crane, which was rented for $10,000 per week.

"That crane is a 65 ton crane," he said. "I have a smaller crane we rent out for $13,000 a week."

"All the charges have been made available to the Auditor General, and the public will get to see them in due course."

He also claimed that while UBP members connected to businesses in the past were called astute businessmen, those in the PLP connected to businesses were called crooks.

UBP MP Patricia Gordon Pamplin fired back, saying that Mr. DeSilva was defending work that he did personally as a private contractor, not work that he did on behalf of Government.

She also said that the end cost should have been somewhere closer to what the estimate originally was.

"The estimate is the amount that the Government intended to spend in the year," she said.

"The final cost ought to be somewhere, anywhere near that figure."

Ms Gordon Pamplin continued by stating: "I question the Government's ability to effectively budget."

Premier Ewart Brown interjected with a point of order stating the Cabinet's first projection was approximately $13 million, adding: "The bottom line is it was well done. It was successful and that is what counts."

Ms Pamplin Gordon said she did not understand then why the 2007/2008 budget had stated the project would cost approximately $7 million.

Works and Engineering Minister Derrick Burgess said it was not uncommon for things to run over budget particularly when changes were made to plans. And he pointed out renovations done at the airport in the late 1980s by the UBP — who were the Government at the time — had jumped from $9 million to approximately $26 million.

"I am not criticising it," he said. "You can start at $9 million and end up there when you make changes and deal with a building like that."

And he noted that all of the changes and increases in cost had gone through the proper procedures and been approved.