Government Senate leader David Burch defended the axing of the East End morning ferry service.Responding to the United Bermuda Party’s criticism of the Budget move, Sen Burch told the Senate cash-strapped Government either had to be cut the morning or afternoon St George’s service.“In order to reduce the budget, one had to make a cut,” he said. “We are able to do one.”He said he hoped residents would be able to get the bus in the morning and the ferry in the evening.Earlier in the debate on Friday, UBP Senator Michael Dunkley had said he was struggling to understand the logic of cutting the morning service but not the afternoon; Opposition leader Kim Swan had previously complained residents should be encouraged to use public transport to ease congestion.Also during the discussion on the Transport budget, which has been cut by eight percent to $76 million, Sen Burch stressed there would be no let up on road safety from his National Security Ministry’s perspective.“We will be taking some steps to see what we can do to step up the process,” he said, suggesting awareness campaigns are on the way.Sen Burch praised efforts improving service at TCD, saying queues have been cut from 90 minutes to eight minutes.“Long lines are a thing of the past,” he said.Sen Dunkley asked whether any safety review had happened following the security breach at the airport last October, in which former airplane mechanic Lorenzo Lottimore illegally boarded a plane.“How was a person allowed to breach security so easily and get onto a plane?” asked Sen Dunkley. “Especially in the light of heightened concerns of airport security in the rest of the world.”