An independent senator has called for better governance citing annual reports by the Bermuda Hospitals Board being presented to the House of Assembly and Senate up to two years late.

Speaking during the motion to adjourn at Wednesday’s Senate session, John Wight also said that the report ending March 2019 was never presented.

However, Mr Wight told The Royal Gazette that since then, Clark Somner, the Acting Clerk to the Legislature, had informed him that the report had, in fact, been presented to the Senate.

Mr Wight said that it was not in his records and that he “absolutely” stood by his call for better governance given the tardiness of the other reports.

Mr Somner said that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health to present the reports to the House and Senate.

Mr Wight told the Senate: “Today, Senate received the BHB’s financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2020. The Auditor-General, Heather Thomas, signed her audit report in March 2022. Thus the annual report was ready for the House and Senate to review a year ago and thus delayed one year.

“In addition, recently the hospitals board financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2018 were presented. In reviewing these financial statements, I noticed that the Auditor-General signed her audit report in March 2021. Thus they were ready to be presented to the House and Senate at that time. So my concern is, why was there a delay of two years bringing forward the annual reports?”

Mr Wight said that the reports are of most use to the public if they are current and that the hospital’s financial performance was of great public interest.

He added: “Finally, where is the annual report for the year ended March 31, 2019? We have now received the following year and the prior year but not that particular year.

“I would ask again under the heading of improving governance protocols that annual reports be presented to House and Senate on a timely basis.”

The Ministry of Health and the BHB did not respond to questions by press time.