The Government is pushing ahead with plans for the island to become a full member of the Caribbean Community — almost a year after unveiling the initiative.

In its Throne Speech last November, the Government committed to “initiating a consultation process leading to full membership in Caricom”.

It came 20 years after the island became an associate member of the bloc.

In February, the Premier, David Burt, said that the Government would be taking steps to full membership “in earnest” after being granted official authorisation by Britain.

He said: “Our government understands the potential benefits of a closer relationship with our sister islands and countries.

“These benefits go beyond the cultural and historic, but also towards possible economic benefits to our country and opportunities for our Bermudian people.”

There has been little comment by the Government on the topic since then.

According to home affairs minister Walter Roban, he and Mr Burt held informal discussions with Caricom’s heads of government in May.

In July, Mr Roban said he was waiting for more information from Caricom before the next steps could be taken towards full membership in the organisation.

This month The Royal Gazette asked the Government if it had attended the 47th regular meeting of Caricom heads in Grenada at the end of July.

A government spokeswoman did not answer that question, but did say that a technical meeting with Caricom officials was in the pipeline.

She said: “The Ministry of Home Affairs is engaged in discussions regarding Bermuda's potential full membership in Caricom.

“As part of this ongoing dialogue, the Caricom Secretariat is arranging a technical briefing for the Government of Bermuda.

“In May, the Caricom Heads of Government supported Bermuda moving forward with an application for full membership.

“Accordingly, preparations are in hand for the upcoming technical meeting with the secretariat.”

The move to full membership was criticised by the Opposition, which argued that it should be decided by a referendum.

Jarion Richardson, the leader of the One Bermuda Alliance, said in March that the public should be consulted on the issue, and that the Government was at risk of “running roughshod” over the process.

Sir John Swan, the former premier, also called for a referendum and criticised the proposal last November, when he said that it would jeopardise the island’s existing relationships with the United States and Britain.

He also voiced concerns about how the free movement of Caricom member state citizens through the region — a goal reaffirmed at the conclusion of the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Guyana this year — would affect Bermudian businesses.

Mr Burt has since insisted that Bermuda will be able to opt out of the arrangement.

He said: “It is not something the Government of Bermuda is contemplating as Bermuda is too small to have open borders.”