David Burt has said he does not know how much full membership of Caricom would cost but maintained it would be beneficial for the island to join.

The Premier told The Royal Gazette he was also unaware of how much other countries paid for membership.

Matters related to Bermuda advancing from associate member to a member state, which the Burt administration is championing, were the domain of Walter Roban, the former deputy premier and Minister of Home Affairs.

The brief has been transferred to Alexa Lightbourne, who replaced Mr Roban as the minister on his retirement from politics.

The Premier said: “We do not have an answer for the cost of Caricom membership. I don’t even know what other countries pay.

“The matters that are related to Caricom that were with the former Deputy Premier are now with the Minister of Home Affairs and we are still awaiting all those matters related around those discussions.”

The issue was mentioned in the 2023 Throne Speech when the Government committed to “initiating a consultation process leading to full membership in Caricom”. Another announcement was made in October of the Government’s plan to push ahead.

Bermuda has been an associate member since 2003.

Caricom is an association of 15 member states and five associate members in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

All of their assessed contributions, as published in Caricom’s 2022 annual report, amounted to just under $21 million.

That figure was the same in the 2021 annual report and was $21.6 million in 2020.

Bermuda’s associate membership has remained at $192,226 over the same three annual reporting periods.

The member state contributing the most in 2022 was Jamaica at $4,805,677, while Montserrat contributed the least at $17,300.

Edwin Carrington, the organisation's former general secretary, said in 2002 that the benefits of Bermuda taking up associate membership outweighed the $98,000 it would cost the country back then.

Mr Burt said: “It is important to us that we are part of a regional body that can help us when we have to make calls, reach out and support.

“We have seen Caricom support other overseas territories when they have had international issues. Caricom has many relationships, whether with the United States, Europe, Africa …

“When we are talking about affordable foods and the items inside of our platform, Caricom is engaged in trying to be self-sufficient.

“Jamaica is increasing agricultural productions, Guyana is expanding production too. Guyana is now an emerging oil power and also [Barbados] Prime Minister [Mia] Mottley has tasked Bermuda and Grenada to work collectively on a regional telecommunications and digital innovation policy.

“It is important because we can learn from them, just as they can learn from us.”

Mr Burt said Bermuda would share with Caricom its work on education reform towards “21st century learning”.

He said that structured models, where teachers stand before their students in a classroom setting, “is not necessarily appropriate for the future and those are spaces that we can learn from each other”.

Mr Burt flew to Barbados after the February 18 General Election to participate in the 48th Regular Meeting of Caricom Heads of Government.

His departure right after the Progressive Labour Party’s election victory drew criticism from the One Bermuda Alliance, with new MP Michael Fahy writing in an opinion piece that the Premier had chosen to “disappear to Barbados for a Caricom conference without appointing a Cabinet”.

Mr Burt said he did not appreciate the comments. “The heads of government meet twice a year and it is important we attend,” he said.

“It would have been easier to have sent the Deputy Premier but of course there was not one.”

The OBA has previously called for a referendum on whether to join as a full member.

Mr Burt has said there would be a period of consultation before a final decision was made but made no commitments regarding a referendum.

Sir John Swan said in 2023 that full membership could jeopardise the island’s relationships with the United States and Britain.

Mr Burt refuted the claims, saying the Joint Ministerial Council and the British Government fully endorsed the Government's proposal.

Mr Burt also said that Bermuda would opt out of the free movement of people across the member states — an option open to members that do not sign up to the single-market economy.