Government Budget Pamphlets Cost $14,850
Yesterday [June 13] in the Senate — in response to parliamentary questions from OBA Senator Michael Fahy — Junior Finance Minister David Burt said that 36,000 pamphlets were produced at a cost of approximately $14,850.
The pamphlets, which cover aspects of the Bermuda budget, had come under fire earlier this month, with OBA MP Mark Pettingill saying the brochures are “electioneering campaign document that should be paid for by the PLP in their campaign to be Government again.”
Senator Burt said the distribution process started in March 2012 with the pamphlets being distributed at the various Open Budget Town Hall Budget Meetings, and excess pamphlets were distributed to the post offices where some were mailed to residents.
Speaking after the Senate, Senator Fahy said, “We find it ironic that although the PLP Government touts itself as being transparent it took PQ’s to find out the costs to the taxpayers of the pamphlets. When the press asked about the costs no comment was received. In our view these pamphlets are electioneering documents by stealth.”
The full Parliamentary Questions and Answers are below:
Q1. Would the Junior Minister please provide the Senate with details of Government’s recent distribution of informational pamphlets on Funding Provisions in the 2012/2013 Budget, including the total number of pamphlets to be distributed to households in Bermuda, the number of pamphlets to be distributed by each Ministry, and the specific postal zones to which the pamphlets are being distributed?
In December of 2011, the Ministry of Finance released the Pre-Budget Report. In that report the Government committed to joining the Open Budget Initiative. Joining the Open Budget Initiative and giving a commitment to budget transparency is yet another step towards better governance in Bermuda.
One of the commitments which was made on page 30 of the pre-Budget Report is as follows:
Citizen’s Budget: A Citizen’s Budget is a nontechnical presentation that “can take many forms but its distinguishing feature is that it is designed to reach and be understood by as large a segment of the population as possible”. A citizen’s budget is a simplified summary of the budget designed to facilitate discussion. In 2005 and 2006 the Government issued a guide to the budget. The Government will re-introduce this document with the 2012-13 budget statement.It is important to note that the distribution process started in March 2012 with the pamphlets being distributed at the various Open Budget Town Hall Budget Meetings. The Department of Communication and Information Services (DCI) was asked to create pamphlets that identify the overall budget for each government Ministry. The design and layout was done by DCI Creative Services team. The pamphlets were printed by Island Press.
There were 36,000 pamphlets produced. Please see below the breakdown of the number of pamphlets produced:
- Bermuda Government 2012/2013 Budget (pamphlets) – 4000 copies
- Ministry of Health – 4,000 copies
- Ministry of Tourism and Business Development – 4,000 copies
- Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry – 4, 000 copies
- All other Ministries – 2,000 each
Excess pamphlets were distributed to the post offices where some were mailed to residents. There is no specific breakdown by postal code available. The important point, as per the open budget initiative, was to share the information with as many citizens as possible in a cost effective manner.
Q2. Would the Junior Minister please provide the Senate with details as to the total costs incurred by the Government for designing, printing and distributing the said pamphlets?
The 36,000 pamphlets were produced at a cost of approximately $14,850.
Q3. Would the Junior Minister please inform the Senate as to the Cost Centre(s) and line item(s) in Government’s 2012/2013 Approved Estimates from which the costs for the pamphlets are to be funded?
The cost for the pamphlets is to be funded from object code 5810. The cost of pamphlets will be prorated between all Ministries. The total budget provision for printing in the 2012/13 approved estimates is $2.1 Million.
Mine’s still in my mailbox along with the rest of the junk mail.
Some of the information in my pamphlet was just wrong. And some of it talked about all the great stuff that is going to happen in Bermuda (in stealth under a PLP govt). But…….ahhhh….this too will pass. PLP don’t care what you think!!!!!!!!!!
not the printing costs – it’s the salaries, the salaries, the salaries
(and does it matter that the graphs at the end don’t actually mean anything?)
If they were ‘budget pamphlets’ how come they were all different ,with different contents and pictures of government members ? Shouldn’t each one have been the same with the same information ?
They were PLP pre election flyers printed at the taxpayer’s expense.
Attn. Mrs Matthews .. Please charge the PLP war chest for $14,850
Yeah. right…they found the money to try and bullsh#t us with these pamphlets that ended up in the trash……at a cost to us $14,850…… people wake up…or you ae going to be in deep #$%^
So can I have my 41 cents back now? Every bit counts with this world wide recession dooming Bermuda.
I guess that it must be just coincidence that the only flyers that I have seen in Sandys are for Michael Scott and Kim Wilson!
Print Your own pamplets Ray! Use printshop and good greeting card paper…shouldn’t cost you more than $200 to do this. Just another example of how to SAVE 14K of OUR MONEY
Ray put your own flyers up…..
So wait, you can’y afford to pay my pension contributions but you can find 15 grand to fork out on electioneering budget pamphlets and my family wonder why i’ll not be voting PLP this time around! Jokers!!
Watcher, I agree with you think about it they cut the cost of the mirrors program that was much needed, the sunshine league that so much helped the neglected children was closed down … but the P.L.P.under the cog found one hundred thousand to pay for Renee Webb to represent Bermuda on “womens issues ” !!!!!!!!!!! did we ever get a report from miss Webb on her report on womens issues ? NO
I think the people of Bermuda have lost all respect for the cog…..and I think she has lost all respect from her party.
Paula Cox, will go down as the worst premier Bermuda has ever seen…she needs to resign….enough is enough Paula.
I think Dr Evil tops her reign.
Agreed,dreb was the worse……but…….heeeee’s baaaaaack!!!!!!!
Money is tight so it should be use to feed and help people that are hurting right now.
Mine went straight in the trash , there is a vibe that I am Not feeling!
Mine went into the trash, how many others did too. What a waste,but it is the PLP, WHOM HAVE ZERO REGARD FOR A BUDGET OR OTHERS CASH. Please let them be gone soon.
O.K. let”s add this on
$1,436,879,223.99 + $14,850 = hmmmm you carry the 2 right?
As long as they were printed on the island and the money is recycled back into the Bermuda economy – unlike most Goverment print that is bought from the states and shipped to Bermuda……then the cash is gone.
Stupid waste of money. They have no common sense.
We love to waste should be the new motto. How many more wasteful things are in the works to add to the mountain of debt? Get thesr jokers out!!!
Just more of the same.
Dumb enough to get found out, too!!