United Bermuda Party MP John Barritt has called for parliamentarians to up their game as he reflected on rule changes aimed at modernising the House of Assembly.

A new question period, and the opening up of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), are both signs the House is progressing towards a better way of doing the Country's business, Mr. Barritt told a UBP press conference.

But he said there's still a long way to go before Bermuda can reclaim its place at the forefront of legislative development for small jurisdictions.

"I believe we have got to raise our game on and down the hill to improve the quality of service we deliver for Bermuda and the people of Bermuda," Mr. Barritt told the media.

"We're only inching forward in my view and we need to make reform a priority, not just to bring about better governance — that's important, yes — but to raise the standards of performance and behaviour when doing the Country's business.

"We are leaders and we are expected to lead and set the example for others to see and to hopefully emulate.

"It's all very well to exhort the community to come together and work together, but it may not amount to a hill of beans if we are not actually seen to be practising what we preach.

"Personally, I think advances in governance are also the key to getting us away from and out of the political, racial and cultural straitjackets in which we often find ourselves."

Mr. Barritt said question period and open PAC meetings — brought about following a review by himself and former Premier Dame Jennifer Smith — help to bring more accountability to MPs.

He also praised the launch of a joint select committee on crime, which he will form alongside PLP backbenchers Randy Horton, Ashfield DeVent and Lovitta Foggo, and Bermuda Democratic Alliance MP Shawn Crockwell.

But he pointed to more work needed in other areas, saying the imminent arrival of electronic Hansard should be followed by the launch of a website listing bills, motions and debates, allowing the public to make comments.

He welcomed the introduction of Public Access To Information legislation, but said it would take another two or three years to become operational, leaving Bermuda lagging behind the Cayman Islands.

And he said he was very disappointed Government failed to keep a Throne Speech promise to get on with modernising the Legislature and system of government.

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