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Red Tape Reduction Consultation

What regulations, laws, or processes are unnecessary or outdated and should be removed to support economic growth and development in Bermuda’s economy?

In this year’s Speech from the Throne, the 2024/25 Budget, and the Economic Development Strategy, the Government of Bermuda has committed to reducing unnecessary and outdated regulations that hinder economic activity.

In our efforts to enhance government services and foster economic growth, we recognise the importance of streamlining regulations and removing “red tape” to ensure that Bermuda remains an efficient and business-friendly jurisdiction.

The Government believes in open and transparent consultation and invites you to participate in this crucial process by voicing your concerns, suggesting improvements, and helping identify unnecessary regulatory hurdles.

Your insights are invaluable in shaping policies that support efficient government services and economic development and will be vital as we take decisive steps to enhance our economic landscape and ensure Bermuda remains a dynamic and welcoming place for businesses to develop.

For example: Many Government service departments are unable to take payments for services provided, and customers must currently go to Government cashiers and then go back to a department to collect a document or permit.

Suggestion: Update processes and systems so all Government departments can take payments online and in the office. Making operations more efficient and less time-consuming.

Phases

Phases overview

Red Tape Reduction Consultation

Red Tape Reduction Consultation

March 15, 2024 - May 10, 2024

What regulations, laws, or processes are unnecessary or outdated and should be removed to support economic growth and development in Bermuda’s economy?

In this year’s Speech from the Throne, the 2024/25 Budget, and the Economic Development Strategy, the Government of Bermuda has committed to reducing unnecessary and outdated regulations that hinder economic activity.

In our efforts to enhance government services and foster economic growth, we recognise the importance of streamlining regulations and removing “red tape” to ensure that Bermuda remains an efficient and business-friendly jurisdiction.

The Government believes in open and transparent consultation and invites you to participate in this crucial process by voicing your concerns, suggesting improvements, and helping identify unnecessary regulatory hurdles.

Your insights are invaluable in shaping policies that support efficient government services and economic development and will be vital as we take decisive steps to enhance our economic landscape and ensure Bermuda remains a dynamic and welcoming place for businesses to develop.

For example: Many Government service departments are unable to take payments for services provided, and customers must currently go to Government cashiers and then go back to a department to collect a document or permit.

Suggestion: Update processes and systems so all Government departments can take payments online and in the office. Making operations more efficient and less time-consuming.

95 ideas

John Thompson2 years ago

Neil Redburn2 years ago

Nicky Gurret2 years ago These are a few examples that could benefit all by paying on line which would reduce staff time and wasted time by members of the public.Paying for a bus ride should be by credit card. Both tourist and locals do not have exact change. Paying for a bus ride should be by credit card. Both tourist and locals do not have exact change. Paying for Planning applications and Building applications should be done on-line. One should not have to walk to the Government administration to wait in a line to pay and bring receipt back to the Planning Department with a receipt. Payment for annual well licence. One has to go to Parks Department to pay. Payment for a dog licence. One should be able to do this on-line Parking ticket and speeding ticket should be paid on line. When one goes to pay in person often the payment window is not open during the lunch period. Paying on line would make it easier for all. These are some examples.

LeeAnn Simmons2 years ago

Donna Kelly2 years ago Annual car examinations should be for safety of the vehicle not for the cosmetics. Check for brakes, lights, indicators, balding tires etc. Not for faded paint on bonnet or roof, or for rust on inside of a door or anywhere else on the vehicle, unless the rust is causing the vehicle to be unsafe. The cosmetics do not hinder the road safety of the user nor the other drivers. Our roads are unsafe but we still have to drive them everyday which has caused so many issues with our vehicles I ver the long term, but yet we go to TCD and get failed for small issues listed above. And so many more smaller issues that do not in any way impact safety while on our roads. If the vehicle is not passed it causes so many trickle down issues. Having to pay for transportation, taxi etc. No money left to fix the things the car failed for as you are paying to get to where you need to go or once you've paid for vehicle to be repaired according to TCD then you don't have funds for licensing and insurance. Also, why is it the same to license a 15yr old vehicle as a brand new one. There should be some type of discount for license depending on the length of tume you have your vehicle. One pays for 15 years to drive on our roads and a newbie is paying the same. The same way we have an insurance deduction for no claims we should have a reduction for the licensing fee. Not waiting until you are a senior. Thank you,

Amaury Symonds2 years ago As more government services are moved online, seniors and those who aren't technically proficient may find it hard to adapt. Post offices are already placed in strategic locations around the island. Expanding post office services to include a few stations where seniors could schedule time to meet with an agent who will assist with online applications could reduce the amount of time government workers have to spend assisting senior clients. This will also create a secure and trusted environment that allows seniors to share their information without the threat of unintentionally giving their information to hackers.

Robert Anthony Trew2 years ago A lot of the 'red tape' experienced by the public is directly related to the length of time it takes for Govt to deliver essential goods and services or the inability to make decisions in a timely manner. The Civil Service is currently operating with an unreliable and inconsistent IT infrastructure i.e. PCs, computers, printers, phones and outdated operational processes. Govt needs to make a sizable investment in IT. They need to be committed to replacing old machines and/or upgrading operation system versions. All CS staff should be working with a reasonably functioning computer with reliable printers, phones and applications. Applications that the CS or public-facing kiosks use from 3rd party vendors do not work properly as they are non-compliant with the old operation system versions installed on our PCs.The CS cannot deliver the goods and services the public requires if systems are constantly failing. The CS is eager to deliver but are frustrated by this ongoing matter. A good analogy is having a shiny car with the latest accessories, but the engine is rusted, and the wheels are flat. Let's fix the car so that it runs like a F1. Govt to invest in hardware, operating systems and more technicians to support.

Richard Strachan2 years ago Why not eliminate the need for PRC holders to have to make a new PRC application for their dependents when their children reach 18 yrs of age. The process to apply for (and issue) a new PRC is administratively onerous, costly and takes up to 18 months. The process also necessitates that while waiting for the application to be processed, the dependent be treated as a visitor on re-entering Bermuda, having lived most/all of their life here. This is the stage of life where we should reinforce that Bermuda is their home, not push them away.

Noelle Young2 years ago

Adrienne Smatt2 years ago The barrier to entry for credit card machines is too high. To get a machine for a small business for, say, a market or Harbour night scenario requires a merchant bank account, which requires vetting, and fees. Then you need to have $500 in the merchant account to apply for a machine and none of this includes the fees associated with every transaction (which is to be expected). In the states, within half an hour you can sign up for a credit card accepting device, connect it with your bank account or even be offered a debit card which all charges will be debited to - available for your immediate use on the given card... All within half an hour.This same process can be connected with your website so seemlessly. None of these conveniences work in Bermuda - Square, Venmo, Zelle etc. So compare that process to Bermuda where even if you have a credit card machine, that doesn't mean you can accept cards on your website because you have to work through a third party who also requires you to have a merchant bank account to be able to accept payments which are then debited to your bank account.Happily, one can accept PayPal on a website but have fun trying to get PayPal to connect to your Bermuda bank account - it won't. So you just get to use PayPal credit on all your online overseas purchases, how neat is that? Oh right, not at all neat. If I want to use the money on island, I can't.There are clearly easier ways to allow small businesses to accept payments and provide a convenience to their customers, but Bermuda, as usual, despite being an epicenter for international business, is behind the times and the government has done nothing, despite years of throne speeches saying they would, to lower banking fees or make it easier for entrepreneurs and small businesses to grow their sales and customer base because of a lack of convenience - the ability to accept credit card payments and receive that money in our bank accounts.Remove this high barrier of entry of $500 for a merchant account. Force banks to connect with globally used and established credit card processing applications. Allow us to use applications like Venmo or Zelle. Make it easy to do business in Bermuda at a standard we can be proud of - or at least one that matches the rest of the world.

Lee Munoz2 years ago

Jutkita Wilson2 years ago

Linda Mienzer2 years ago Summary: This submission addresses critical inefficiencies and outdated practices in Bermuda's postal and customs processes, alongside the broader necessity for digital payment solutions. By advocating for the modernization of these areas, this submission aligns with global standards of convenience, efficiency, and accessibility. The proposed reforms are aimed at reducing bureaucratic overhead, enhancing user experience, and paving the way for a more digitally inclusive Bermuda. 1. Modernization of Package Collection at the General Post Office: Issue: The current mandate requiring citizens to present hard copies for package collection at the General Post Office is not only outdated but also significantly inconveniences the public. In an era where digital verification is both secure and widely accepted, this requirement stands out as an unnecessary barrier to efficiency. Proposal: Implement a digital verification system where individuals can present electronic documents or QR codes via their smartphones or other digital devices. This system could be integrated with a mobile app or the Post Office's existing online platform, allowing for quicker and more convenient package retrieval. Benefits: - Convenience and Accessibility: Enables individuals to access postal services without the need for physical documentation. - Environmental Impact: Reduces paper waste, aligning with global sustainability goals. - Operational Efficiency: Streamlines the package collection process, reducing wait times and improving overall service quality. 2. Streamlining Bermuda Customs Processes: Issue: The current customs process is described as long and antiquated, requiring physical presence and paperwork, leading to unnecessary delays and frustration for both individuals and businesses. Proposal: Transition to a fully online submission system for customs declarations and invoicing. This system should allow users to upload necessary documents digitally and provide real-time tracking of their submission status. Benefits: - Transparency and Trackability: A digital platform offers users the ability to track their submissions, enhancing trust and predictability in the customs process. - Efficiency: Reduces processing times by eliminating physical paperwork and enabling easier data management for customs officials. - Economic Impact: Streamlines business operations, potentially boosting trade and investment by simplifying the import process. 3. Digitalization of Duty Payment Form: Issue: The current requirement to complete duty payment forms in person is another example of outdated practices that hinder the efficiency of travel and commerce. Proposal: Introduce an online duty payment system that allows travelers to complete and submit their duty payment forms digitally, even while in transit. Upon arrival, customs officers can simply retrieve the submission by the traveler's name, facilitating a faster and smoother entry process. Benefits: - Convenience for Travelers: Reduces wait times and potential bottlenecks at points of entry. - Operational Efficiency: Allows customs officials to process entries more quickly and accurately. - Enhanced Compliance: A user-friendly digital platform could encourage better compliance with duty payment requirements. 4. Partnership with Banks for Mobile Payment Solutions: Issue: The absence of widespread mobile payment solutions limits the ways in which citizens can engage economically, both with government services and in the broader marketplace. Proposal: The government should actively work with banking institutions and financial technology firms to facilitate the adoption of mobile payment solutions across the island. This initiative could include NFC (Near Field Communication) payments, QR code transactions, and other digital payment methods. Benefits: - Economic Inclusivity: Expands payment options for all citizens, including those without traditional banking access. - Consumer Convenience: Enables more efficient transactions in both public and private sectors. - Economic Growth: Modern payment solutions can stimulate economic activity by simplifying transactions and reducing barriers to entry for small businesses. Conclusion: The proposed reforms are not just about keeping pace with technological advancements; they are about embracing a future where government services are more accessible, efficient, and aligned with the needs of the people they serve. By reducing red tape and modernizing processes, Bermuda can set a standard for digital governance that prioritizes the convenience and well-being of its citizens.

Denis Pitcher2 years ago

Lee Munoz2 years ago

Carlita Lodge2 years ago Issue: Currently, when a contract is being issued by the Government, vendors are supposed to be vetted by the Accountant General, the Office of the Tax Commissioner, and the Social Insurance Department. Each of these offices uses a different system to maintain their records and the entire process can take a few weeks. It is likely that multiple Departments/Ministries are vetting the same vendors in the course of their work, causing a replication of efforts for the individuals running these reports.Suggestion: These records of non-compliant vendors should be centralized and integrated into the E1 system (or a similar system to replace this system), making the process automatic, and flagging if there is a problem when a PO is attempted to be raised.Likewise, if there are companies/individuals that are seriously non-compliant on their liabilities, this list could be provided to various Governmental Departments who would then have to redirect them back to the respective office (for example, sending a non-compliant company attempting to re-license a vehicle at TCD to the social insurance department to also work out a payment plan before being able to complete the re-licensing).

Joe Zajac2 years ago The Premier said, “We want to hear directly from those affected about the obstacles faced, and receive recommendations on processes that can be streamlined to reduce frustrations, or multiple points of contact, with the government to accomplish tasks." Every Permanent Secretary should know the answer. Why is the Government not listening to them? If a PS has nothing to contribute, fire them. Fire any Manager level bureaucrat who cannot increase department process efficiency by 10% within 30 days. Fire any Minister who cannot increase Ministry process efficiency by 20% within 30 days. Reward $25,000 to any non-minister in Government who can improve the efficiency of their department by 25% within 30 days.

Noelle Young2 years ago Some of the mandated outdated educational curricula do not align with current global standards or the evolving job market. Updating these laws to ensure that education in Bermuda can better prepare the youth for the future.Subjects that could be improved upon or added to the curriculum: -Bermudian History and Cultural Heritage-Digital Literacy and Technology Skills- Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving- Creativity, Innovation & Trades- Communication Skills- Collaboration and Teamwork- Emotional Intelligence- Global Citizenship and Cultural Competence- Environmental Literacy-Science, Technology, Engineering, Math- Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship- Health and Well-being- Civic Engagement and Leadership- Adaptability and Lifelong Learning

Denis Pitcher2 years ago Spousal letters represent unnecessary bureaucracy that should either be scrapped entirely or streamlined to minimum requirements.It is my understanding that legally only a marriage certificate is required to prove that someone is a spouse of a Bermudian and be entitled to the rights of one.As noted in a recent article about attempts to improve the processing times, New Processing Timelines For Spousal Letters - Bernews, the extensive requirements include "Application for Residence Form, a police certificate, medical clearance, passport size photos, proof of citizenship, the marriage certificate, and a birth certificate." and can take months to be processed.Why is any of this necessary if legally only a marriage certificate is required? It's simply unnecessary bureaucracy that drives up costs, burdens the immigration department and enables discrimination and harassment of spouses.Can a spousal letter just be changed to an official letter confirming the original marriage certificate and Bermudian status of the spouse?Better yet, can the letter be eliminated entirely?

Joe Zajac2 years ago PATI information retrieval is woefully inefficient. Observation: The information retrieval skill level of the numerous Information Officers is likely unequal and limited. Based on the Information Officer (IO) list posted on the ICO website, there appears to be an insufficient number of IOs assigned and about 13 Authorities without a designated IO. Two IOs are assigned to at least 14 and 15 Authorities, respectively. The role of an IO is on an as-needed basis, not a full-time position. Processing PATI requests takes away time from the IO’s regular Government duties. It has an adverse downstream ripple effect on others in the Government waiting for that regular output to complete assigned duties and, on the public, often the final receiver of the Government’s output. Public Access To Information Regulations 2014 p. 9 Delegation of functions 18. (1) An information officer may delegate to an officer such of his functions as he thinks necessary or expedient but shall remain accountable for the discharge of those functionsSharing of information officers 19. A public authority may agree with one or more other public authorities to appoint one information officer.Suggestion: Centralize the information retrieval process from Government systems as much as possible. Ministries contribute to funding what I would call an Information Retrieval Specialist (IRS) who at a minimum, processes the Government systems data retrieval requests such as email records. The IO submits an information retrieval request to the IRS instead of struggling to remember where to find the information, who to contact, and how to retrieve it. The IRS would also be responsible for creating and maintaining the indexing of all records on Government systems. From my experience, such an index does not exist. An index dramatically speeds up the information search. Once established, every document, file, and email would automatically be scanned, and every word searchable. For example, a search for records containing Person A’s email address would not have to scan through hundreds of thousands of emails as the index immediately points to the relevant records. As a neutral party, the IRS would not have a problem searching for information across Authorities and not be worried about stepping on anyone’s toes – thus performing a more thorough records search. From my own PATI experience, a thorough record search was not performed to avoid stepping on toes. The IO reviews the information collected by the IRS and decides what is appropriate to send to the requestor per the PATI Act. Benefits: This new resource frees up valuable time for the IOs to perform their regular duties. It minimizes the adverse ripple effect on the Government and the public. There would be a cost-saving to each Authority and the Government, such as:a. Not spending time and money to train IO replacements on retrieval technology applications.b. Not spending time and money on technology refresher training.c. Not spending time and money on new technology training. From the ICO website list, it appears that 15 IOs cover 71 Authorities and 124 IOs cover 124 Authorities. 13 of the 124 currently have no designated IO. In theory, centralizing the information retrieval portion of PATI would decrease the workload for 139 (15 + 124) people. The 139 does not include the cost of alternate IO’s to fill in when the primary IO is unavailable for whatever reason like taking 2-3 weeks of vacation. The Government always finds money for consultants. Or perhaps the Department of Information & Digital Technologies (IDT) hires someone whose primary duties are information retrieval and government records management. Or trains an IDT employee such as the Database Administrator (DBA) for the role. In any case, the cost of the IRS is spread proportionally amongst the Authorities on an agreed-upon formula and/or an hourly charge-back rate. There should also be an alternate IRS to fill in when the primary IRS is unavailable for any reason such as vacation, illness, etc.

Peter Smith2 years ago Send several key public officers to the UK Civil Service College for professional Customer Service, efficiency & process Training. Adopt the Golden Rule - do unto others as thy would have them do unto you, throughout the CS as a mantra for dealing with with the public. Set minimum standards for Govt employees to process tasks & respond to the public. It's funny that the Govt boasts about how quickly it can process WP's for IB, but takes weeks & weeks for everyday Bermudians to get simple things processed by the Govt, like a new Bermuda Passport. It shows that wealthy foreign corporations can get 1st class Govt Service so the question has to be asked, Why aren't ALL Govt services equally efficient? Also, there needs to be real accountability for PS's, Dept Heads via independent annual public surveys of each Dept/Ministry Customer Service levels. Pull out the SAGE Commission Report. It's far from being a perfect report, but it does have some good solutions.

Jo-Ann Cousins-Simpson2 years ago

Pamela Froud2 years ago Traffic Court unnecessarily ties up court and judge time (which should be spent on far important matters). Instead Demerit points should be recorded against each individual's driving record when they are convicted of a driving offence. The number of points added to the driving record depends on the offense. Offenses would include such matters as speeding, failure to obey a stop sign or signal light, using a cell phone, racing, etc. (But exclude criminal offenses such as dangerous driving and driving while disqualified or impaired). Demerit points should lead to penalties including license suspension. Demerit points should stay on one's record for two years from offense date. Suspension of a driver's license for accumulated points should require a driver to retake vision, written and road tests again before being re-instated, after a determined period (a further deterrent).

George Duncan2 years ago My colleague arrived today and was not issued the work permit because immigration is "experiencing delays with processing" according to their generic response.My colleague says that the officer called inside to their colleague who demanded that they come inside.The officer apparently berated my colleague and threatened with a fine of $265.00!!!He then asked if the permit was approved or if there was an email from immigration.So, this is immigration asking a civilian a question about immigration.My colleague retrieved the email to show that immigration sent confirmation of the approval.Two questions arose: Why should my colleague have to prove that they have an approved permit if immigration has sent confirmation to the employer knowing that the permit hasn't been issued and that their colleagues at the airport will ask for a permit or an email? Why does immigration not have a system in place to send confirmation to their own colleagues at the airport? Why can't their systems be integrated? Are there two sections of immigration working independently of each other? The threat of a fine is redundant because immigration issues permits and notifies employers, and, knows when permits haven't been issued as a result of the process being too cumbersome and manually intensive.While my colleague was in the office, another call came through and the way that the officer spoke to his own colleague was anything but professional - very flippant!A simple electronic permit with a QR code with a reference to a government run website that has permit details, passport and visa details on a secure site would go a long way further than burly officers hurling threats of fines.Side note:The tags on this forum should include: Modernization Digitization Economy of Effort

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