Your Excellency, Cabinet and parliamentary colleagues, ladies and gentlemen; good afternoon.

The Senate provides a valuable oversight role under Bermuda’s Constitution. In an often calmer setting than the Lower House, Senators examine legislation and bring a perspective to debates that can inform the application of legislation to the everyday lives of Bermuda’s people.

That care and concern for the people was always exemplified by the service of now-former Senator Dr Ernest Peets. As a trained professional in the

caring services, Dr. Peets brought a genuine empathy and humanness to his service, and I wish to thank him for all that he did to advance the critical policies and agenda of the Government.

I am pleased to welcome Senator Leslie Robinson to the Government’s existing team of Junior Ministers and have every confidence that she will diligently fulfill this new role. Senator Robinson will serve as Junior Minister of Economy & Labour and Junior Minister of Public Works - and will speak for those ministries in the upper house.

Senator Robinson is a proud alumnus of West Pembroke Primary, The Berkeley Institute, the Bermuda College and Emory University. Senator Robinson has over 33 years of experience in the financial services sector in Bermuda, with 22 years in captive management and broking and 11 years as a financial services regulator.

She is currently Senior Vice President, Head of Underwriting & Claims at Willis Towers Watson Management (Bermuda) Limited and is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute of London.

Senator Robinson is a strong advocate for Insurance Education, having been a full-time lecturer of Insurance Studies at the Bermuda College during the late 1990s and also a former part-time lecturer and seminar presenter at the former Bermuda Insurance Institute (BII). She also served on the Bermuda Insurance Institute’s Education Committee from 2002 to 2010.

I wish Senator Robinson well as she embarks on this new challenge in her public service.

Following the changes to the Cabinet last month, there are now 11 ministers in the House of Assembly - and our constitution allows up to 12 Ministers & Junior Ministers from the House. Today I have invited the Governor to appoint MP Kim Swan as Junior Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport.

This is a natural fit for one of Bermuda’s foremost golf professionals who brings a passion for sport and the development of young people through sport which will serve the community well. Junior Minister Swan will speak to matters related to this Ministry in the House of Assembly.

I am glad that Kim has accepted this new role, and I look forward to him speaking in the House of Assembly on behalf of the Government on the national policies launched by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport, which now must be implemented to positively impact people’s lives.

Tomorrow in the House of Assembly and on Monday in the Senate, we will debate the Government’s Throne Speech and introduce a number of Bills that will continue the solid record of delivery of this Government on behalf of the people of Bermuda. This will be a short but productive term before rising for the Christmas break.

In the last two weeks, Ministers have laid out the plans for this Legislative Session, and we look forward to continuing the work of addressing the cost of living, providing more affordable housing, delivering on education reform, bringing relief to working parents, and delivering continued economic growth by implementing Bermuda’s economic recovery plan.

I would like to say, congratulations to the new appointees.