WORKS & Engineering and Housing Minister David Burch has been appointed Tourism Minister following the resignation of Ewart Brown.

Premier Alex Scott was forced into making a mini-Cabinet reshuffle after Dr. Brown confirmed his resignation from the Cabinet in order to challenge for the leadership of the country.

At a Press conference yesterday afternoon, Mr. Scott revealed that Sen. Burch will take on the Tourism portfolio while remaining at the helm of the Works & Engineering and Housing Ministries. Minister without Portfolio Walter Lister has been given responsibility for Dr. Brown's other Ministry, Transport.

Mr. Scott paid tribute to his former Cabinet colleague, saying Dr. Brown's departure would be a loss. And he also dismissed speculation of a rift between himself and Dr. Brown noting that the two men had had "a laugh and a giggle" during a meeting at which Dr. Brown tendered his resignation.

The Premier also stressed that it was very much a case of business as usual for Government and acknowledged that the new appointments had been forced on him by the resignation, but that both Sen. Burch and Mr. Lister were capable Ministers up to the job.

"It is said that man must pursue his own end and that while Dr. Brown will be a loss, it is now time to move on. However, governance requires that governments adapt to change. Accordingly, I will request that His Excellency the Governor appoint the Minister appoints the Minister of Works & Engineering and Housing to assume the duties and responsibilities of the Ministry of Tourism and the Minister without Portfolio to assume the duties and responsibilities of the Minister of Transport.

"We certainly have put two capable people into two important responsibilities. They are prestigious responsibilities but they are capable Ministers. The bottom line is that the public and the Government must be well served and I feel that we can assure the public that that will happen.

"We have been talking over the recent weeks, months and, maybe for the PLP, years, of broader responsibilities, smaller Cabinets.

"We wouldn't have chosen this time or this method, the time may have chosen itself. We now have a smaller Cabinet and the opportunity was there for me to look at Cabinet and see if we could make the accommodations.

"Dr. Brown and I have had a very good relationship. If you want to know how good, he's my doctor ? I'm going to be watching my prescriptions from now on.

"But we have a very good working relationship and we had a laugh and a giggle ? I don't want to sound frivolous but we did exchange one or two pleasantries because that's the nature of the relationship.

"I think our wives may have even talked since then, as a matter of fact I think my wife has probably talked to Mrs. Brown more than she's talked to me in recent times."

When asked if he was looking forward to his new challenge, Senator Burch replied: "Absolutely. I wouldn't have agreed to do it if I wasn't looking forward to it.

"Clearly I have a lot of responsibilities but the Premier took the view that, if you want something done ask a busy person to do it. I'm certainly looking forward to keeping Tourism going.

"Certainly it is on a very positive footing and I think that no one can do anything but commend Dr. Brown for his efforts in that regard and I intend during the time that I have to continue in that vein.

"I thrive on hard work and I would not agree to do something if I did not feel confident that I could carry out the responsibilities that I've been asked to do. I'm sharp, you know."