An independent auditor who has reportedly catalogued dozens of safety failings at the yet to open new Berkeley Institute should be brought back to the Island to prove his published concerns are true.

That?s the view of Shadow Works and Engineering Minister Jon Brunson, responding to a front page story in yesterday?s Mid-Ocean News which warned the $120 million school is a ?death trap? because of a damning report prepared by a construction engineer.

It is claimed former site supervisor Gabriel Martel, who has 40 years background in the industry, carried out a detailed inspection of the project last month, bringing to light dangers ranging from poorly built walls to compromised fire proofing and dangerous electrical wiring.

His contracted was terminated by Somers Construction Limited last week and he returned to Canada from where he spoke to the weekly newspaper.

Attending a post-Budget Press conference in the Cabinet Room surrounded by his Government colleagues, Works and Engineering Minister Sen. David Burch said he had not read the newspaper but had seen the ?Death Trap? headline.

?Had it been printed in a credible newspaper I would have asked the Minister of Finance to excuse me from the Budget presentation today and spend some time working on it,? he said.

?There will be an answer at some stage but I will not concern myself by things you read in that rag.?

Pressed for further clarification, he added: ?What you have is a disgruntled employee who has been fired and gone back home and has accused Somers, the Department of Planning and the Ministry of Works of creating all manner of sins.

?Clearly we will look at those and it will be for all of those organisations to answer but, from my point of view, that ?thing? that comes out on a Friday ? they are always wrong. And even in the face of irrefutable evidence they are not backing down. You can?t expect that I, or anybody in this Government, is going to spend a whole lot of time spinning their wheels trying to answer foolishness.?

Sen. Burch said there was no final inspection report on the school yet as the work has not been completed, but he monitors progress reports every Monday.

He said he was happy with the state of workmanship at the school and said the $20 million over-budget spending on the project?s during the current financial year was further proof that no corners had not been cut during construction. The senator would also be happy to have any safety inspector come and look at the building.

His United Bermuda Party opposite number Mr. Brunson, said: ?Sen. Burch needs to say it is true or it isn?t true. And he needs to prove it.

?If there is any truth in these allegations then Berkeley will have gone from being a fiscal fiasco to a criminal investigation.?

And responding to Sen. Burch?s apparent willingness to have the school inspected for safety faults, said: ?If this Mr. Martel knows where the violations exist ? and says there are hundreds of them ? then let?s bring him back and he can show us.

?If Sen. Burch says it?s just a disgruntled employee and he?s happy to have it inspected then let?s get Mr. Martel back to show us and let?s see who is being honest.

?Mr. Martel has 40 years experience and he?s a construction industry auditor. We should get the guy back to show us.?