Bermudians who could be doing the work, Government has confirmed.

Labour and Home Affairs Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman told the House of Assembly last Friday that work permits for landscapers were being "restricted vigorously'' by his Ministry, because unemployed Bermudians could be doing the work.

But on Sunday, M and C Landscaping owner Mr. Raul Clementino confirmed he held eight work permits for landscapers. And he was using them to work at Dockyard for the West End Development Corporation.

Mr. Pearman said he looked into the matter after it was raised in the House by Progressive Labour Party MP Mr. David Allen. The permits were issued before a crackdown on landscaping permits was launched, he said.

"We haven't given them any new permits probably in a year,'' Mr. Pearman said of M and C. It was likely the permits had been renewed more recently than that.

The Minister, who believed there were seven permits, not eight, was to receive a full briefing on the matter today.

As the permits come up for renewal over the next several months, the positions will have to be advertised, Mr. Pearman said. "We want to see that all of the Bermudian applicants are treated fairly.'' Mr. Allen has raised concerns that Wedco is privatising its landscaping operations while replacing Bermudians with foreigners. M and C was employing eight non-Bermudians while the number of Bermudian landscapers had dropped to four from ten since last summer, he said.

Mr. Pearman, Works and Engineering Minister the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto, and Wedco landscape manager Mr. Malcolm Griffiths all denied there were plans to privatise the landscaping.

Mr. Griffiths said M and C was hired recently to do some small capital projects, and "they should be finished in the near future''.

Three or four Bermudian landscapers are now working for Wedco, but there were never ten, Mr. Griffiths said.

Also in the House of Assembly, Mr. Allen said there were allegations that Mr.

Griffiths was connected with M and C. But both Mr. Griffiths and Mr.

Clementino said that was not true.

Work permits for landscapers, office and window cleaners, construction workers, kitchen help, and general restaurant waiters were all being strictly controlled, Mr. Pearman said.

Mr. Clementino said he was "more than happy to have a nice Bermudian to work with me,'' but before the past couple of permits were renewed, "no suitable Bermudians applied''.