ahead until the tenant is relocated, Works and Engineering Minister the Hon.

Ann Cartwright DeCouto confirmed yesterday.

She was responding to concerns raised by the Dockyard Housing Committee and a woman who has lived at the Clarence Terrace home for 37 years.

Last week, the tenant Mrs. Marion Simons said she had heard that the porch and part of her home would have to come down as work continued on the new prison next door.

Mrs. Simons is one of six tenants of Clarence Terrace who will have to be rehoused by September.

Their low-rent homes border on the perimeter of the new prison that will open in November.

Four tenants have already found new homes, but the others are finding it more difficult to relocate.

Mrs. Simons said she faces problems finding a new house because she cannot afford the rent without social assistance and one landlord has already told her he will not take tenants who are on social assistance.

And in a letter to Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto the Dockyard Housing Committee stressed that it was concerned about the "imminent threat of demolition of one of our members' homes'' and accused the Minister of "misleading the public''.

The committee also noted that eight houses remained vacant in Dockyard due to a breakdown of communication between the West End Development Corporation, the Bermuda Housing Corporation, and the Minister.

But yesterday Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto hit back at the committee in a two-page statement.

"There is no imminent threat of demolition of any of the houses at Clarence Terrace or Gilbert's Green,'' she wrote.

"A proposal to improve the visibility of the new prison access will involve the removal of a wall and approximately half of the front garden of 8 Clarence Terrace, but the porch, and the house will not be affected.

"This information together with a plan was sent registered mail to the tenant of 8 Clarence Terrace on the 18th March, 1993.

"On the 12th April, the tenant noted, on our file copy of the letter, that the proposed works were understood and agreed to.

"This work will not proceed until the tenant has been relocated.'' Referring to the committee's denial of her claim that it has discouraged any tenants from taking up available accommodation, Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto said: "I refrain from being specific in the interest of protecting the privacy of the particular tenant, and stand by the information given to me''.

She added that the tenant has since been told about two possible homes in Somerset and they are actively pursuing that.

Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto said another tenant was also told about two two-bedroom units in Somerset -- one at White Hill and the other at Cook's Hill.

"While not inspected by technical officers, the landlords of these units described them as two bedroom units, which is what the tenant required,'' she said.

"The tenant has advised us that both units were one and a half bedrooms and not suitable.'' But one of the landlords revealed that no one came to look at the premises, Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto said.

And she noted that while the rooms at Clarence Terrace and Gilbert's Green are of "considerable'' size, "most Bermuda houses have much smaller rooms''.

She also noted that the only Housing Corporation units available at Boaz Island are on the market for sale, rather than rent.

However, Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto added: "Our continuing meetings with Wedco have resulted in a two-bedroom unit in the Dockyard area becoming available to offer to one of the tenants in Clarence Terrace or Gilbert's Green''.

She stressed that her technical officers and officers from the Housing Corporation and Wedco were doing "all that is possible to assist the tenants''.