Bermuda's associate membership in CARICOM could be debated in Parliament next week after Health Minister Nelson Bascome tabled a discussion paper on the issue in the House yesterday.

The 14-page document provides information on the Island's proposed association membership in The Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The Premier is currently off the Island at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, but is due to return early next week.

If she permits, MPs could be debating the issue at a special sitting of Parliament next Wednesday, before the Cup Match holiday begins.

In a statement yesterday, Mr. Bascome said: "This document is intended to provide information as a basis for Parliamentary debate.

"The document reflects the work of the Bermuda CARICOM committee, established last summer by myself.

"We have listened to the public and I believe that this document answers many of the questions raised in the various Town Hall meetings, on the talk shows, and elsewhere.

"I believe that it also provides clarification on what associate membership means and will therefore put an end to the misconceptions that some have perpetuated about CARICOM."

Mr. Bascome said he was more confident than ever that Bermuda was right to take up associate membership of the organisation.

He said he believed it would bring tangible benefits to Bermuda and its people by enabling Government to pool resources with other island countries to tackle common problems, such as drug interdiction, pollution and Island protection.

"Associate membership will also help us to formalise the many relationships that already exist between Bermuda and the Caribbean region, whether they be business links, cultural connections, shared heritage, or official Government contacts," added Mr. Bascome.

The discussion paper explains what CARICOM is, and why Mr. Bascome and the committee believe Bermuda needs to be part of an alliance.

And it sets out the case for associate membership, which will cost $99,000 annually.

The document reads: "Bermuda currently has observer status in CARICOM and, as an observer, cannot formally participate in CARICOM programmes.

"For a number of years, Government Ministries and Departments, as well as private organisations, have been attending CARICOM conferences and meetings.

"Associate membership on the basis of functional co-operation in CARICOM would allow Bermuda to participate fully in activities it has been monitoring for years."

The report said people should consider how Bermuda could share programmes and find solutions to common problems; enhance the cultural ties between the Island and the Caribbean; find new opportunities for Bermudians and local companies; and enhance links to South America, the US and the UK.

It added: "The Bermuda CARICOM committee could identify no obvious downsides to associate membership...on the basis proposed by Government.

"Concerns raised in public meetings and elsewhere related to areas outside of the terms of Bermuda's intended participation."

And it said that associate membership did not involve Bermuda in:

* The single market or economy

* The free movement of labour. Bermuda's work permit policies will remain in place.

* The Caribbean Court of Justice

* The area of foreign relations.

Mr. Bascome said the discussion document will be made available to the public at the Government Information Services office on Church Street, at Post Offices, and electronically on the Central Policy Unit website at www.cpu.gov.bm.