Community groups such as churches and sports clubs will no longer have to pay to have their statutory public notices printed in the Official Gazette.

In a new rule change approved by MPs yesterday in the House of Assembly, the Premier will have discretion to allow these notices to be printed elsewhere and open for public inspection.

It means some bodies which previously had to pay to print notices such as their rules and regulations in the Official Gazette may be exempted from doing this.

Attorney General Paula Cox introduced the change in the House of Assembly yesterday and she was supported by the United Bermuda Party.

But the UBP expressed concern that the move could lesson transparency because it was unclear how this would work.

Shadow Attorney General Trevor Moniz acknowledged publishing all of these notices was expensive and not many people were interested in them.

And he said the change should "streamline the process with no detriment to the public need for transparency".

Opposition House leader John Barritt said it was important for the public to have the chance to see these notices in the Official Gazette, but with the move towards e-Government, it could become obsolete, which Opposition leader Dr. Grant Gibbons said the notices could be put on the internet along with Bermuda's other laws.

Ms Cox said she realised the move put a heavy responsibility on the integrity of the office of the Premier, and Government would ensure the public was aware they could inspect these notices.