The Ministry of Transport has hit back at insinuations that Minister Ewart Brown had some "ulterior and political motive" for granting a Progressive Labour Party trustee permission to own an oversized car.

The Royal Gazette revealed last Saturday that Dr. Brown granted Henry Talbot of Talbot Enterprises permission to own an oversized Mercedes.

Transport Control director Kevin Monkman said the Minister reasoned that Government would soon be bringing forward legislation to increase the size of private cars anyway.

Even with the new legislation, however, Mr. Talbot's car will still be too powerful - a slip-up which Mr. Monkman took responsibility for, saying it was a mistake he should have caught when making his recommendation to the Minister.

However Shadow Transport Minister Jamahl Simmons slammed the decision as "a favour for a friend", and accused Government of pushing the civil servant forward as a scapegoat. Such permission is usually granted for hardship cases such as people needing extra space for handicapped passengers, but Mr. Simmons said there was no compassionate case for dispensation here. Mr. Talbot has refused to comment on the situation.

"Even in spite of the clear technical statements of the director of Transport Control, some ulterior and political motive has been ascribed to the Minister's exercise of his discretion under the law," the Ministry of Transport stated yesterday.

"To ensure clarity on this issue, the Ministry must point out that to consider the political affiliations of an applicant in a matter of this sort would be wrong and contrary to the law; as it would to have regard to the race, colour, creed or gender of any applicant."

Each application is always considered on its individual merits, the statement said. "Previous governments have done so in similar situations, for example, a well-known Premier of the United Bermuda Party also benefited from the exercise of the former Minister's discretion in this regard.

"It is not the Ministry's policy to discuss publicly the details of any application to the Minister and that respect is accorded to all applicants successful or otherwise.

"Furthermore, a suggestion by the Shadow Minister of Transport that there is a 'strangeness about the whole Ministry of Transport' has proved most hurtful to the hardworking men and women of the Ministry who daily provide sound technical advice to the Minister and serve the public well."

Explaining the need for larger cars on the Island, the statement said it was expected that the Opposition will approve of the legislation to increase car sizes, which is due to be debated in the House of Assembly tomorrow.

"This legislation, if passed by both Houses, will reduce significantly the need for the Minister to be called upon to exercise his discretion in this regard," the Ministry stated.

But the statement added that most applications for exemptions concerned vehicles that would still be too large under the new car sizes and "the Minister is unlikely to exercise his discretion in favour of such applicants".

"But (he) is bound to consider each and every application on its merits and will continue to do so," the statement said.

Planning application

Mr. Talbot has applied for retroactive approval for the cleaning up of a cliff face damaged by Hurricane Fabian at his home in Sandys.

Mr. Talbot has been the subject of a Planning investigation launched after neighbours and environmentalists voiced their complaints when he bulldozed through natural rock formations and longtail nests at a private beach in Somerset.

Mr. Talbot, who owns about 95 percent of the beach at Gilbert's Bay and also erected a beach house there, was ordered to stop work immediately. Planning Director Rudolph Hollis said last week the department was attempting to bring the matter directly to the Attorney General for enforcement. On July 14 the Planning Department received an application from Mr. Talbot for the "retroactive approval for underpinning of foreshore and clean-up of cliff face damaged due to Hurricane Fabian" at his property on East Shore Road.

Mr. Talbot declined to speak with The Royal Gazette, while Mr. Hollis could not be contacted.