By Raymond Hainey Oversize cars for Ministers are legal, Transport Minister Ewart Brown insisted yesterday.

And he said the three Peugeot 406s were covered by a clause in the car laws that allowed the Transport Minister and Works and Engineering Minister to waive the Island's strict size limits "in the public interest''.

The same clause allowed the Premier's car to be oversize, as well as the personal transport of the Governor and US Consul.

Dr. Brown said: "This Government is not contravening the law by bringing in these Peugeot cars.'' And he added: "When the media raised this question with me recently about the legality of the cars, I said then, and I say now, that I consider it an insult that this Government and, in particular, the Minister of Transport, should be accused of putting cars on the road that are outside the legal requirement.'' But Shadow Transport Minister Erwin Adderley questioned whether bigger cars for Ministers was "in the public interest''.

And he accused Government of insulting the House of Assembly and the public by not bringing forward an amendment to the law to allow a full debate on the merits of larger cars to take place.

Mr. Adderley said: "Quite frankly, I was surprised and disappointed and it was an insult to the House to deal with oversize cars in this way.

"I still want to know what makes it in the public interest for Ministers to have oversize cars.

"It's contrary to the public interest. We have narrow, winding roads and small cars. We have the colours of the houses. This is all part of the image of Bermuda.'' Political insiders questioned why -- if the section of the car laws allowed a public interest waiver -- that had not been used for funeral limousines instead of a special Act being passed.

Dr. Brown said: "It could have been -- our choice was to insert new legislation at that time.'' And he added: "Discretionary decisions I think should be reserved for narrower matters which fall within the executive branch of Government.'' But Mr. Adderley said: "The funeral limousines bill had to come back to the House as an amendment, the rationale was presented and there was general discussion and debate.

"The Minister should have brought an amendment in this case to the section which dealt with Government cars. That way the matter could have been presented and discussed and if it was in the public interest could have been argued.

"By doing it this way, there is no reason given -- and the way it was done was an insult to Bermuda.'' Dr. Brown said a special committee was set up months ago with the aim of reducing the number of Government cars, which carry GP plates.

He added: "This committee decided also to set up a pool of up to five executive cars that could be used by the Premier, Cabinet Ministers and for transporting visiting dignitaries. These Peugeot cars will form that pool.'' Dr. Brown added that the BMW Seven Series GP1 used by the Premier was "on its last leg.'' He said: "On more than one occasion we have been placed in the embarrassing position of not having enough GP cars in a reasonable condition to transport visiting dignitaries from the airport and to be available to them during their stay in Bermuda.'' And he added that the first of the Peugeots had been pressed into service to transport Foreign Office junior Minister Baroness Patricia Symons on her recent visit to Bermuda.

Dr. Brown said: "Smaller cars are just not appropriate. We had the opportunity to purchase these cars at a good price and we took advantage of it.'' He added that the Opposition was aware that it was customary for governments overseas to lay on courtesy cars for visiting Bermuda representatives -- and it was "a source of embarrassment'' that the Island had "not been able to return the same courtesies to our guests because of our restrictions on cars''.

Dr. Brown said: "Now we can extend the courtesies that are expected of any prosperous, sophisticated country such as ours. I have used my discretion under the Act to provide the cars for that purpose.

"Ministers will use them on a regular basis and relinquish them when they are required by visiting dignitaries.'' Ewart Brown