Government has launched an investigation into why Department of Agriculture and Fisheries officials withdrew the department's monthly bulletin last week.

"There was nothing in the article that warranted it being pulled,'' Premier Pamela Gordon told the House of Assembly on Friday night.

Management at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries said on Wednesday they dumped the April monthly bulletin because it contained a tribute to former trainee Government Veterinarian Dr, Susann Smith.

But Ms Gordon also defended Government's handling of the controversy, which saw Dr. Smith released from her job after she failed her licencing exam for the fourth time.

Her comments came after Opposition MP Ottiwell Simmons charegd there was no justification for her dismissal because she had been hired and paid as a trainee.

Ms Gordon, a former Environment Minister, said Dr. Smith was given the necessary leave four times to complete accreditation to become Government veterinarian.

"I personally authorised the fourth (leave). I wanted to see her succeed.'' She added that because Dr. Smith was now appealing the decision to dismiss her, Government could give her no further assistance.

"We are unwilling to reduce the level of experience for the qualifications,'' she said.

Earlier during the House of Assembly's motion to adjourn on Friday, Mr.

Simmons said: "There's no justification to take an exam for such a high post if she was not eligible for it.'' And he called for an open board of inquiry into the matter.

Mr. Simmons claimed the Dr. Smith incident was just another example of how the "glass ceiling'' was being lowered on Bermuda's black youth.

He also requested information on why the Agricultural and Fisheries Ministry's April 1997 bulletin was pulled from circulation.

Environment Minister Irving Pearman reiterated that Government was looking into why the bulletin was pulled.

And he said the Dr. Smith matter boiled down to a simple issue that "there was a requirement and it was not met''.

He decline to comment further on the issues since Dr. Smith has initiated legal action.

Shadow Human Affairs Minister Ewart Brown said the Dr. Smith issue highlighted the need to standardise the acceptance of credentials process.