international companies for six-figure donations to buy a $5 million luxury headquarter for the Ministry of Tourism.

The report in the Mid-Ocean News quoted an unnamed member of the international business sector saying he had received a letter from Cabinet Office asking for donations.

But the Premier told the House of Assembly: "I would ask the member of the international business community to produce such letter because such letter was never sent.'' Tourism Minister David Allen launched a bitter attack on his Shadow Minister David Dodwell for raising the issue on the basis of a newspaper report and claimed Bermuda Press Holdings, publishers of the Mid-Ocean News and The Royal Gazette , supported the United Bermuda Party.

He accused Mr. Dodwell of recycling "gossip, innuendo and unsubstantiated newspaper reports''.

"That's a shallow accommodation that they base their attacks on Government. I can tell you definitively I have never seen any letter that's gone out and my understanding is there never was a letter.'' Challenging Mr. Dodwell to produce the letter or shut up, he said "don't produce an article in the UBP's own press and tell me that's fact''.

The report claimed the Ministry was looking at Craigmore, a luxury estate on Pitts Bay Road, near Hamilton, which was the former home of Canadian financier Christopher Ondaatje.

Mr. Allen said the Ministry offices were cramped and had no boardroom table so Government was looking for new offices for Tourism.

"We have looked at all sorts of properties and we've turned down all sorts of properties,'' he said.

"We don't have premises now that we're interested in and don't know where the Department will go. We will have premises befitting one of the two more important industries.'' Mr. Allen said he had no respect for people who were "not brave enough'' to identify themselves. He said he had been threatened with losing his mortgage when he stood up for the Progressive Labour Party when it was in Opposition.

Mr. Dodwell said businessmen would not speak up because "the problem is the whole fear thing''.

He said he tried to find out who had received the letter. "I spoke to one who thought it was a fait accompli and another said it was not what a responsible Government would do,'' he said.

"This is a major concern. It is an absolute shock that the issue of transparency, accountability and fairness has been breached again.

"What is the cost to the tax-payer? Is there a better use of money or are we looking at another example of style over substance. That's all we've seen from Tourism.'' Shadow Finance Minister Grant Gibbons said: "Quoting Shakespeare, `me thinks he doth protest too much'. All we've heard from the honourable member is `prove it'. We haven't heard him deny it. Is there truth in any of it? Did they or did they not make a bid?'' Mid-Ocean News editor Tim Hodgson said yesterday: "We stand by our story.'' TOURISM TOU