Parking offenders who have not paid their fines may still get off scot-free -- despite Government attempts to close a loophole in the law.

Last night, Transport Minister Wayne Furbert tried to pass a bill through the House of Assembly that would make tickets issued in the latter part of last year valid.

Owing to an administrative error, unpaid tickets issued at that time were not brought before the courts within the necessary six month period, allowing offenders to claim that they did not have to pay up.

But the Transport Minister was eventually forced to reconsider the bill, which revokes the six month time limit, following an angry outburst from opposition MPs.

Shadow Transport Minister Dennis Lister began by accusing the Government of shortsightedness when it introduced new traffic procedures last year.

"Basically the reason we are here tonight is because of an oversight by the Government in not seeing this problem when it introduced the new procedure,'' he said.

"I must express my concern to the part of this bill which makes it retroactive and validates tickets that were once not valid.'' Veteran PLP MP Lois Browne-Evans was concerned that the bill -- The Traffic Offences Procedure Validation Act 1998 -- would mean that, while those who had had their cases acquitted by one magistrate would not have to pay, others who had had their cases adjourned would now be liable for the fine.

"Do you call that equal justice?'' she asked. "These offences all occurred at roughly the same time. It's like saying that sexual harassment isn't an offence and somebody goes ahead and does it and then you say you are going to change the law to make it deemed to be.

"Are those people who were acquitted going to be issued again? People were innocent at the time and you are now going to say they are guilty.

"I have never ever seen anything so blatant and it is the worst thing this UBP Government has ever given the people to swallow. I believe in fairness.

The principle here is that with the law as it stood these people were not guilty.'' Public Safety Minister Quinton Edness tried to rescue his colleague by insisting that it was only an administrative error that had made the tickets invalid.

"We are talking about people who have committed an offence under law and this bill is going back and validating those tickets,'' he said.

"It is unfair for these persons to get away without having to pay. This bill goes back and says `yes, you committed an offence and the ticket you got then was incomplete for the court to deal with it but this bill validates the ticket and you are now guilty'.'' UBP backbencher, Smith's South MP Trevor Moniz, also urged members of the House to support the bill.

"Let's not get this out of perspective,'' he said.

"We are talking about parking tickets, not about people being put to death.

Many people have already paid these tickets. The Government is acknowledging that a mistake was made and they are trying to correct it.'' Despite the backing of colleagues Mr. Furbert eventually decided not to take the bill further. "I recognise that the members on the other side have concerns,'' he said. "We can take a look at what you are saying and I will ask that we rise and report progress.'' GOVERNEMENT GVT COURTS CTS