The junior UK Foreign Office Minister responsible for Bermuda is at the centre of a controversy over the collapse of her law chambers with debts said to be between $75,000 and $150,000.

And -- according to reports -- Baroness Patricia Scotland now faces questions over whether her job as head of a barristers' chambers was in line with the UK Ministerial code of conduct.

But last night, a spokesman for the Foreign Office denied that Baroness Scotland had infringed the code.

He said: "There is no question of there having been a breach of the letter or the spirit of the code.'' Baroness Scotland said she had ceased practising before taking up a Ministerial position -- but added she had agreed to allow the chambers to stay in her name and remained the official head.

She insisted she had asked to have her name removed from bank accounts and she would not be responsible for chamber business -- a request she said had not been honoured by the chambers' management committee.

Baroness Scotland told reporters: "Contrary to the assurance given to me, the management committee did not honour their commitment in respect of the transfer of the lease or the change of name on chambers' bank account.

"Consequently, on February 2, I withdrew my permission for chambers to use my name.'' She added that she did not know the chambers was to be dissolved or the extent of any debt.

But the Foreign Office spokesman made it clear that the removal of Baroness Scotland's name from accounts and the lease was a personal request and not insisted upon in the Ministerial code.

He said: "Everything has been handled properly and has been so, as far as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is concerned, ever since.

"That is not a conflict between us here and the chambers.'' The Sunday Times report added that the chambers Baroness Scotland headed -- at Number One, Gray's Inn Square, London -- was dissolved around three weeks ago, with barristers employed there being liable for the debt.

Baroness Scotland was accused of having neglected the practice in favour of her political career, according to the Sunday Times which quoted a former member of the chambers.

The barrister said: "The head of chambers is supposed to ensure the smooth running of the set, but in this case it seemed almost to be a part-time job at best for Pat.

"Chambers certainly does owe money, although rather worryingly, we have not yet been told how much. We are all concerned about the legal liability we share for that debt.'' But barrister Helen Morgan of the chambers' management committee, insisted Baroness Scotland's absence did not make a difference and added that the practice broke up because specialists decided to move elsewhere.

And she said she suspected the debt owed by the chambers was "around half'' of the figure suggested.

Baroness Scotland