making MP Mr. Stanley Morton Shadow Minister of Delegated Affairs and giving Mr. Julian Hall the environment portfolio.

Mr. Wade also swapped the portfolios of Sandys South MPs Mr. Walter Lister and Mr. Walter Roberts, giving Mr. Lister Transport and Mr. Roberts Works and Engineering.

Mr. Wade also took over the Opposition's `Justice' portfolio from Mr. Hall and put Cultural Affairs -- traditionally part of Mr. Reginald Burrows Community Affairs portfolio -- under Shadow Minister Miss Jennifer Smith.

Mr. Wade said the moves were made to give more prominence to Environment and Delegated Affairs.

The switch between Mr. Roberts and Mr. Lister was aimed at giving the two MPs -- both of whom have held the portfolios for some years -- a slightly new perspective.

Mr. Hall said he was pleased to be taking the Environment portfolio at a time when the Island was going through economic changes and was likely to receive land from the US and Canadian bases.

"They all point to a heightened need for Bermuda to concentrate on environmental and planning issues,'' he said.

He also called for an Environmental Protection Act and said Bermuda was still waiting for clean air regulations. He was concerned the regulations would be based on industrialised nations' standards which did not fit Bermuda.

Mr. Morton said he was pleased to be taking on the Police and Defence departments. He said both were still answerable to the Governor, but it was the people of Bermuda who funded them and they should give "value for money''.

Mr. Roberts, noting he held five other portfolios in his time in Opposition, pledged to watch the construction of the incinerator carefully and said he would push the department to hire more unemployed Bermudians.

Mr. Wade also moved to clarify comments made in this newspaper about the Progressive Labour Party's refusal to join the Government's Commission on Competitiveness.

An editorial which criticised his comment last week that "we will govern ourselves'' left out his statement that the PLP did not believe in "coalition government'', he said.

"When I said we would govern ourselves, I said we would not ask for assistance from the Opposition,'' he said, adding there was no need for coalitions when the Government had a clear majority.

"I said the Premier should govern as he sees fit, it is up to him. But he already has Cabinet committees, 25 other committees and 250 other board members who should be working on this. There is no need from where I sit for a task force.'' Mr. Wade, said the PLP had explained why it had not joined the National Drugs Strategy and said it was now negotiating with Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan on what role it would have in the strategy's implementation, having accepted the report.