Premier Jennifer Smith did not step in to prevent the dismantling of the old Dolphin Quest facility at the Southampton Princess, Works Minister Alex Scott said last week.

Mr. Scott made the statement after it was claimed the Premier had sided with the Fairmont Southampton Princess to give the hotel more time to decide what to do with the facility which was abandoned after it was hit by Hurricane Gert in 1999.

Under the terms of a planning agreement struck when the property was built in 1994, it was stated that the facility would be taken down and the shoreline restored to its natural condition if no dolphins were in the facility for six months. Legal responsibility for the clean-up belongs to the Southampton Princess.

In 2000 the Southampton Princess got permission to rebuild the facility, however the plan was never executed. Now, in February of 2003, it has been more than three years since dolphins were in the old facility down at Whaler Inn.

National Liberal Party spokesman Graeme Outerbridge told The Royal Gazette on February 8: “It seems Planning was moving to enforce the agreement (whereby the Southampton Princess would have to restore the facility to its natural condition. But the hotel was stalling because of the cost.”

Then, last November, Mr. Outerbridge claimed the Premier met with Southampton Princess managing director Norman Mastalir and Fairmont Group Chris Chill and agreed to give the hotel more time to decide what to do with the facility.

But Mr. Scott denied the allegation, saying: “It is true that the Premier met with Mr. Norman Mastalir ... and others, and the future of the facility was among the topics discussed,” he said. “But at no time did the Premier make any overtures to anyone within Government to change the agreement to prevent it being dismantled.”

Mr. Scott said discussions are still ongoing and a meeting was held last week with Fairmont Southampton Princess management, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Works.