THE war of words between Health Minister Patrice Minors and clients of a day-care centre for the handicapped heated up yesterday after the Minister allegedly told one parent the school was "no longer a priority".

The Orange Valley facility and its 13 clients were forced to shift from their Parsons Road location to a temporary home at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute in 2003. The row erupted last month after Mrs. Minors announced that plans to find a permanent home for the centre had been shelved.

Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson then accused the Minister of going back on a former pledge to parents. Mrs. Minors had earlier claimed to be "committed to finding a permanent location" for the clients.

Last week the Minister defended her decision, claiming that it was the parents who had been given the task of finding a permanent site for the school.

"A committee of parents was established for the purpose of identifying a permanent location," she said.

"This proved difficult, given Government's limited building availability, and in due course, the committee apparently dissolved."

But when parent Ursula Dunlop questioned Mrs. Minors' view of events after reading a report in last week's , the Minister was allegedly unapologetic.

"Her exact words to me were, 'At this point the school is not a priority' ? I was stunned," Ms Dunlop said.

"The Minister is now claiming that it was the responsibility of the parents to find a new premises. You have to ask, who was it who moved them in the first place?

Ms Dunlop, whose 35-year-old daughter attends the school, insisted that parents were never given the task of finding a new premises for the school.

"I'd like to know the names of the parents on this committee," she said.

"I'm not accepting that it's down to the parents. The Minister knows nothing about looking after the physically challenged. She just doesn't care. If my daughter was to drop down dead now Patrice Minors would be happy because it would be one less child to worry about. her attitude is a complete slap in the face.

Ms Dunlop now plans to speak to the Deputy Governor about her concerns. She said the temporary location at MAWI was not suitable for several reasons.

"This ignorance has got to stop," she said.

"Only Bermuda does this to the physically challenged ? at the end of the day they're pitched to one side and to hell with them."