HEALTH Minister Patrice Minors has broken a month-long vow of silence on Government's plan to build a new hospital on the grounds of the Botanical Gardens.

And in questions put to her by the, the under-fire MP denied that she had insisted the controversial decision was final or that she had ever told protesters to "get over it".

At a Press conference at the end of August, Mrs. Minors confirmed reports that Cabinet had selected the Botanical Gardens as the preferred site for a new $500-million hospital.

Admitting that the decision would "concern many", Mrs. Minors nevertheless defended the plan, claiming it was in the best interests of healthcare on the island.

A week later, following a wave of protest from environmental groups and the Opposition, the Minister was reported to have insisted Government would not rethink the plan and that "the best thing going forward is for the community to accept this decision".

"Minister Minors said the final decision to locate the hospital in the Botanical Gardens would not change," astory read.

But in an apparent Government U-turn, Premier Alex Scott later told a public meeting on sustainable development that the decision could be reversed following a further review and a period of public consultation.

Yesterday, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health, speaking on behalf of the Minister, said: "Firstly, the Minister did not say that opponents should 'get over' or any other words to that effect.

"The Minister conveyed that the Cabinet decision was to build the new acute care hospital on Botanical Gardens and that it was a difficult decision.

"The terms of that Cabinet decision was framed such that it was contingent on an independent review. There is a commitment to provide feedback to the public once the review is done."

When asked why Government rejected a proposal by the Bermuda Hospitals Board to build on the site of the current King Edward VII Memorial Hospital rather than the Botanical Gardens, the spokeswoman replied: "In light of all the facts and the information provided, a decision was taken on the basis of the information that was available at that time."

Mrs. Minors was also asked to confirm if the day-to-day running costs of a new hospital within the grounds of the Botanical Gardens would exceed those of a facility built on the site of KEMH.

The spokeswoman replied: "I have checked with the BHB and they have confirmed that the statement is not factual. The BHB believes the Botanical site will be marginally more expensive since they are seeking to minimise the impact on the gardens. The marginal increase in operating costs would not compensate for the estimated $100 million increased building costs at the same site.

Last night Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson demanded action from Mrs. Minors, describing her answers as "gobbledegook" and "vacuous"

She said that the Minister had repeatedly failed to provide any answers on the issue and could not counter public concerns about the new hospital's location.

Mrs. Jackson also highlighted claims by Mr. Scott two weeks ago that Mrs. Minors would make "a significant statement" on the issue within days. As yet no statement has been forthcoming.

"We have been standing around waiting and we still have no meaningful answers from the Minister as to where she is in this investigation," Mrs. Jackson said.

"We are still uninformed. I just want the Minister to do something and if she does not seem prepared to do anything. I think the public have lost all faith in her.

"The current site was the second choice of the Bermuda Hospitals Board, ahead of the Botanical Gardens. The Board even had two plans for the site drawn up and the general public certainly seems to want to save our open space and keep the hospital on the current location.

"As I've said repeatedly, a new hospital can be built on the current location. Yet the Minister comes out with nothing more than vacuous statements ? show us something that at least answers our argument."