Cabinet changes announced by Premier Jennifer Smith yesterday amounted to the Government attempting to "deal with the failure of the last four years" before the next election, and were designed in part to deflect attention from controversy surrounding the Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC), according to the Opposition United Bermuda Party (UBP).

But others were reasonably impressed with the Premier's decisions. Ms Smith brought backbencher Neletha Butterfield into Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio, appointed Senator David Burch Minister of Housing and Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb now has to do double duty as the head of the Tourism Ministry.

Leader Grant Gibbons said that he wished the new Ministers well before criticising the Government. "I think this appointment reflects the Smith Government's attempts to deal with the failure of the last four years in the little time they have remaining before the next election," he said.

"The creation of a separate Ministry of Housing is too little, too late. The Smith Government has failed to deliver affordable housing to Bermudian families that need it and the number of families on the emergency housing list has risen appreciably since 1998. The previous Minister (Nelson Bascome) allowed the Housing Corporation to get mired down in corruption and scandal and the appointment of the new Minister, Colonel Burch, by no means answers these allegations in spite of the Premier's attempt to deflect attention from the issue."

Dr. Gibbons added that the new Tourism Minister now faces a "huge challenge to reverse the abysmal record of tourism during the last four years. And it's questionable whether combining two important Ministries at this time is the right step. Tourism, in particular, needs individual attention."

PLP Senator Calvin Smith, who some say might have reasonably expected some position in the Cabinet, described the changes as a "nifty little shuffle" and he dismissed Dr. Gibbons' criticisms as empty politicking.

He noted that former Premier David Gibbons, Dr. Gibbons' uncle, had himself combined the Premiership with the Finance Ministry.

"God knows I can't think of two more serious Ministries than that. The real question is does Ms Webb have the ability to carry out the double function and I think if the public were asked they would give a resounding yes."

His view was that the Premier had made some excellent decisions. "But far more importantly my view is that our Premier had a very special problem, a very enjoyable problem in appointing a Minister of Tourism because she had three excellent people: the charismatic and very bright Ewart Brown, the charismatic and very bright Renee Webb and the charismatic and very bright Randy Horton. She had an abundance of riches... as far as housing is concerned if, as every one thinks is the case there is a need over there for special attention by a person who is prepared to kick butt and exercise firm control, she couldn't have done much better than selecting Col. Burch as a Lieutenant Colonel in the army you can rest assured that he will be more than able and willing to do what's necessary to straighten out housing."

Graeme Outrerbridge, the secretary general of the National Liberal Party, agreed that Ms Webb was an excellent choice and said that leaving her with the Telecommunications and E-Commerce department was a good idea because Ms Webb could bring a "whole new thrust" to marketing the Island with her experience and knowledge of the E-Commerce arena.

She was taking on the task at a "very challenging" time but solid groundwork had been laid, he said.

He added that he hoped that Ms Webb would look to the international business sector for advice on resurrecting the industry.

"All of those good brains should be utilised to give advice and help to a business they benefit from."

He said he saw Sen Burch's appointment as Housing Minister as sending in a "no nonsense general" to sort out the BHC before the next election. But he said he hoped that the move would not serve as a "smokescreen for the real issue of the competency of Mr. Bascome."

Mr. Outerbridge said that Ms Butterfield, who had proved herself to be a "competent individual" and "politically able" will face new challenges as a Minister. "Only time will tell how successful she is."

But the appointment of Ms Butterfield would bring a "healing touch" to the Cabinet, Senator Smith asserted. "In Ms Butterfield we get a person who has spent most of her life assisting in the education of people who have had, to put it mildly, behavioural problems. As Minister without protfolio, she can add the necessary healing touch that is often missing in the execution and creation of policy and I am sure that someday, maybe sooner than we think, she will heading up one of the Ministries called 'people's ministries'. All in all as the youngsters would say this was a nifty little shuffle."

Sen Smith said he was "not really" disappointed that he had not made it into Cabinet. He said he understood that Ms Smith would not have more than one Senator as a Minister. The Constitution says that at least one Senator must be appointed a Minister but the number of Senators in the Cabinet cannot exceed two.

"There are people in the party who would like to see nobody from the Senate in Cabinet," he revealed.

"Having at least one and at most two members as ministers is an important safeguard," he offered, because if the Premier needed someone with special expertise that was not a politician, she could appoint them to the Senate and then give them a Ministerial post.