An acceptable solution to disposing hundreds of containers of asbestos is at hand, Premier Alex Scott said yesterday.

Mr. Scott confirmed that Cabinet has received a British Government funded report on asbestos disposal, and said the issue of who foots the bill was now a moot point.

?The solution may not be that expensive,? the Premier said.

Mr. Scott would not say what the study recommended, but it seems more than likely that the asbestos would be disposed of on-Island ? Government has been loathe to ship it overseas because of potential liability should the hazardous substance cause problems elsewhere.

?They have given us viable options and it?s for the Environment Ministry and Works & Engineering to put in place a practical way forward based on those recommendations,? the Premier said.

?I think it was worthwhile having the study done and I think it will make sense to Bermudians when the product of the survey is fully digested by (the Works Ministry) and the Environment and put forward by Cabinet. I think we?ve got a solution at hand now as opposed to before when we were somehow at sixes and sevens.?

The study, which was done by consultants W.S. Atkins, looked into costs, international regulations, insurance and liability issues, local environmental concerns, health risks and disposal of hazardous waste in the future.

In October 2003, the UK?s Overseas Territories Minister Bill Rammell and the Premier reported that the UK was to look into alternative sources of funding for disposing of the Island?s asbestos waste.

The joint statement came after months of wrangling over the matter with the UK stating definitively that it would not be paying for the disposal. But the UK did agree to pay for a study, and a report was handed to Cabinet this summer.

The Bermuda Government has for the past few years been grappling with how to dispose of the asbestos, much of which was left here by the United States Navy when it vacated the former Baselands.

A deal to terminate the lease for the properties was agreed between the United Kingdom and the United States but neither of the two powers made any provision, or commitment, to clean up tons of waste ? which besides asbestos, included toxic substances such as heavy metals and jet fuel ? left behind by the Americans.

Bermuda has been concerned at the cost of cleaning up the toxic stockpile, and the potential liability issues should the asbestos be shipped off the Island. Asbestos can be found in about 70 percent of the abandoned buildings on the former US bases, and more than 25 percent of that is crumbling.

According to a Government House statement last year ,the US left an estimated 150 20-foot sea containers of asbestos on the Baselands.

There are about 411 asbestos containers currently being stored in Bermuda at two locations. Currently the Island has no specific legislation targeting the removal of asbestos, or the training of workers dealing with asbestos. Instead, Bermuda relies on guidelines provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).