week, Health and Family Services Minister Nelson Bascome said yesterday.

And he dismissed reports that King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and St.

Brendan's had been "running on auto pilot''.

"The Hospitals Board does not run the hospitals' everyday operations anyway.

The hospital administration runs it and does a fine job. The Board is a facility to deal with major out-of-the-ordinary decisions.'' He said he had already selected the eight members of the new board and there would be "few surprises'' despite a mix of experienced and fresh faces.

But former chairman Clement Talbot told The Royal Gazette he does not expect to be reappointed.

Mr. Bascome stressed the resignation of the Board last November had nothing to do with the controversial restructuring at the hospital which caused other staff reshuffling.

"After the change of government, as is perfectly normal in the Westminster system of government, the new Government must appoint committees and boards like this. To suggest that the resignations were due to anything but the normal political process is just plain wrong.''