wouldn't let it on the road, MPs heard on Friday.

The $100,000 "bookmobile'' arrived from England in January as a replacement for libraries in St. George's and Somerset which have been closed.

But the vehicle, designed to bring 3,500 books to readers in all parishes, is not yet in service.

Shadow Community Affairs Minister Mr. Reginald Burrows told the House of Assembly: "It's my understanding that the bookmobile has been in Bermuda for a month or six weeks or more and has not been granted permission to operate on our streets because of some conflict with the Transport Control Department.

"The TCD should have known about this before it came to Bermuda. It should never have been a problem.

"It only goes to show that the bureaucracy of Government sometimes is very confusing to the average lay person and things are not planned properly.'' Transport Minister the Hon. Ralph Marshall told The Royal Gazette : "There was some question about the width, so a decision wasn't made.

"But as soon as we checked the width, and it was OK, they got a permit.

"There's no category that covers a library, so we used the bus sizes as the criteria. It's fitted into that.'' Community Affairs Minister the Hon. Leonard Gibbons said the bookmobile would be on the road "shortly''.

He apologised to the public for the "little hiccup''.