deliberately ignoring him during a debate in the House of Assembly last Friday night.

And he has also defended his decision to walk out in the middle of the debate and not return.

The Hamilton East MP apparently stormed out of the Chamber during the Motion to Adjourn debate after Speaker of the House Ernest DeCouto failed to notice that he wished to make a speech.

PLP colleague Renee Webb managed to catch the attention of the Speaker who gave her permission to speak first. Mr. Burgess, who had been waiting to make his own speech, then walked out, the door slamming behind him. Mr. DeCouto then asked the Sergeant at Arms to recall the upset MP but he had already left the building.

Last night Mr. Burgess said that, although he had been upset by the Speaker's behaviour, he only left to get a glass of water and intended to return. He also denied that he broke any House of Assembly protocol or slammed the door to the Chamber in a fit of bad temper as he left.

New MP advised to follow example of PLP veterans "I was annoyed because I thought the Speaker had deliberately ignored me,'' he said.

"I felt he had been doing it all night and I even spoke to him about it earlier.

"I am there to do the people's business and I'm not prepared to be used as a toy.

"But I didn't break any protocol and I didn't slam the door -- I'm high on respect. I only went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and the door control is faulty. Because it's a heavy door it slammed shut by itself.

"I hadn't planned to walk out for good -- if I did I would have taken my belongings with me -- but once I got out I decided not to go back in.'' Last night, Mr. DeCouto denied Mr. Burgess' accusations and said he should have taken advice from more senior members of his party, who were content to wait for their turn to speak.

"For him to storm out like that was wrong,'' he said. "In debate, all speeches are addressed to the Speaker, and it is up to the Speaker to choose -- it is not open to debate.'' Mr. DeCouto said Renee Webb became the sixth speaker of the night, at 10.55 p.m. -- the time that Mr. Burgess left the chamber -- but the House continued until 1.05 p.m.

And by the end of the night there had been a total of 16 speakers, including senior members of the PLP, he said.

In addition Mr. DeCouto added that if Mr. Burgess had a prior engagement, he could have asked another PLP MP to raise his issue on his behalf.