airport.

Transport Minister Ewart Brown told the House of Assembly that the $5-a-day charge could be paid by putting cash in a machine or swiping a credit card, with the total bill being totted up after the driver arrived back on the Island to pick up their car.

And he said penalties for parking violations would be increased from $30 to $50, with responsibility for the car parks being transferred from the Director of Civil Aviation to the general manager of Airport Operations.

Dr. Brown added that issues raised when the proposed regulations first came to the House had been taken into consideration.

But he said: "We still don't know whether this system, which we think is good on paper, will work without administrative adjustment.'' But he said it was better to get a new system up and running rather than "obstruct it on the basis of incomplete satisfaction.'' Shadow Legislative Affairs Minister John Barritt , however, questioned what would happen to someone who had bought a two-day long-term parking ticket and then found themselves delayed by bad weather or cancelled flights.

And he said: "That puts people in the position where they are liable -- you have no defence.

"Most people would have sympathy, but it's not a defence to the offence.'' And Mr. Barritt said leaving problems up to the discretion of managers was not the same as having clear courses of action laid down in the regulations.

But Dr. Brown said advice on who to approach if there are problems "could be weaved into'' the regulations.

Shadow Finance Minister Grant Gibbons asked if the scheme would be monitored and who would do the policing of the system.

And Dr. Brown replied that there would be periodic checks to make sure people were sticking to the rules, although it would largely be "an honour system.'' The House also backed amendments to the Clean Air Act, which makes it mandatory for car body shops with spraying equipment, dry cleaners and some other businesses to win a licence to operate.

MPs heard that could mean the creation of special, ventilated spraying booths and the use of extractor equipment in some cases.

The UBP's Allan Marshall pointed out that could be expensive -- and called for small businesses to be allowed to import anti-pollution equipment free of duty.

Environment Minister Arthur Hodgson said: "From another Ministry's point of view, they may be interested in helping small businesses.'' The House also backed a move to axe the power of Coroners' Court juries to finger a suspect in cases of murder.

The Foreshore Licences Repeal Act, which aimed to cut down on bureaucracy for people who want to build a dock, also passed.

The Act, which aimed to end the licencing process from the Ministry of the Environment because substantially the same permission has to be sought from the Works and Engineering Ministry was held over from last week.

Opposition MPs questioned what would happen to current licences -- which include conditions on maintenance of docks and the surrounding seabed area.

But Mr. Hodgson said he had checked the legal position and been assured that existing licences would remain in force.