the end of the first day of the budget debate.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Allen demanded an apology from Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness after accusing him of "blatant misinformation'' and being "an embarrassment to his own party''.

He said Mr. Edness had given misleading information in a television interview about next week's tourism budget debate, which Government wanted postponed.

Tourism Minister David Dodwell had been due to attend the annual Market Place tourism conference in London and asked Mr. Allen if the debate could be put off.

But he now has to stay in Bermuda because the Opposition would not allow the tourism debate to be rescheduled.

Mr. Edness claimed the PLP would not budge unless Mr. Allen was also allowed to attend the conference.

But Mr. Allen said: "He was not reporting accurately even remotely on television this evening, Mr. Speaker.

"It was the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Dodwell, who raised the subject last year and said he was going to make investigations to see if it was possible for a bi-partisan approach to that conference in London.

"We in the PLP said that was a good idea because we need a bi-partisan approach.

"But there have been claims that the PLP was involved in dirty tricks and that's blatant misinformation.

"Mr. Edness is now becoming the Minister for Disinformation and Misinformation and he may even have done a disservice to the Minister for Tourism.

"I believe that he owes an apology to me and also to Mr. Dodwell. He's an embarrassment to his own colleagues and probably to his entire party.'' But Mr. Edness said: "For the honourable member David Allen to call people responsible for misinformation is like the pot calling the kettle black.

"There was a suggestion some time last year that when this conference took place, it might be possible for the Tourism Minister to invite the Shadow Minister.

"It was a suggestion -- not a promise or a commitment -- and it didn't work out.

"I'm aware that my honourable friend Mr. Dodwell approached the Shadow Minister and asked for the debate to be changed but the honourable member said no.

"People can read into that whatever they want. It would certainly have been nice to have the co-operation for the Minister to represent the people of this country in London.'' In heated exchanges across the floor, speaker Ernest DeCouto gave a warning to UBP backbencher Maxwell Burgess about "unparliamentary language''.

Mr. Allen also criticised Mr. Edness over his public handling of the Dr. Wendy Woods controversy, after it was revealed she could not practise in Bermuda as a gynaecologist because she had not passed a Canadian written exam.

And, referring to a demonstration outside the House by Government tenants, Mr.

Allen claimed Housing Minister C.V. (Jim) Woolridge "did not even know people were being evicted''.

The accusations prompted a series of angry scenes in the House, before the session was adjourned at 9.15 p.m.

A row had also broken out earlier in the day when Shadow Labour and Home Affairs Minister Alex Scott failed to show to deliver the Opposition reply to Government opposite number Mr. Edness.

And last night Mr. Edness branded a PLP attempt to call a quorum in the House to stall the debate "irresponsible''.

Mr. Scott -- laid up in bed on doctor's orders with a back problem -- was unable to be present in the House yesterday.

Opposition Leader Jennifer Smith called a quorum in the House after the ruling United Bermuda Party insisted Mr. Edness would deliver his speech.

If Ms Smith had succeeded, the House would have had to adjourn.

But the UBP scrambled to get the minimum of 14 members in the chamber just after 10 a.m. and Mr. Edness carried on.

Mr. Edness said: "The Opposition first of all called a quorum which was very irresponsible -- we don't do that on a major debate on the people's business.

"They wanted us to put off this debate entirely, rise for lunch at 11 a.m.

and come back at 2 p.m. and try and pick up on some item in the Budget.

"They are the people who allocated the time. The House doesn't stop when one person gets sick.

"They should have someone to take over any portfolio if somebody becomes ill.'' But he told the House that he would allow time for Mr. Scott to reply at the end of the Budget debate on March 11.

He said: "By doing this, we are preserving at least an hour and 25 minutes of this debate which will be available for his reply when he returns to the House.'' Ms Smith said PLP Whip Walter Lister made a "tentative'' eve-of-debate agreement to allow Mr. Scott to reply on March 11.

But she said Government yesterday morning made the move conditional on rescheduling the Tourism debate from Wednesday, March 4 to Monday, March 9.

Ms Smith added: "With the House already in the committee and the Minister ready to begin his presentation, the Opposition moved to adjourn the House so that the relevant members could be consulted about possible changes.'' But she said Government had now agreed to adjourn the debate with no changes to the time for the Tourism debate.

Mr. Allen blasted the Tourism Department's "incompetence for getting to us so late for the second year in a row''.