Government will not be pushing to have a full-time Cabinet in the near future, according to Premier Jennifer Smith .

However, MPs from both sides of the House of Assembly told The Royal Gazette this week they thought Cabinet Ministers deserved full salaries for the work they do.

While most disagreed with full-time MPs under the current 40-seat system, one senior PLP MP, Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown , said that position could change if Government's goal of creating single-seat constituencies became a reality.

Premier Smith said, before Government considers the issue of full-time Ministers, it would "first concentrate on the outstanding needs of the people''.

Asked about Government's position on full-time MPs, she said: "Our focus is not on financial remuneration as much as it is on increasing democracy.'' "In this context, and in keeping with Progressive Labour Party's long-stated policies, we are pursuing the possibility of single seat constituencies.'' Dr. Brown said the case for having full-time MPs would be stronger if this happened because there would be less of them in the House of Assembly and therefore "their spectrum of responsibility would be wider''.

Asked if he thought Cabinet Ministers deserved full-time salaries, he said: "I'll give you a tongue-in-cheek remark for that one. If there was a union for us then, they would demand fair pay for a good day's work.

"Right now we're getting less than that and I'd like to see it happen where the compensation was reasonable for the time put in.'' Asked if he would give up his job as a physician if offered a full Cabinet salary, Dr. Brown said: "I don't know about that one. It'd be like choosing between the two loves of my life.'' Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb said: "Most of us are full time anyway. We just don't get paid for it.'' She said she believed there should be a full-time Cabinet and added it was part of Government's platform to establish that in the future.

"It's just a question of when it gets implemented,'' she said. "Some people are full time already.

Ms Webb said she did not think there was a need for full-time MPs because, at the moment, representatives "just aren't busy enough'' to justify it.

"I don't think Bermuda is big enough to justify having 40 full-time people working for the Country.'' Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon said she supported the idea of full-time Cabinet Ministers on the whole but had reservations that, if they gave up their other jobs, they might be left out in the cold if their time in Government came to an end.

She said she would be interested to see if and how Government would take steps to change the system but warned: "For the time being, the Premier has to realise we are still part-time politicians.'' Ms Gordon said she was against the idea of having full time MPs and asked: "How could you possibly justify full salaries with the performance we've seen by Government MPs so far?'' She referred to the "poor'' attendance records "of certain Government back benchers'' in the House.

And she criticised Government for not getting all of its Parliamentary business done before the usual summer vacation.

"For 30 years, the United Bermuda Party did the people's business and were able to get it done and be finished by the first week of July.'' Shadow Works and Engineering Minister C.V.(Jim) Woolridge said he was against the idea of full-time MPs.

"I just don't think the country is ready for them,'' he said. "The situation we have right now is fool proof anyway.'' "It's worked well for us so far and there are so many other pressing concerns we need to spend the money on.'' House coverage resumes in Moday's Royal Gazette