part in work release programmes for prisoners -- unless their circumstances "drastically change'', Health and Social Services Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness revealed yesterday.

Mr. Edness is expected to announce next week when the work release programme for prison inmates will resume.

The programme was suspended last month for a major review as a result of the killing of a German tourist allegedly by a Casemates prisoner on work release.

Mr. Edness will also have answers ready next week for questions concerning the programmes asked by Senate Vice President the Hon. Norma Astwood in the Senate.

Topping her list of questions was: "What changes are being considered regarding the method employed to formulate the criteria used for the selection of prisoners who will be permitted to work outside the prisons?'' Mr. Edness said he welcomed the questions because they will give Government the chance to fully explain the changes to the prisons work programme.

Although he would not disclose when the programme would resume, he said security will be tighter and it will be "far more'' strictly run than the previous programme.

"Generally speaking the new criteria will not permit sex offenders or those guilty of violent crimes to be eligible for the programmes unless their circumstances drastically change and are judged to have changed,'' he said.

Even then, people guilty of violent crimes or rapes will be specially supervised on the work site by prison officers.

He said there will be more stringent tests which prisoners must pass to be eligible for work programmes.

In the past the programmes were "minimally'' supervised by the employer and checked on "periodically'' by prison officers, Mr. Edness said.

"Unfortunately, over a period of time people who commited violent crimes would come up for release and would be allowed on the work programmes,'' he said.

Sen. Astwood also had questions regarding the supervision of the work programmes and communication between the employers of the prisoners and prisons officials.