yesterday.

And new regulations to allow charging for the long-term car park meant Government and Opposition Senators crashed head on.

Opposition Senate leader Maxwell Burgess said Government, when in Opposition, had opposed the UBP's proposals to collect on long term parking.

"The then-Opposition said they would fund machines which would give a ticket and people could not exit without a ticket.'' He added that the Opposition had insisted that would help cut problems with prepayment, as well as ease difficulties if there were unforeseen delays in returning to the Island and make it harder to steal cars because no car could get past the barrier without a ticket validation.

But he said: "They have opted not for the user-friendly method they have advanced, but have gone with what was proposed by the former Government.'' The measure, however, passed Senate and will now come into force in the near future.

Senators also backed a new Act to reduce the power of Coroners' Court juries to finger suspects in killings.

Government Sen. Michael Scott said: "It's inappropriate to cut across the principles of presumption of innocence, the principle of jurors not being tampered with and a number of principles important to the administration of justice.'' Senate also heard that the amendment to an Act passed more than 50 years ago also gave new rights for interested parties, including the families of dead people, to be "fully involved in the process of inquiry at the early stages''.

Sen. Patricia Gordon Pamplin (UBP) reminded the Upper House that work on the amendment started under a UBP Government around ten years ago.

And she added interested parties could also be present at post mortems and ask questions at inquest hearings.

Also passed was a measure to repeal the necessity to seek a special licence when creating a dock -- a method now overtaken by subsequent legislation.

Sen. Burgess asked if it would be possible to streamline the protection of foreshores even further by bringing all the laws under one act.

Government Senate leader Milton Scott said the administration was looking at the whole issue of foreshore protection.

Earlier, Senators stood for a minute's silence in memory of Paget West MP Madeline Joell, who died suddenly two weeks ago at the age of 39.

Several Senators spoke in tribute to Ms Joell and to Maria Benn Ible, a dress shop owner who is billed as the mother of the block party, who also died recently.

Sen. Michael Scott: Principles Graphic file name: MSCT