the home occupied by her predecessor.

The Royal Gazette understands that Cabinet Secretary Leo Mills has been landed with the task.

Mr. Mills is expected to pass on the information to Ms Smith when the investigation is completed.

The lease for the Tamarind Vale, Warwick residence costs around $60,000 a year -- a deal agreed by both sides of the House during the annual budget debate earlier this year.

But Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon, after a resounding defeat at the polls last week, said she planned to stay in the home -- which she claimed was never intended to be the official Premier's residence.

Only last year, as Leader of the Opposition, Ms Smith supported the idea of establishing a permanent residence and advocated looking at the then Government's existing stock to see if an appropriate house could be identified.

In May former Shadow Finance Minister Eugene Cox raised questions in the House of Assembly on the breakdown of the bill for the Warwick residence of the Premier and who the owners were. Government is also pushing ahead with the idea of buying a property to become Bermuda's home of the Premier.

It is understood that one option currently under consideration by the PLP is the possibility of purchasing a residence to become the official home of leaders of the country.

Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott is currently looking at the probability of acquiring a suitable residence for Premier Smith, to be owned by the people.

POLITICS PTL HOUSING HSG