It is likely the British Government's position on Bermudian Independence has not changed since 1988, Deputy Premier the Hon. Irving Pearman said yesterday.

Mr. Pearman made his comment after leading a Cabinet committee to London last week for talks with Foreign & Commonwealth Office officials and others.

The committee is preparing a discussion paper on Independence called a Green Paper. It is to be made public before Bermudians vote in an Independence referendum planned for next year.

The committee is to report on the effects of Bermuda going Independent or remaining a dependent territory. The Green Paper is also to examine what Constitutional changes Bermuda could have while remaining a dependent territory.

In 1988, Mr. Tim Eggar, then British Parliamentary under Secretary of State, said the United Kingdom would neither encourage nor discourage Independence, but would accept it if it was shown to be the "clear wish and will'' of Government and Bermudians generally.

And he said Bermuda could go Independent or remain a dependent territory, but there was no in between.

Asked whether the British still took that position, Mr. Pearman said: "I would think so.'' But he then clarified his comment. He believed that was the position of the UK Government, but he was not saying the UK Government told him that, he said.

He would not comment when asked how Bermuda could have Constitutional change while remaining a dependent territory if the UK Government took the position there could be "no in between''.

Mr. Pearman, who was accompanied by Cabinet Ministers the Hon. Maxwell Burgess, the Hon. Jerome Dill, the Hon. David Saul, and the Hon. Clarence Terceira, as well as former Premier the Hon. Sir John Sharpe, described the trip as "positive in terms of gathering information''.

The committee had sent the F&CO questions in eight specific areas in advance of their trip and answers had been prepared in time for the meetings, he said.

Mr. Pearman would not say what questions were asked or what answers were received.

Some questions could not be answered by the UK because Bermuda has not made a decision, Mr. Pearman said. However, "we did get into a degree of hypothetics''.

Many areas were covered that could not have been covered through correspondence, he said.

While Mr. Pearman and the others returned to Bermuda on Sunday, Sir John Sharpe returns today with minutes of meetings that were held.

The delegation met with Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Mr. Douglas Hurd, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Mr. Tony Baldry, F&CO and Privy Council officials, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Bermuda Society, and the High Commissioner of the Bahamas in London.