A Cabinet minister who has been off the job since last September is expected to return to the job, the Premier said.

David Burt did not give a date for the return of Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the public works minister, but signalled that the minister would resume full duties.

Mr Burt was speaking in an interview yesterday with news site TNN.

The public works ministry is involved in a series of major developments, including extensive trenching with Belco and upgrades to the East End’s water and waste water network.

The ministry is also responsible for trash collection and the maintenance of the island’s roads.

Colonel Burch is understood to have been off the job as a result of illness, with Wayne Furbert, the Cabinet Office minister, taking over as acting public works minister in his absence.

Mr Burt told TNN: “I’m certainly not going to speak to anyone’s private medical circumstances.”

But he added: “Colonel Burch and I had a meeting this morning and I look forward to him returning to his full duties.”