ever was under the UBP Government, an Opposition MP has claimed.

And he told the House of Assembly that some permits could now be issued within one day which "didn't give Bermudians much of a chance to apply''.

Shadow Development and Opportunity Minister Allan Marshall warned that the situation seemed to suggest the new Government was making conflicting promises to different sections of the community.

He called on the Government to "even the playing field'' and boost Bermudians' chances at homegrown jobs.

A central notice board where Bermudians could go to see all jobs for which work permits were being considered should be set up, he said.

And Bermudians applying for positions should be able to send their applications to the Immigration Board as well as the company involved to be kept on file and looked at before any work permits were issued.

Last night Mr. Marshall said he made the comments in the House on Friday to bring the new Government's attention to "the issues Bermudians are talking about in living rooms all over the Country''.

During the year he spent canvassing leading up to the election on November 9 many business people had complained to him about work permits for expatriates "taking donkeys years to process, to get approval''.

But since the PLP victory, business owners were commenting on their surprise that despite earlier promises of a "work permit clampdown'', they were being issued more quickly than ever before.

"I've had people from construction, landscaping, international business, hotels and restaurants all saying work permits were getting through easier now.

"Now I'm hearing business people saying, `I'm having a lot easier time with the PLP Government than I ever had with the UBP'. Whether it's true or not that is certainly the perception in the community.'' He said he hoped the PLP Government was not "speaking out of both sides of their mouth'' or "trying to get friendly with business to get donations for their election campaign deficit''.

"It's very easy in Opposition for them to have made all these promises but then in power to fulfil their promises is another matter.

"And right now the perception in the business community is that getting work permits through is, as my daughter would say, easy-peasy.'' He said his Lower House remarks about "one-day work permits'' were sparked by comments made soon after Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox's appointment that in certain circumstances emergency permits could now be arranged in a day.

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