medical facilities.

The new law is designed to extend Government controls over "diagnostic facilities'' -- which covers medical labs, radiology specialists and breast screening clinics.

Now these facilities will have to be registered -- similar to the way nursing homes are regulated.

And the job of maintaining the register will fall to the Chief Medical Officer -- not the Minister of Health and Social Services.

But the Minister will get the power to prescribe qualifications for members of staff in diagnostic facilities.

And the bill -- the Public Health Amendment Act -- will also allow Health Ministers to make other regulations for diagnostic facilities and nursing homes, although only after consultation.

The Act also extends the number of people authorised to carry out inspections from "Government Medical Officer'' to "Public Health Officer'', which means the chief health inspector and health inspectors can be used for inspection duties.

Another Act -- the Cable and Wireless Bermuda Ltd Act -- takes account of the new drive towards deregulation in telecommunications and the end of Cable and Wireless' monopoly on international telephone services.

The Act is aimed at recognising provisions of the agreement between the new-style C&W and Government on exemption from taxes on the transfer of assets and the movement out of Bermuda of the profits from the sale of assets without being hit by exchange control restrictions.

The change of name of the company from Cable and Wireless Public Limited Company is also given legal effect.