The pay deal for new Attorney General Lois Browne Evans is three times the rate for a Cabinet Minister, it was claimed yesterday.

And the $125,000 annual salary is far more than political Attorneys General in similar UK-style jurisdictions can expect to command.

United Bermuda Party Sen. Mark Pettingill dismissed claims that the cash deal was compensation for Mrs. Browne Evans having to give up her private practice.

He pointed out a junior barrister would have to bill around 1,000 hours a year of work to earn a similar amount of money.

Sen. Pettingill said Mrs. Browne Evans had "certainly been a leading light at the Bar of this Country''.

But he added: "Having said that, it's inappropriate to connect this issue with regard to Mrs. Browne Evans giving up a practice to take this position.

"With respect, to say she is currently involved in an extensive day-to-day practice is unfair.'' And he called for a full job description and mission statement for the AG as a Government member.

The claims came during the Senate's debate on a motion to add more than $91,000 to Mrs. Browne Evans normal MPs salary to take account of her new responsibilities.

Opposition Senate leader Maxwell Burgess said he had enormous respect for Mrs.

Browne Evans -- and said it was unfair that she was landed with controversy after a distinguished career.

He said: "When you look at what takes place in the Caymans, the Attorney General does get more -- he gets approximately six percent more.

"And in the Bahamas, he gets less, approximately ten percent less -- in Canada, the Attorney General gets even par with a Minister.'' But he added: "When you look at Bermuda, the Attorney General will get three times what the average Minister gets. That's 30-odd thousand dollars and the AG's salary is some $90-odd thousand dollars.'' Mr. Pettingill added that it was also wrong to say that the new post would mean a straight split of work between the Attorney General and the job of Director of Public Prosecutions, which has to be set up to handle the criminal side of a non-political Attorney General.

He said: "The job of the Director of Public Prosecutions will, in my opinion, encompass a lot more legal work than the position of Attorney General.

"I say that from professional experience -- the role of the last AG was to deal with major cases in this jurisdiction and it would be my submission that was the main role.'' Sen. Pettingill added: "The Constitution doesn't set out what I'm talking about.'' And he insisted that the separation of powers between the AG and DPP should be put down in writing to avoid potential clashes in the future.

AG's new salary comes under fire He said: "In order to commend this salary on a proper basis, one should look overseas -- Britain, Bahamas, Canada, and so on -- then formally set it out in a separate document.'' Sen. Pettingill also forced a retraction from Government Sen. Michael Scott , also a lawyer, who said the DPP would "report'' to the AG on his job.

Sen. Pettingill said: "That's wrong because nowhere is it set out that the DPP should report to the AG..I would be horrified if it was.

"It would be a dangerous precedent to set for this country, nor is it set out in the Constitution.'' But earlier, Government senators defended the deal offered to Mrs. Browne Evans, claiming she would carry a heavier burden than the average Minister.

And Sen. Michael Scott denied a charge of arrogance on the part of the new Government in coming up with cash without justifying it.

He said the salary was made clear during the Budget debate.

And he added that the $91,000 addition to the normal MPs salary was a better deal than the straight $125,000 offered to non-political AGs under the UBP Government.

But Sen. Burgess pointed out the salary of the DPP, likely to be in excess of $100,000, had to be added in to the total cost of the separation of powers.

But Sen. Scott said: "Her role is extraordinary in the sense that it requires advice that no other Minister, no other MP, no other civil servant can give to the Government.'' And he said -- unlike other lawyers who might be Ministers -- Mrs. Browne Evans was required to give her legal opinion, even if it was not what Government wanted to hear.

And he said the Progressive Labour Party plan would avoid the "grievous errors we saw in the previous administration''.

Sen. Scott said: "Prosecutions have been mismanaged and bad advice given to the Police.'' He also pointed out that Bermuda enjoyed one of the highest per capita incomes in the world -- and that "people around the world would applaud us for our modesty''.