Dear Sir, Recent Letters to the Editor have carried copies of letters your readers have written to Baroness Scotland about constitutional change in Bermuda.

Each writer will receive a reply from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office but I thought your readers would be interested to know how the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are responding to the concerns raised. Each writer will receive a letter explaining that: "The British Government takes its responsibilities to the people of Bermuda seriously. Indeed, through the 1999 British White Paper on its relations with the Overseas Territories, the British Government urged Overseas Territories to review and modernise their constitutions. Baroness Scotland has taken a close interest in this issue and is following the debate closely. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office hope that the consultative process, which is underway, will be as wide as possible to allow the opportunity for constructive discussion of the substantive issues.

"There are various ways in which views on constitutional change can be aired; a constitutional conference is one. Public meetings have a place. So too, undoubtedly, will a debate in the House of Assembly. Once the process of debate in Bermuda is complete, the proposed changes will be considered by the Governor and forwarded to London with his recommendations as to further action. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will wish to be satisfied that the proposals have been thoroughly discussed and have the broad support of the people of Bermuda before sanctioning further action. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will not prejudge the outcome of that consultative process.'' TIM GURNEY Deputy Governor