Marc Telemaque is to be the next permanent secretary for the Transport Ministry.

Mr. Telemaque, a lawyer and Bermuda Regiment captain whose tour of duty as Aide-de-Camp to the Governor ends this month, will start work at the Department early next month. When contacted yesterday he referred all questions to civil service head Stanley Oliver who could not be reached.

But Transport Minister Ewart Brown confirmed Mr. Telemaque was set to start the $124,000 job next month.

Erwin Adderly, deputy leader of the Opposition United Bermuda Party (UBP), said he wished Mr. Telemaque well in his new post.

But the UBP is concerned that he might find his job "exceedingly difficult" given an "unprecedented" level of staff turnover in the last two years.

Mr. Adderly pointed out that a number of senior staffers had left and not all of them at retirement age.

"Most of the people have gone out of the civil service," he said.

"All I am saying is it (the turnover) has occurred."

Transport now has relatively new heads at the Marine and Ports, Transport Control, Public Transportation Board and the civil aviation departments, he pointed out. But he agreed that the challenge could turn out to be a good one as the Ministry now had a fresh slate of managers with new ideas.