Regarded as one of the ruling party's brightest, and most volatile, sparks, former Tourism Minister Renee Webb first entered parliament in the October 1993 General Election.

She was appointed E-commerce and Telecommunications Minister when the Progressive Labour Party won the 1998 General Election ? making her the world's first E-commerce Minister.

And in October 2002, following the death of former Tourism Minister David Allen, then Premier Jennifer Smith added the Tourism Ministry to her responsibilities, a portfolio she retained after the 2003 General Elections.

But Ms Webb barely managed to make it back to parliament during last year's first poll under a single seat system, scraping in at St. George's South by just eight votes.

Ms Webb has attracted controversy throughout her tenure in parliament. She once caused consternation among the white community, and the Opposition United Bermuda Party, when she announced that she wanted to see Government contracts go to people who "look like me".

But the remarks kicked off a protracted debate on economic empowerment of groups which had been excluded from Government contracts in the past. In the Telecommunications Ministry, Ms Webb fought with cable provider, Cablevision, in a bid to force them to improve service, and gave the Island a new television station by allowing Fresh TV to operate on Government's cable channel. Her achievements include opening up the telecommunications and cable service markets to competition, cutting the costs of long-distance calls and Internet as well as improvements in service levels from BTC and CableVision.

And, under Ms Webb's stewardship Bermuda has achieved some recognition as a leader in e-commerce.

At Tourism she was extremely focused on modernising the department and improving marketing, but her abrasive manner made her loathed by some members of staff.

In December last year, Tourism staff fired off a scathing litany of complaints about the minister, claiming she was vindictive, bullying, disrespectful and careless with the truth.

In a letter to Cabinet Secretary John Drinkwater, Bermuda Public Services Union general secretary Ed Ball wrote: "In all my years as a trade unionist, I have never seen civil servants who are so fearful of a minister and the possible retribution they could experience as a result of them voicing their concerns," adding that staff thought Ms Webb "feels she is beyond reproach".

A civil service investigation into the complaints by Assistant Cabinet Secretary Khamisi Tokunbo found this year that Ms Webb had a "problematic management style" but cleared her of more serious charges. Tourism was without a Director for some time after Judith Hall-Bean requested to be transferred out because of difficulties she had working with Ms Webb.