Labour and Home Affairs Minister Mr. Alex Scott said yesterday.

His comments followed The Royal Gazette's disclosure that Government MP Mrs.

Grace Bell employed a non-Bermudian without a valid work permit.

Mr. Scott said he was prepared to accept Mrs. Bell's claim that the work permit lapse was an "oversight''.

But the case should serve as a warning to Parliamentarians, Mr. Scott added.

And it also, perhaps, highlighted the need for improvements in the Immigration Department.

"We have called for the beefing up of the number of inspectors so folks who break Immigration policies can be ferreted out.'' Yesterday, The Royal Gazette revealed that United Bermuda Party backbencher Mrs. Bell, managing director of Houseprouds Cleaning Service in Reid Street, continued hiring Mr. Carlos Lozada for several months after his permit had expired.

The man finally left her cleaning business last month and is thought to have returned to his homeland, Ecuador. Mrs. Bell admitted she had been guilty of an "oversight'', but stressed that this is completely different to the systematic Immigration abuse she had mounted a fierce campaign against.

"You can't equate the two.'' The MP for St. George's South, who has spoken of illegal workers cleaning Government buildings, said she was unsure how long Mr. Lozada's permit had lapsed.

"I don't think it was as long as nine months. It was definitely under a year.'' Last week, The Royal Gazette passed on the work permit allegation to Chief Immigration Officer Mr. Neville Smith and Labour and Home Affairs Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman.

Mr. Smith yesterday said inquiries were still being made into matter.

In response to Mr. Scott, Mr. Smith pointed out his department had three inspectors.

"That has been the normal complement,'' he said.

Yesterday, Mr. Scott said work permit lapses happened "an awful lot'', and he was prepared to give Mrs. Bell the benefit of the doubt.

Bell given the benefit of the doubt "I believe it was an administrative slip rather than an intentional abuse of existing legislation.

"Mrs. Bell has shown she is fully aware of the problem of illegal workers in Bermuda and the need to adhere to Immigration policies, and I wouldn't like to rush to judgment over this one incident.'' However, Mrs. Bell should realise she, like everyone else in public office, had to keep to the spirit and letter of the law, said Mr. Scott.

"We in Government must be over zealous in falling in with all the requirement of the law.'' If this did not happen, members of the public would hold politicians in contempt.

Correctly or incorrectly, people would gain the impression there was one standard for the public and another for officialdom, said Mr. Scott.

Mr. Scott went on to raise concerns about Immigration.

He questioned whether the department was sufficiently computerised to handle Immigration matters.

The Grace Bell case brought home the need for Government to tighten and increase scrutiny on Immigration regulations.

In addition, the public could play a role in combating abuse, said Mr. Scott.