said backed the party's stand on the planned national drugs authority.

Sen. Alex Scott said the letter showed PLP concerns about Government control of the proposed National Drug Commission were shared by top drug officials.

But the letter's writer, Mr. Alastair Macdonald, said it was out of date and accused Sen. Scott of using it out of context.

Mr. Macdonald, chairman of the commission's interim steering committee, wrote the letter to Health Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness on December 22 last year. Sen. Scott read out sections of it to the Senate.

In the letter Mr. Macdonald suggested Government had ignored the advice of the committee and of drugs expert Dr. David Archibald.

"We are disturbed about the appointment process of the board, which runs totally contrary to Dr. Archibald's recommendations and goes against the best interests of Bermuda,'' he wrote.

Giving the Minister power to appoint commission members would lead to a partisan organisation, the letter said.

It listed 21 powers proposed for the Minister, saying they made a "complete mockery'' of the concept of independence for the commission.

"You have created a structure which is in every way subservient to the Minister,'' Mr. Macdonald wrote.

Sen. Scott told the Senate the PLP had been wrongly accused of going contrary to Dr. Archibald's views.

The party wanted a broader representation of the community on the commission -- not necessarily more PLP members.

It had been trying to get plans for the commission returned to what Dr.

Archibald and the steering committee wanted, he said.

Sen. Scott slammed a "reckless'' Royal Gazette editorial which questioned whether the PLP cared about drugs.

In fact Mr. Macdonald's concerns in December 1992 were the same as PLP leader Mr. Frederick Wade's now, he said.

Maybe Mr. Macdonald forgot about the letter when he criticised Mr. Wade last week for the way he had approached the issue, Sen. Scott added.

The Senator also produced leaked research from the steering committee which he said praised community anti-drugs work done by PLP MP Mr. Nelson Bascome in Friswell's Hill.

The recognition for Mr. Bascome was significant because he was largely the author of the PLP's own drugs report, Sen. Scott said.

The party had intended to make its report public but at the same time it decided to commit itself to the formation of a consensus along the Archibald guidelines.

After the Senate meeting Mr. Macdonald told The Royal Gazette : "We're concerned that someone in the interim steering committee, probably on our executive, has relayed confidential information and is thereby politicising the process.'' The letter was part of negotiations on the legislation setting up the commission. The Minister sent the committee a draft of the Act and that had prompted the letter.

After a meeting the Minister revised the legislation, dealing with their most important concerns.

A proposed power for the Minister to appoint members of the commission was dropped after their "vehement'' opposition, Mr. Macdonald said.

"We had the opportunity and we were tough in our negotiations with the Minister. The eventual Act reflects our resolve that this quango should have a strong degree of independence.'' He was not making the same points as the PLP, he said.