Sir, New medical examinations which include mental as well as physical tests have found that more than one in four incapacity benefit claimants are in fact “fit for work”.
Those claimants will now receive the Jobseekers’ Allowance which means they will have to show they are looking for employment to stay on benefits.
A further 40% were sufficiently fit to be placed in a “work-related activity” group where they will receive support and training to move into employment.
When those on the new Employment and Support Allowance benefit were tested, almost half were found fit for employment and will no longer be able to claim the benefit.
These figures are a clear indictment of previous governments who left the unemployed languishing on sickness benefits without regular checks to see if they had recovered. Almost £14 billion is spent on sickness and incapacity benefits for 2.5 million people of working age and it is surely right to ensure the support goes to those really need it.
Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.
Boris will make me vote “yes”
Sir, There has been much debate in your correspondence columns with regard to the pros and cons of Scottish independence, but if the Scots still need to be convinced to record an emphatic “yes” vote, they need look no further than Boris Johnson.
In a recent speech he extolled the virtues of Margaret Thatcher whom he believed had put the Great back into Great Britain, when all she actually achieved at the time was the alienation of what little goodwill still existed between this country and its European neighbours.
Although yet to openly admit it, Boris probably has ambitions of one day becoming Prime Minister and probably regards the position as an entitlement given his expensive and high-profile educational background at Eton and Oxford.
The only problem with that educational mix is that its ethos tends to produce pupils who graduate with a Masters degree in arrogance, followed by a post grad qualification in pretentiousness leading ultimately to a Phd in self aggrandizement.
More recently one of the letters page contributors admitted that he had now switched from the “no” to the “yes” camp albeit for what would be regarded as the wrong reasons.
However, the frightening spectre of Boris as PM has reinforced this writer’s intent to vote “yes” and he would encourage other true Scots to follow suit.
Allan A MacDougall. 37 Forth Park, Bridge of Allan.
Is nowhere to be spared?
Sir, I can hardly believe what I read in The Courier on December 11. To erect 415-foot high wind turbines in the Hermitage and Craigvinean is wicked folly.
They produce a pittance of power and are a blight on our landscape and they will put off tourists, walkers and tree lovers. What do Edinburgh-based PNE Wind UK know about this beautiful area?
Dunkeld and Birnam are lovely wee villages, why spoil their surroundings?
Linda Holt from Scotland against Spin is quite right saying: “Nowhere is sacrosanct for subsidy chasing wind developers”
Are these people who propose erecting these monstrosities out of their minds?
It is simply greed.
Politicians are elected to get the best deal for us in this case they have managed to get us the worst.
Isabel Wardrop. 111 Viewlands Road West, Perth.
Council need to be told
Sir, The Courier confirmed in their poll that 70% of us want to preserve City Hall for future generations to enjoy.
I would ask all who read this to please email Historic Scotland expressing disgust at the proposal of Perth and Kinross Council to destroy for ever, City Hall, a fine piece of Perth’s heritage and to waste £4m of our money (probably more with archaeological excavation costs) and several more years to kill the city centre stone dead.
Let us all show our inept council, who have landed us bills for an incinerator in the city centre, an abortive plan for a bridge across the Tay for walkers and cyclists and the monstrous liability re the Concert Hall, that they must learn what democracy really means!
Margaretha Linacre. 21 Marshall Place, Perth.
Need to make it quite clear
Sir, It is a matter of great regret that in the news item headed “New sentencing for sex crimes”, on page 22 of Friday’s edition, you do not make it clear that what is said there has no relevance to Scotland.
The body referred to, the Sentencing Council, is concerned only with the justice system of England and Wales.
The greatest care is needed when publishing news about legal matters to make it quite clear to which legal system the news applies.
Alastair Stewart. 86 Albany Road, Broughty Ferry, Dundee.