Sir, Congratulations on highlighting the issue of nuisance calls in Monday’s edition of the paper.
I have been signed up to TPS for some years and it has worked really well in stopping calls from UK-based companies but, of course, it cannot block the nuisance marketing/scam calls originating from outside the UK.
These show up on caller ID as “international” oroccasionally “unavailable”.
They seem to be automatically dialled and are invariably silent.
From time to time I have to suffer a blizzard of these, often up to four or more a day during these periods when my number is being targeted. I suspect this happens on a random basis.
As for having to prove that distress is being caused, I have periodically tried to draw the attention of mytelephone provider and more recently my MP to the fact that some of these calls cannot be disconnected by hanging up the phone.
The line continues to be engaged for a time and this has potentially serious implications for the increasing numbers of subscribers who are linked to community alarms or some form oftelecare.
Apart from companies trying to sell equipment which purports to block such calls, no one, including the telephone providers, seems interested in addressing this problem.
Hazel Carnegie. 101 Jesmond Road, Aberdeen.
Imperial birth in all senses
Sir, It has been most gratifying and appropriate to see the BBC announce the 8lb 6oz weight of the royal baby in imperial units.
Sadly, the BBC seems to have such a love affair with metric units that they are normally used even when public safety is at stake as with the recent warnings of over-hot weather given repeatedly in Celsius when those most likely to be affected better understand Fahrenheit.
If the royal birth has made the BBC reconsider their position on this, then it may well be time for cynical republicans like myself to reconsider our stance on the monarchy.
John Eoin Douglas. 7 Spey Terrace, Edinburgh.
Jeremy Bear or Ryanair?
Sir, The recent suggestion in the letters column to transform Dundee’s Camperdown Park into an airport makes sound business sense because that venue satisfies the main business criteria which are:
(1) In business never pay over the odds to buy anything;
(2) Never rely on any goodwill or cooperation from any individual or organisation because these commodities can be withdrawn at any time;
(3) When any majorbusiness venture is suggested one should always consider all the potential pitfalls, (eg objections).
Applying these criteria we find:
(1) Dundee already owns Camperdown Park, so no need to buy land for such a project;
(2) If, for example, RAF Leuchars (or any part of it) was to be used as a civil airport that would involve a huge amount of co-operation and goodwill from Fife Council (and their voters) and also the Ministry of Defence and one doubts if that is ever likely to happen. An airport at Camperdown would not require any cooperation or goodwill from the MoD or any other local authority or any other local authority’s voters;
(3) The amount of jobs (and prosperity) for the city of Dundee created by such a venture would very likely win the day despite any objections.
One thing is for sure and that is if Dundee does not have a viable airport the V&A will become yet another hugely expensive white elephant.
As a Dundonian it pains me that Camperdown is not the lovely park it once was. It has a wee zoo and has been in decline for years. The City Fathers have to ask themselves: what is going to bring visitors and jobs and wealth to their city? Does Dundee want Jeremy Bear or Ryanair?
Angus Cooper. 2 Cleghorn Street, Dundee.
Hospital rounds every single day
Sir, It is completely inaccurate to claim that “at Perth Royal Infirmary rounds (on the intensive care unit) are only carried out once a week”. Every single day of the week, 365 days of the year, joint nursing and medical consultant rounds occur at 8.30am.
These are followed by consultant-led clinical examinations of each patient, followed by meetings or consultations with pharmacist, physiotherapist, dietician and microbiologist; and with surgical, medical and radiological consultant colleagues as necessary. On Saturday, three consultants of different disciplines were present on the intensive care unit and this morning (Tuesday), a local public holiday, there were four.
The “weekly round” that may have been referred to, is an open multidisciplinary, combined clinical, morbidity and mortality, educational and strategic meeting, which occurs every Wednesday in addition to the usual daily clinical rounds.
Dr Shelagh Winship. Local administrative lead for Intensive Care, Perth Royal Infirmary.
Attentive staff
Sir, I have to disagree with parts of your article over weekend patient concerns in Monday’s edition. Being discharged from CCU in Ninewells on a weekend I had the full attention fromdoctors and staff at that time, and can assure all that I was well looked after during my stay there by all concerned with my welfare.
Bob Harper. 63a Pittenweem Road, Anstruther.
Smart meter warning
Sir, Pete Wishart, MP encourages us to rush to install smart electricity meters (your report, July 22) citing their role in potentially reducing electricity consumption, and hence bills.
It is far from obvious how this reduction will be achieved.
However, what Mr Wishart fails to mention is the “big daddy is watching” role envisaged for such meters in that they can also be used to ration and cut off electricity supply when demand exceeds supply, which is likely to be a common occurrence in the event that his SNP government achieves its 2020 target of 100% of our electricity including that from intermittent renewable sources such as wind.
Readers should note that home owners are not obliged to accept the installation of such a meter and can refuse to have one installed. I will be so refusing.
GM Lindsay. Whinfield Gardens, Kinross.
The lottery and independence
Sir, Dudley Treffry is concerned about lottery benefits if independence comes about.
Whilst mentioning the amounts donated to good causes in Scotland, he fails to mentions the amount of lottery funding spent on the Olympics (£1.7 billion) which we now learn provided very little benefit outside the south-east of England.
However, Scots bought tickets during that period and Scottish good causes were negatively affected as the government siphoned off lottery funds to support the Olympics.
Clearly, a number of solutions are possible if independence happens. Either we participate in the existing lottery run by a private company, Camelot, with strict rules about benefits flowing back to Scotland or, like Ireland, we run our own.
Either way, the organisation of lottery arrangements is not a serious argument against independence.
Cllr Bill Duff. 5 MacDiarmid Drive, Hillside, Montrose.
Strange method of payment
Sir, I wonder if any of your accountancy-minded readers might be able to answer a question I have not yet seen asked?
I feel very sorry for the hard-working employees of Asda suddenly faced by demands for unpaid income tax. I have never heard of a firm in this country paying salaries every four weeks rather than the usual calendar month. Is this because Wal-Mart is an American firm?
Almost all of us work on a monthly budget and it must be very hard for Asda workers to budget at all. If that is the case, I think weight should be brought to bear on foreign firms to accept British norms when paying their workers in the UK.
Robert Lightband, Clepington Court, Dundee.
Summer clear-out not done?
Sir, The recent spell of good, dry weather, I thought, would have been an ideal opportunity for the local authorities and landowners to clear rubbish and debris from stream and river beds, thus preventing the usual flooding of land, roads and railways later in the year.
However, there appears to be no visible sign of such activity. In the past, such clearing always took place during the summer months, but I suppose there will now be some health and safety regulation which bans such basic action!
John McDonald. 14 Rosebery Court, Kirkcaldy.
Need to regain trust and respect
Sir, Much of Britain’s prosperity and position in the past was down to the trust it commanded in political leaders and businessmen throughout the world. Now, however, much of our industry and most of our Empire along with its trade and most of our merchant shipping have gone, leaving us heavily dependent on our reputation for trustworthiness to keep our banking, insurance and investment sectors viable.
Now that trust is being rapidly eroded, with irresponsible bankers and dodgy dealing; even our civil servants can no longer be trusted, as illustrated by the recent jailing of a civil servant for embezzlement.
Even our once-renowned medical services are under fire as the NHS staggers from crisis to crisis and the BBC, famed worldwide for its factual reporting, has descended into biased, opinion-ridden newscasting.
We must return to those old standards to have a chance of regaining other nations’ trust and respect, thus laying the foundations for a prosperous future.
George K McMillan. 5 Mount Tabor Avenue, Perth.