ID CARDS: The Federation of Small Businesses' Colin Stratton may not have noticed that it will be law-abiding small businesses who will bear the cost of complying with employee ID checks (£2,000 fine per illegal employee) and not the criminals and fraudsters who he seems to think the scheme will hamper. (HAS, April 1)

Indeed, the recent London School of Economics report (in which the Department of Trade and Industry, Confederation of British Industries and Institute of Directors participated) indicates that business may end up spending the same amount as the Government's stated costs or more again - £6bn plus - in order to comply with the scheme.

Why on earth would the Federation of Small Businesses support increased bureaucracy and, effectively, an identity tax on its members? - Robin Ashby. Newcastle.

FAIR TRADE

PETER Mullen dismissed the idea of fair trade (HAS, Mar 29) as "ideological claptrap". So presumably he is happy with the present situation of unfair trade with the Third World, where rich First World countries erect financial barriers to prevent products from poor Third World countries being sold in the rich countries.

America spends more subsidising its cotton farmers than it gives in aid to the Third World. How can the millions of desperately poor people in the Third World be expected to raise their living standards if they cannot sell their produce?

All of the main charities, such as Oxfam, Christian Aid, Cafod, War on Want, etc are campaigning to change trading rules and laws, to generate a "level playing field". - Eric Gendle, Nunthorpe.

MUM'S THE WORD

WHAT an interesting find in the survey of what makes people in Britain happy (Echo Mar 28).

Married women in their mid-50s with two children and living in Leeds (of all places) are seemingly happiest.

The research also finds that housewives and mothers who stay at home and look after their children top the happiness league. Well, that's surely one in the eye for the women's lib brigade!

Women who choose to be happy housewives and mothers need no longer feel guilty about their chosen lifestyle. Better to be content than frantic and stressed, trying to live up to some overrated idea of what a modern woman should do. - E A Moralee, Billingham.

CARTRIDGE PLEA

WE can reduce the landfill nightmare in this country only if we recycle more of the problem items which take years to decompose.

That is why I am asking people to recycle their inkjet cartridges regularly.

Inkjet cartridges will take about 1,000 years to decompose in landfill sites and are a major cause of carbon emissions, and thus global warming.

My advice is to support the Tesco inkjet cartridge recycling scheme, as I've done, by picking up an envelope in store and using it to send up to three used inkjet cartridges to help charity. - Aled Jones, Bridlington.

CLASS SIZES

IN 1997, Labour promised to cut class sizes to 30 for five, six and seven year olds.

In 2001, the number of infant classes with more than 30 pupils has doubled; 20,000 under eights are taught in crowded classrooms.

Labour has thrown taxpayers' money at public services, achieving little but wasting a lot.

Eight years ago Tony Blair promised "education, education, education" but all we have had is spin, waste and broken promises.

Isn't it about time Labour was taught a lesson? - Michael Fishwick, City of Durham and Easington Conservatives.

GODDESS GRACIOUS

MY husband and I are pleased to read that a giant land sculpture of a reclining woman (Echo, Mar 28) is to be placed next to the A1.

Imaginative, we say. What a good use for reclaimed land.

Obviously, Mr and Mrs Springer (HAS, April 2) prefer something more traditional or ancient. Perhaps a visit to the Cerne Abbass Giant would suit? - L Sewell, Hartlepool.

BIN BAG BLUES

YOUR story, Recycling scheme's success to spread (Echo, Apr 1) read like an April Fool spoof. It was very clever but won't have fooled residents of Redcar and Cleveland.

We only became aware of the new scheme at the beginning of February when our bin and blue bag (for newspapers) stopped being collected on the old collection days.

Numerous phone calls to the council resulted in the response: "I know you have rung several times before but all I can do is send an e-mail to the depot."

After five weeks of phoning, we eventually received the full colour glossy instructions and duly left our bin and recycling out on the new day. On the first occasion, the bin was emptied, the glass and tins taken, but the blue bag was not collected.

Last week the bin was collected but the plastic bottles were ignored. The scheme is a total shambles.

If Redcar wants to get anywhere near to meeting recycling targets, it needs to stick a bomb under its privatised recycling people and their administration. - Peter Shipp, Redcar.

ENJOY GREECE

AS a regular visitor to both Greece and North Yorkshire, I would recommend either as an excellent destination for an enjoyable holiday.

But if Tony Kelly (HAS, Apr 2) has been to Greece at all, it must have been on a different planet.

He says that "gratitude and good manners" are not part of Greek culture, and that British people are not welcome there.

I have found the most hospitable and courteous people you are ever likely to meet in Greece, as well as excellent food and drink, spectacular scenery and a fascinating cultural heritage.

However, I do try to avoid those areas frequented by British yobs whose idea of a holiday is getting disgustingly drunk, and being loud and offensive. Like most of us, ordinary Greek people neither understand nor welcome such behaviour, though no doubt they are grateful for the revenue brought by the thousands of British tourists who have the "good manners" to enjoy and respect their country.

Tony Kelly mentions the death of Christopher Rochester. This tragedy was the consequence of inexcusable medical negligence, but it does not justify a slanderous attack on an entire nation. - Pete Winstanley, Durham.