Uphill struggle

The force's poor showing in the recent assessments will have come as no surprise to many of your readers, not least those readers who have suffered at its hands.

In her response to the poor assessment, the chief constable uses statistics like a drunk uses a lamppost - more for support than illumination. Having twice had formal training in statistics, and incidentally having been at one time in charge of the force statistics department, I know the futility of quoting two months' statistics. There can be no substitute for solid improvement over years and the figures for a couple of months can throw little real light on what is happening, the much-vaunted Operation Delivery or not.

The chief constable has an uphill struggle. She received a massive injection of funds and we are still waiting to see the real outcome. We are told there have been radical improvements in call-handling but they could hardly have got worse than the former poor standards, examples of which have been reported in your columns.

I myself - who used to work in the control and was twice in charge of it - found myself arguing with a call-handler about whether the matter I was reporting was police business.

The force insists "the public is seeing improvements in service" but I am afraid this member of the public has not. I have seen the community support officers and I am aware of increases in staff at headquarters. But we still await real evidence of the "tremendous progress" mentioned by the force spokesman. I only hope we do not wait in vain.

D F SEVERS

(retired North Yorkshire chief superintendent)

Borrowby Avenue,

Northallerton.

Being miserly

Sir, - Further to my letter (DST, June 11), more information has come to hand. The North Yorkshire Emergency Doctors service has told me that there are, currently, 121 surgeries signed up to work at the Catterick Garrison primary care centre. They have also said this is a total of 543 members who are signed up to work in our area.

Therefore, I cannot understand why there is only one primary care centre in this massive area unless this is a cost-cutting exercise. The NYED is a non-profit making organisation, so why is it being so miserly in the provision of primary care centres?

Apparently, one of the Hawes doctors has recently resigned. This makes me wonder if the PCT will take this opportunity to close down the Aysgarth surgery, as the health authority tried to do some years ago. Is there a hidden agenda?

According to Christopher Long of the PCT the British Medical Journal is filled with adverts asking for salaried GPs to work in out-of-hours arrangements, offering packages of £120,000 for a 40-hour week. These jobs are not being filled easily, because the doctors are making choices about quality of life.

Well, excuse me! The quality of life here, in the most beautiful place on earth, is the best in the world. I would have thought that working in Wensleydale would be like working in paradise, compared to a city.

VALERIE CARROLL

West Witton.

Sir, - I noted with interest Valerie Carroll's letter (DST, June 11).

A much more radical and logical proposal would be a primary care centre with ambulance, police, fire and air ambulance base sited on the industrial estate at Hawes (the present air ambulances for the North of England would then be based centrally).

This would surely bring about a truly integrated emergency service for the northern Pennines.

Incidentally, having worked all my life in the NHS, I have found a sense of humour is essential.

MRS ANNE HAMER

Sandford House,

Hawes.

Taxed as well

Sir, - There seems to be a misconception among certain lobbies and the general public that aviation pays no taxes, something that I would like through your columns to correct. Let me explain.

Jet engines or gas turbine engines run on either Avtur or Jet A1, both being a paraffin-based fuel, therefore not attracting fuel duty. But they both attract VAT. Small quantities at 5pc, equivalent to domestic heating fuel, large quantities attracting the normal 17.5pc VAT. But since jet engines consume large amounts of fuel, this constitutes a large tax take.

But small piston-engined aircraft usually operate on gasoline-based fuels, which attract fuel duty in the normal way, Avgas being related to road fuels. VAT is also levied on the full price as with normal pump prices.

And we must not forget airport passenger taxes. So you see, aviation is not tax-free.

J P LASSEY

Woolmoor Close,

Thirsk.

Not the greatest

Sir, - Classic FM "the world's greatest radio music programme"? The majority of its output consists of single movements, or as Sir Thomas Beecham might have put it, of "bleeding chunks" of classical music. The majority of Radio 3 output consists of complete works.

Radio Times gives more or less complete details of Radio 3 programmes but only sparse details of Classic FM programmes, apart from the 9pm concerts.

Classic FM cannot match Radio 3's complete coverage of the world's greatest series of classical music - The Proms.

Although Classic FM broadcasts music 24 hours a day and Radio 3 occasionally broadcasts a few less hours than this, some of Classis FM's time is taken up with advertisements.

Both Classic FM and Radio 3 have competitions, but Classic FM's prizes are often more worthwhile (currently they are packs of four compact discs).

On balance, perhaps Radio 3 is "the greatest radio music programme in the world".

LES GUDGER

Field View,

Old Hall Farm,

Appleton Wiske.

Extra confidence

Sir, - Shadow Minister Chris Grayling writes from Surrey last week (DST, June 18) to warn us that the EU's Food Supplements Directive is an attack on consumer interests.

As I understand it, the directive's aim is just to extend into the vitamins and health supplements market a degree of the protection people enjoy in the packaging and promotion of medicines. Manufacturers of snake-oil claimed to be capable of raising the dead and avoiding the need for three square meals a day need worry. Manufacturers of ethically-produced, ethically-promoted products need not.

In the long term, customers and shops are likely to benefit from increased confidence generated by a properly regulated market anyway, so perhaps Mr Grayling can explain why manufacturers' convenience and interests ought to take precedence.

JAMES LEIGH

Ulwards Lodge,

Thornton Watlass.

ASA rulings

Sir, - Valerie Whitby (DST, June 18) provides me with the opportunity of explaining the Advertising Standards Authority ruling on "59pc say keep hunting". The ASA accepted that the poll commissioned by the Alliance shows that there is no majority of public opinion for a total ban on hunting.

It has, however, criticised the CA for using advertisements with the phrase "59pc say keep hunting" claiming that our interpretation of the poll results on which the advert was based is misleading.

The Countryside Alliance disagrees with the ASA adjudication, which is based on the rather strange logic that someone who supports the continuation of an activity under regulation could actually want a significant "partial ban". We have already appealed against the adjudication.

A more recent poll, carried out by ORB, has revealed that returning to the hunting issue would have no significant impact on voting at the next election. The Government is committed to deal with hunting on the basis of principal and evidence, not personal taste. Breaking that commitment would make it look ridiculous to the average voter. Only on Labour back benches is the desperate pursuit of a ban on hunting seen as either sensible or worthwhile.

It is for the Government to decide whether to align itself with vindictive, obsessive MPs or the majority of moderate, reasonable people in the country as a whole.

JOHN HAIGH

Countryside Alliance Yorkshire regional director

3 Front Street,

Thirsk