EUROPE

DJ WHITTAKER (HAS, Apr 12) states that: "The UK economy has half our total trade and services with Europe's 370 million customers."

Whilst there is widespread perception that the eurozone is the UK's most important trading partner, it has been shown that once you look at the whole gamut of our international transactions, this is not true. The "rest of the world" is more important.

The eurozone accounts for less than half of all UK current account business, significantly less of UK service trade and as little as a third of all flows of investment income.

The British economy is also outperforming the eurozone. We have half its rate of unemployment. Our economy is growing more quickly than the eurozone and we receive more inward investment than France and Germany combined. We also have the lowest inflation in the EU.

The British economy is doing well outside the euro and business is benefiting from the economic stability we have achieved.

Many business leaders in Britain remember our last currency experiment in the Exchange Rate Mechanism. We had to accept interest rates that were wrong for our economy - exactly the problem we would face in the euro. The result was a disaster for British industry. Unemployment doubled and we lost 100,000 businesses.

I am certainly not anti-European or anti-EU. In Britain we can have the best of both worlds, we can play an influential and constructive part in Europe but still keep control of our economy. - John Elliott, Chairman, Business for Sterling North East.

TAXATION

HARRY Mead's politics of envy (Echo, Apr 17) is only insulting us with his talk of equality for all as long as it is someone else paying for the equality.

When a person dies and then is expected to pay tax for that privilege, especially the rich, it must speak of a twisted sense of what being equal is about.

The rich pay their taxes when they are alive, so why should their personal fortune have anything to do with Harry Mead, or a morbid tax duty thought of by malevolent, iniquitous laws and individual envy? - John Young, Crook.

TERRITORIAL ARMY

THE Territorial Army in the North of England comprises some 3,000 men and women drawn from all walks of life.

They train in their TA Centres on one evening a week and, on average, one weekend a month at one of the Army's training areas. In addition, they spend two weeks each year at annual camp or attending a specialist course. They are paid for all the training they do. A number of our Territorial soldiers, both men and women, are at present voluntarily serving in Bosnia and Kosovo, thus demonstrating that the TA is a vital part of the British Army.

Our TA soldiers receive skills training which is of benefit to them in their civilian jobs and we are now offering NVQs in over a dozen subjects.

Saturday, May 18 is TA Day, when we shall be opening the doors of our TA Centres to the public so that they can meet our soldiers and find out about our equipment, training and the opportunities which TA service offers.

All units in the North-East have some vacancies for soldiers, created through the normal turnover of personnel. There are also vacancies for potential officers. We are particularly keen to attract qualified medical personnel to our Field Hospital units at Newcastle, Newton Aycliffe and Norton and there are vacancies for people to train as Pioneers across the region and as Signallers at Middlesbrough, Darlington, Hartlepool and on Tyneside.

Your nearest TA unit is listed in the telephone book under "Army", or you can click on to our website: www.ta-day.co.uk for further information. - Tony Glenton, Chairman, North of England RFCA.

EMPLOYMENT

THE parish of Catterick is the third largest settlement in Richmondshire and the news that the 70 jobs are to be created in the new Army Museum North, is very welcome.

The question may arise whether Catterick is in Catterick Garrison or not, as the Marne Barracks site is remote from the main garrison activities. Direction signing is going to be very important for contractors and the public.

It may be simplistic to say the capital expenditure of £30m to house 150 old army vehicles and other artefacts is not good value for money, but new army barrack developments on the same site have been put back to 2007 and there is still no hospital in the Garrison or Richmondshire, for both MOD and NHS needs.

Even existing X-ray facilities at the former Duchess of Kent Hospital are being shunned by local doctors. Even more seriously, army medical training in gunshot and combat wounds is not now being undertaken in the United Kingdom and Catterick is Europe's largest military training area. - Councillor Tony Pelton, Catterick.

ANIMAL CRUELTY

G DAVEY (HAS, Mar 30) accuses the RSPCA of failing to do its job because the owner of a dog left to starve was fined £250 by magistrates but was not banned from keeping animals for life.

However, your correspondent fails to grasp the fact that it is only magistrates or judges who have the power to determine a sentence in a court of law. The RSPCA can enforce the law as it relates to cruelty to animals, but it cannot set it.

The RSPCA has done its job by the very fact that the defendant in this case was before the court. Once the evidence has been presented to the magistrates, it is they who can decide on a sentence.

The Society has campaigned strongly for a ban on keeping animals to be automatically imposed following conviction for animal cruelty. Indeed, this is a recommendation that it has recently made to Defra, which is currently drafting the Animal Welfare Bill. - Heather Holmes RSPCA Press Officer, Yorkshire and the North-East.