I AGREE with the recent comments made by G Hall concerning tuition fees (HAS, Oct 1). Due to the increases in tuition fees, student applications have fallen to such a level that some universities are reporting courses with unfilled places.

The long-term effect of increased tuition fees won’t be just fewer graduates in subjects such as medicine, engineering, science, business studies etc, it also means fewer opportunities for people and an increased dependency on qualified immigrants to take up such positions.

Our dependency on foreign doctors, engineers etc, will deprive their own countries of the qualified people they need to function and advance, which in turn increases their need for foreign aid from nations such as Britain.

After increasing tuition fees and cutting funding to universities, the Government continues using British taxpayers’ money to educate the children and help develop the very countries which are our economic rivals.

Such policies make little sense and are proving to be selfdestructive.

CT Riley, Spennymoor.