Should Britain cut the foreign aid budget?

AT A time when the NHS and education are crying out for money, could the Prime Minister explain what benefit the foreign aid budget brings us. The stock answer from out-of-touch politicians appears to be that it makes us feel good and look good to the rest of the world. Tell that to the emergency services who have to cope under the pressure put on them by a lack of funding. When times are hard as individuals, we have to cut back on non-essential expenditure. As a country we should do the same and stop the £14 billion of foreign aid for three years to pay off the national debt. JOHN ROBERTS, Bradford, W. Yorks. OUR overseas aid meets a commitment made to the UN in 1970. We do not dole out cash willy-nilly. Most of the money saves lives or enhances the infrastructure of poor countries. One Egyptian programme I worked on helped bring manufacturing training up to EU standards. This will help future trade with Britain. The aid budget is £14 billion; the military budget is £37 billion — the highest in Europe and the second highest behind the U.S. in Nato. Aid work enhances our overseas image and contributes to world peace. Can the same be said about military spending? M. WILLIAMS, Huddersfield, W. Yorks. PATIENTS on hospital trolleys for hours due to lack of beds, social care in crisis even though people have paid into the system all their lives and operations cancelled. These are third world conditions so can we apply for part of the £14 billion foreign aid? We should reduce our help to people abroad and put this country first. CHRISTINE WARD, Leicester.