Putting aid in perspective

I DON’T think that we should get carried away with any thoughts that we owe a special responsibility to British Overseas Territories in the region following the damage caused by the recent storms (Letters, September 12).

The BBC keep going on about the BritishVirgin Islands but we should bear in mind that this protectorate contributes nothing to the UK economy, uses the US dollar as its currency and indeed it could be argued that it drains our economy by virtue of the tax haven facilities it offers to many UK companies. The same can be said about other protectorates such as the Cayman Islands.

Having said this I wholeheartedly agree that the UK should provide humanitarian aid in the Caribbean but I don’t agree that a special case should be made for them because they are “British”.

Alan McGibbon, Corsebar, Paisley.