RAF’s ‘tourist’ jets prove we were ripped off

Fifteen years ago, a Lib Dem standing for election as an MP told me how PFI – using private money to fund public infrastructure – was a scam. He said it made governments look as if they were saving money but all that was happening was private companies were ripping off the taxpayer.

And so it has come to pass that, as you revealed last week, a PFI deal means we spend £10.5billion on a fleet of military jets, three of which are being used to fly holidaymakers because the RAF has no use for the planes.

I have no political allegiances but my Lib Dem friend was right. PFI is smoke-and-mirrors financing, and is not to be trusted. It may sound old-fashioned but if there is something that is needed for the good of the whole country, it should be paid for by the whole country. J. McLean, Manchester As you stated in your headline, it is ‘plane crazy’ that £10.5billion of public money has been given to this scandalous PFI military jets scheme. Has Parliament learnt nothing from the wasteful Labour-era PFI initiative, which is still costing the Treasury billions due to ‘locked-in’ contracts? Chaka Artwell, Oxford Your very informative article concerning MoD aircraft being leased to holiday charter airlines reminds me of a principle attributed to one Laurence J. Peter, stating that, in a management hierarchy, people are promoted to their level of incompetence. I submit that this ‘law’ is still being observed. Virtually every week The Mail on Sunday reveals more and more wasteful expenditure by such government organisations. Keep up the good work in highlighting imbecilic spending of taxpayers’ money. Ralph Taylor, South Wales During the Falklands War, the Admiralty requisitioned merchant ships; why not use a similar model for the RAF’s Voyager/Airbus A330s? Cutting the RAF’s wings is essential. Air marshals claim the RAF needs more but it has a large estate and some stations see few air movements. The RAF also has many more aircraft than necessary and is overmanned. Many of its people are underemployed yet enjoy the most favourable service conditions in HM Forces. Paid the same as soldiers and sailors, most RAF personnel are seldom deployed. Reorganisation could see all land-based aircraft operated by the Army and maritime aircraft by the Fleet Air Arm. Indeed, just two armed services would offer better operational efficiency and release billions a year more for defence. Lester May, Lieutenant Commander (Royal Navy), retired, Camden, London Your story ‘Plane Crazy’ reminded me of when I started as work services manager at Woolwich Garrison in London. The property manager (a major) showed me a large fleet of heavy duty trucks worth about £80million that he said they didn’t need, didn’t want and hadn’t used. They were still parked where they were delivered. Name and address supplied