Dangers posed by Scotland’s low birth rate

Sir - What are Scotland’s most valuable assets?

Are they are our industries, our historic buildings or North Sea oilfields?

Perhaps our magnificent land and seascapes are our most admired assets?

I suggest that none of these would be worth much without people.

Our present and future generations are what make our Scotland so great.

But the outlook is not favourable for our people, who are our most precious asset.

Our birth rate continues to fall, migration into Scotland is low and we continue to provide free university places to young people from other countries.

Unfortunately, many of those expensively educated graduates leave us in their early twenties.

Moreover, our death rate is greater than our birthrate, meaning that we do not have enough replacements to maintain our precious people.

Here’s the detail. In the 12 months ending in October this year, there were 54,755 births registered in Scotland.

This is not sufficient to sustain our population of more than five million unless, of course, we all live to be 100.

Deaths recorded in the same period were more numerous than births at 56,206.

This means we are becoming a country with more and more older people, like me.

We face the prospect of shrinking numbers of people of working age left to support our growing pension and National Health Service costs.

Our most precious assets are in decline. How could we stimulate our recovery? Andrew Dundas. 34 Ross Avenue, Perth.

Scotland’s birth rate is falling.