Oil for one?

parties. If the system were fair, 2 per cent or so nationally should be enough to secure a list MSP.

On current showings, the SNP would be broadly unaffected by the change, Conservatives and Labour might lose out slightly and Lib Dems and Greens might benefit. Parties currently without MSPS would emerge, bringing more to national and parliamentary debate than a few extra mainstream party clones. RICHARD LUCAS

Broomyknowe Colinton, Edinburgh it is simply not the case that the law at present provides a soft opt-out system.

People in Scotland can either opt in to donation if they want to donate, or opt out if they do not want to donate. It is true that family members (only rarely friends) will be approached in the absence of registered authorisation or refusal; however, they are first asked if they have any evidence regarding verbal consent or refusal. Only if there is no such information will they be asked to provide authorisation themselves. This is an optin system, both ethically and legally, and suggesting otherwise does the debate about moving to an opt-out system a disservice.

Finally, it is also misleading to suggest that it is unethical for a family to permit donation when a person has never recorded any objection to donation. If such a family does not permit donation, two or more potential recipients might die. Would it be more ethical to let that happen?

DR DAVID SHAW Institute for Biomedical Ethics,

University of Basel; Member, British Transplantation Society Ethics Committee; Brownside Road, Glasgow A massive one billion barrel oil find in Scottish waters is scheduled to come on stream in 2019, which at current prices could represent a £40 billion boost to the Scottish economy. It’s true the oil price has slumped by around 55 per cent but as Business for Scotland recently noted, UK Government revenues fell by 99 per cent, even though oil production rose by around 16 per cent during the same period, and further highlighted the UK Government’s mismanagement of North Sea oil revenues, particularly when compared to Norway.

Your reports (28 March) on our vibrant maritime sector, the Glasgow medical Imaging Centre of Excellence and further growth in Scotland’s digital sector shows that Scotland is not dependent on oil and that our government is getting on with the day job.

As well as being self sufficient in oil and gas for several generations to come, Scotland is a net exporter and with a GDP per capita higher than many EU countries we are perfectly capable of reducing the notional GERS deficit by growing our economy.

In response to Jill Stephenson’s claims (Letters, same day) regarding the horrendous £1,700 billion UK National Debt, on which GERS charges billions in interest to Scotland each year, if an independent Scotland was liable for a population share of this then we would also be entitled to a pro rata share of the UK’S world wide assets.

FRASER GRANT Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh