We can expect more waste of public funds in NHS and local authority disputes

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The state pension has always been a burden to future generations since inception (iStock)

The dispute between the NHS and local authorities over who picks up the costs of distributing PrEP (Pre Exposure Prophylaxis) to those at high risk of HIV infection was inevitable. The government passed responsibility for public health to local authorities in 2013, splitting a significant part of healthcare from the NHS. Preventing the spread of infection is clearly a public health issue, but there are no clear dividing lines between that and general health care. Both sides in this dispute have budgets that are severely strained. Whatever the final outcome of this case, we can expect more waste of public money in future disputes. The government should have foreseen this when they forced through the last “re-disorganisation” of the NHS.

Dr Audrey Boucher
Basingstoke

Time to get thinking about bonds

This is certainly a time to pause and consider medium and long-term bonds and raising low cost capital in the UK. Better still to develop the small reactors mentioned in your recent article and corner their manufacture and development for the UK. Bonds could also finance a solar, tidal and wind revolution in our post-Brexit nation. There you have it: two new industries and scores of thousands of jobs! Next!

Douglas Jackson Flett
London

Our on-again, off-again relationship with the BBC

It would be interesting to see how much time viewers and listeners spend engaging with the BBC. In these days of multichannel choice, it seems incongruous that the BBC is funded by force by anyone who has a TV set (and, in future, a device on which to access the BBC iplayer).

From my own family perspective, my son never watches or listens to the BBC, preferring the content on (paid for) streaming providers. My husband only watches or listens to the BBC rarely.

I'm sure that if I had the choice of paying or not, I would happily forego my daily dose of 'Bargain Hunt' on BBC 1 but I would happily dip into my pocket for some BBC radio stations, especially the ones which aren't 'fronted' by overpaid presenters.

Linda Johnson
Beverley

Pensions

Sean O'Grady seriously tested my patience in his piece on pensioners’ sense of entitlement. He, amongst others, has swallowed hook, line and sinker that the state pension is a benefit. Am I alone in thinking that my National Insurance (NI) deductions did not go to provide for my state pension?

Hugh Woodhouse
Patcham

‘The constant demonising of OAPs’

Unlike Dr James Radcliffe (letter 2nd August), I am not implacably opposed to the pension triple lock being replaced by a double lock or even a single lock if the lock is to average earnings. Apart from those three short years ending in 1980, the basic state pension (BSP) had never been indexed against earnings prior to the introduction of the triple lock and, since 1980, had declined from 26 per cent of average earnings to 20 per cent.

Those of us on the BSP, under the old scheme, are still not back to that 26 per cent and never will be if the minimum 2.5 per cent increase is abandoned any time soon. On the other hand, the new BSP of £155.30 has already exceeded the previous high point. It could well be the fair level at which to phase out the 2.5 per cent minimum increase for pensioners on the old scheme and for instant removal of the minimum increase for state pensioners already at the fair level.

What I am far more concerned about is the constant demonising of OAPs in The Independent by Sean O’Grady and others. The state pension has been a burden to future generations since inception. The NI contributions have gone to fund current expenditures, rather than being invested in a pension fund. In the early days, it went to pay the new non means tested state pension to those who were already at (or close to) pensionable age and thus had paid minimal or zero NICs.

Andrew Grice continues the slow poison today (2nd August) claiming “For the first time pensioner incomes are higher than those for working age households”. In fact over one third of OAPs appear to be eligible for pension credit, and only 10 per cent of full-time workers earn less than twice the cut-off income for pension credit.

Roger Chapman
Keighley