Letters: Checks give foreigners an unfair advantage for jobs

Scottish workers are subject to a criminal record check covering their entire lives in Britain, whereas foreign workers are only subject to a check for the length of time they have been in this country, which in many cases is only a few weeks or months.

Therefore, foreign workers who have criminal convictions in their own countries have an unfair advantage over Scottish workers when seeking employment as their convictions are not revealed by Disclosure Scotland.

The law states that all employees should be treated equally, but clearly in the case of Disclosure Scotland, Scottish workers are being treated less favourably than foreign workers when it comes to employment opportunities.

The Scottish Government must explain why they continue to allow Scots with criminal convictions to be placed at a disadvantage in the search for employment compared to foreign workers.

Ian Hain, Firrhill Loan, Edinburgh

Renewables are part of problem

GRAHAM Brown (Letters, December 16) thinks that those opposed to wind farms are ill-informed and have no idea how to replace the coming shortage of generating capacity.

In fact it seems that it is he who is ill-informed. Realists have long pointed out the need to build new nuclear power plants, which reduce the need to build wind farms and do not damage the atmosphere.

Furthermore, and contrary to his claim, nuclear power is competitive with wind power, sometimes cheaper. Renewables are not the answer; they are the problem.

Steuart Campbell, Dovecot Loan, Edinburgh

Foundations were laid by Lib Dems

COUNCILLOR Cammy Day bemoans the lack of housing built in Muirhouse and Pennywell (Letters, December 14).

In spite of the previous Labour administration beginning to empty and demolish much of that estate not a brick was subsequently laid by them.

The Liberal Democrat-led administration at the council has identified funding to build modern council housing in the area.

Construction is expected to begin mid-2012 in West Pilton Crescent ahead of the schedule in the business plan agreed at committee on March 3, 2009, incidentally without dissent from Labour.

I announced recently that we are to triple the number of affordable homes started next year providing in excess of 2000 jobs.

The Pennywell and Muirhouse council house building forms an important part of that vision.

It is a shame that when we first announced that we were going to build the first council housing in a generation, Labour councillors chose not to support us.

Paul Edie, convener of Health, Social Care and Housing

Chinese make wrongdoers pay

SAM Main, who was alleged to be travelling on a train without a ticket, should apologise for his behaviour and insist that Alan Pollock, who threw him off at Linlithgow, is not charged

This would go a long way to help him being seen in a better light by the public.

He should think himself lucky that he did not try to avoid paying in China.

A Chinese man was sentenced to life in prison for avoiding road cargo tolls. On appeal he had his punishment reduced to two-and-a-half-years

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow

It’s a wrap after charity event

MANY thanks to all the shoppers who donated to the volunteers who were gift wrapping to raise funds for the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS) Lothians on Thursday and Friday. The fantastic sum of £675.47 was raised and will be used to provide counselling and other services to the parents and families of babies lost through stillbirth.

Thanks also to the Ocean Terminal management office for organising the event.

Jane Lockhart, on behalf of SANDS Lothians