Letters: Mums' expectations make bus drivers' job more hard

In the tramcar era, this mode of transport had only one space for a pram. There was no proviso for invalid wheelchairs and buses had no spaces for prams at all. Mothers walked great distances to do their shopping or on school runs, in all weathers and were fitter for it.

Many of today's mothers won't walk the length of their nose; I've seen many get a bus for as little as two stops and others too lazy to unfold buggies and stack them on the baggage shelf, thus denying others with a rigid pram the space.

Give our over-stressed bus drivers a break, they have a difficult enough job as it is, without being pram space mediators and stop putting pressure on Lothian Buses to modify buses to meet your selfish demands. This will only reduce passenger space and increase costs to the company, who will have to pass them on to the public with increased fares.

Frank Ferri, Newhaven

Tough decision at a tough time

I REFER to Tom Ward's article (News, June 8) and would like to clarify the position from Heineken's perspective.

We took a difficult decision in October 2010 not to award discretionary increases to pensions in payment for the coming year. At that time, we were reviewing our pension arrangements and putting in place a long-term recovery plan for our pension fund. The S&N Pension Plan faces considerable funding pressures and a difficult economic climate. To address these pressures, Heineken has put in place a 12-year recovery plan which involves additional cash contributions, rising to as much as 61 million per annum by 2014.

From July, we will move from a defined benefit scheme to a high quality defined contribution arrangement. This maintains benefits for our employees which are competitive in the marketplace, whilst reducing long term uncertainty and making our pension arrangements more sustainable.

In relation to undertakings that were given as part of the 2008 acquisition of S&N, it was made clear that the practice of annually considering whether to award discretionary increases to pensions in payment would continue. This was not a guarantee to award increases, only to consider them annually. It was also made clear that such increases could never be guaranteed.

While we recognise the concern and depth of feeling among those pensioners affected by the decision in 2010, this was the right decision given the particular circumstances at the time.

Discretionary increases will be reviewed later this year in relation to the coming year's payments, and we will enter into that process with an open mind. Stefan Orlowski, managing director, Heineken UK

Lib Dems have no right to speak out

I AM taken aback by the breathtaking arrogance of Michael Moore MP who has told Scotland that if she votes for independence, that will be ignored and another referendum will be staged.

This is what modern day Lib Dems regard as "Democracy". This is the kind of talk that makes Scots regard the Lib Dems as repulsive.

And they were well and truly repulsed by Scots at the recent Scottish Parliament elections. They have no right to shout the odds in this nation.

Jim Bryce, Kings Meadow, Edinburgh

Tax tyranny of our government

MARTIN Hannan must have got out of bed the wrong side to write such a mean-minded piece on the Adam Smith Institute and its Tax Freedom Day idea - which shows we each spend five months of the year working solely for the government (News, June 7).

Hannan says we misrepresent Adam Smith, but one thing is plain to all: Smith would have regarded any government that takes nearly half of our income for itself as an unspeakably tyranny.

Eamonn Butler, Adam Smith Institute, London