Letters: Time to cut pubs some slack over new ladies' toilet ruling

How did they ever manage when women were consigned to the jug bar many years ago? Is this not just some more politically correct nonsense that is ruining our country and the businesses that operate in it?

Edinburgh's public toilets have been closed and opened a number of times over the last year, and again we are at a point where they have been closed at a time when our tourist trade is flourishing and our city's footfall is getting higher.

Is this not more about our council trying to force pubs to become the new council public toilets of the future? I don't know of any publican that wants their premises to be used by all and sundry as a public toilet while they are paying such high rates for the privilege of operating in our city.

Our government and council must make their minds up before they ruin all the trades and traditions that the people of our country hold dear to their hearts. The people of this country are getting fed up with all the dictates that are going around just now. They are causing nothing but instability for businesses at a time when they need to recuperate. How long will it be before cafes and restaurants are forced to do the same as the pubs?

When we elected our government we were told that businesses would be freed up and allowed to flourish. It was our banks and bankers that failed our economy. Are they now trying to force the business community to go the same way? They, unlike banks and bankers, will not get the bail-outs like the money institutions.

If our pubs are forced out of business because of this politically correct dogma this will make our cities a lot poorer and less welcoming for the tourist trade we have built up over the years.

Andrew Murphy, Edinburgh

Shared services will lower hospital costs

I WOULD like to reassure your readers that the bill for our new hospital for children will not "be pushed up by at least 8 million" as reported in your newspaper on Thursday 8 April.

Our original proposal to build the new hospital together with a new Department of Clinical Neurosciences did include some shared services and, as a result, shared costs. However, both of these projects are very much in the early stages and efficiencies are still being identified.

We are working with the architects to revise our plans for the new children's hospital to stay within budget.

A new Department of Clinical Neurosciences will be built on the Little France site and there will be some shared services with the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh which will result in further cost savings.

Jackie Sansbury, Director of Strategic Planning and Modernisation, NHS Lothian

Pulling out troops would win election

NOW that the hustings have started and all the leaders of the main parties are espousing how they will not spare expense on ensuring the front-line British forces will not be ill-equipped with resources for carrying out their tasks, do none of these politicians have the foresight – or gumption – to realise that if they promised to take the forces out of the wretched battles – those they should never have been involved in at the outset – they would, on that single issue, be, in my opinion, good enough to win the election, hands down.

William Burns , Pennywell Road, Edinburgh

National Service policy won't work

DAVID Cameron's latest unfunded scheme for 16-year olds doing non-compulsory national service has not been thought through. The minors who want to take part in this sort of activity do so already as Scouts, members of the Boys Brigade and entrants for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

It is an incredible insult to trained carers of elderly people with mental and/or physical problems to imagine that inexperienced youths, however well-meaning, can step in after a week or two's "training" and be of any benefit.

Marjorie Mackenzie, Grange Loan, Edinburgh