Letter: Charity begins at home, Mr Cameron

Letter: Having listened to David Cameron and his aid minister on Newsnight yesterday night, I feel compelled to give my view of this episode of financial ineptitude.

While understanding the moral dilemma of politicians to balance, the giving of aid to the less well-off countries of the world, and the wellbeing of the domestic less well-off, I must declare that charity should begin at home.

It may make the news headline to appear with Bill Gates, and I agree with him (Gates) that vaccination of the poor should be a top priority for the health of the world, but I cannot agree with David that this is a good or useful way of spending our taxpayers' money.

With cuts on funding for our population on the current scale, now is not the time to be offering an increase of 34 per cent to the overseas aid budget.

My main concern, however, is that the world has a food crises and an ever-expanding population to feed and look after, with a limited amount of resources.

What the aid should be for is the education and equipment to enable the developing countries to be able to develop their own self-sustaining environment.

This should include clean water and sanitation, trained doctors and medical staff and maybe, most of all, education, particularly on birth control and the responsibility of raising a family that each couple can comfortably afford to maintain.

Jonathan Rogers

Wistanstow