WITH reference to Maurice Vassie’s recent letters in defence of our contribution to foreign aid, can I draw his attention to a report just released by the Overseas Development Institute.

In the report they say that that half of the money over the past ten years went to only ten countries, each of them major economies, while the remaining half was divided between 125 nations.

Of the £4.8billion looked at by the institute the UK was the largest contributor, putting in £1.6billion over the last decade. Among the major economies benefiting was India, Brazil and South Africa, three of the most booming economies in the world. How can such a system be justified when the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, including us in the latter group.

A P Cox, Heath Close, Holgate, York.