Letters July 31: Confusion over legal powers

From: Susan Smith, Scarcroft, Leeds.

I READ with interest the article by Conal Gregory on “Ignorance over legal rules of power of attorney” (The Yorkshire Post, July 25).

This coincides with my own recent experiences relating to the power of attorney of my mother which I needed to initiate following 
her move to a residential home.

When the Enduring Power of Attorney (predecessor to the last power of attorney) was drawn up in 2007, the solicitor supplied six copies of the document, certified and signed on behalf of the 
practice as well as the original.

Upon submitting the certified copies to various financial institutions, to allow me to access the funds held in my mother’s name, some accepted the certified copies (along with proof of identity, others did not).

They insisted that they needed to see the original, registered with the Office of the Public Guardian, or copies of that document certified by an individual solicitor, not on behalf of the practice.

As the registration process can take some time and we had to submit the original for certification, attracting additional costs, this was not very satisfactory and could in fact have led to severe financial embarrassment.

These institutions need to be properly educated.

Where is Iraq war report?

From: Mrs W Abbott, Boulsworth Avenue, Hull.

I AM amazed that Sir John Chilcot, chairman of the Iraq War inquiry has “repeatedly refused offers of extra assistance” in order to speed up completion of the report (The Yorkshire Post, July 22).

The enquiry was launched back in 2009 and due to be released last year. However, it was deemed to be inappropriate to publish the report in the months leading up to the 2015 General Election.

The election is now over yet still the report remains in abeyance. So far it has been reported the expenses into this enquiry amount to £1.5 million, an average of £231,000 paid to each member of the panel.

This breathtaking amount of money does not include the wages of the support staff.

In view of the ever-escalating expenditure involved it is David Cameron’s duty as Prime Minister to call upon Sir John Chilcot set out in full detail the reasons why this report is taking so long to complete and deliver.

Mr Cameron should also set a deadline and request that Sir John Chilcot adhere to a specific date of publication.

Lawless roads threat to life

From: Allan Ramsay, Radcliffe Moor Road, Radcliffe.

Road casualty figures have revealed that more than a thousand London cyclists were injured last year.

It amounts to a 13 per cent increase over 2013 and with two killed in hit-and-and run collisions, almost a fifth were caused by drivers who failed to stop. Anti-cyclist vigilantes?

There was also a 16 per cent increase in the number of pedestrians injured in hit-and-runs, including four fatalities.

Baroness Jones, the Green Party member who uncovered the figures, said the “culture of lawless roads” was getting worse.

A (low emission) 20 mph speed limit across the whole of London – if not every town and city – with speed limiters fitted to all vehicles offers a “cure”.

As of March this year over 1.5 million children will have undergone Government sponsored Bikeablity Training.

Some people cycle due to austerity (in the Third World it is seen as “the first step out of poverty”), some for Cancer Research UK and some are inspired by the likes of the Tour de France.

Why do people walk? Why do drivers exceed speed limits and use mobile phones? Isn’t climate change a far bigger threat than ISIS?

Scare tactics on the BBC

From: Roger Backhouse, Orchard Road, Upper Poppleton, York.

It was inevitable that someone would suggest privatising the BBC (Martin Fletcher, The Yorkshire Post letters July 24).

There’s much wrong there 
but privatisation is not the answer to alleged overpayment of top staff.

As a publicly owned body, BBC senior salaries are widely known.

Private TV companies try to keep this information hidden though evidence suggests they pay astronomical sums to top staff; snouts in the trough barely sums it up.

They also enjoy perks like stock options denied to BBC staff.

At least the BBC spares us the horrors of endless adverts and if you’ve ever tried cancelling a Sky TV subscription I can assuring readers opting out of a TV licence is far easier.

I suspect the Government is using this review to put the frighteners on the BBC to make it even more submissive.

Notice too how the Sun and Times, both owned by Sky TV’s boss Rupert Murdoch and strong Conservative supporters at the last election, are leading the charge against the corporation.

Goodness knows the BBC has its faults but the quality of other TV channels rarely beats it, and the radio is easily the best.