YET again we see different rules being applied across the UK nations, which is of course each nation's right, based on scientific advice. Is it not strange, however, that three families in Scotland could share the virus but not in England? Children under 12 are not toxic in Scotland but are in England. Other contradictions abound and one has to wonder about the accuracy of scientific advice, or are we actually experiencing political oneupmanship on the part of the respective governments?

Meanwhile citizens are at the mercy of the travel industry which clearly flouts its trade rules on refunds for booked holidays and these do not apply to bookings for trips in the home nations, where booking is as much a lottery as it is on holidays abroad. If the Government can introduce legislation quickly on restrictions then it should also do so in relation to refunds on holidays booked at home or abroad to give customers the confidence to make bookings.

Bill Eadie, Giffnock.

MENTAL HEATH PLEA

I REFER to Max Cruickshank’s letter (September 11), which was headed "We must fund those who offer a listening ear to people struggling with mental health"’.

As psychiatrists, we provide essential mental health care and treatment to some of the nation’s most vulnerable. From helping new mothers with postnatal depression to treating young people with serious mental illness, we often deliver lifesaving care while seeking to always respect the human rights of those we treat.

Our range of interventions seek to encompass all patient needs, from talking therapies through to specialist inpatient care. This sometimes includes antidepressants, which can be a lifesaver for those who need them. No one should feel ashamed for taking them.

Psychiatrists in Scotland are only one part of the wider care and support provided, and we are strong advocates for approaches that encompass community and psychological care.

We are calling for all political parties to address care providers at all levels to work in tandem as part of a no-wrong-door approach. This would ensure that those with mental ill health receive the right care, in the right place at the right time.

That is why we will also be calling for more resources from the Scottish Government to ensure everyone, including those affected by the pandemic, can access the care they need. We need to fund the whole system and recognise the essential role that community, third sector and specialist services plays in improving mental health. Above all we need consistent, multi-year funding.

We will shortly be publishing our manifesto, which will outline many of the points raised above and ask that our political parties recognise – there is no health without mental health.

Dr Linda Findlay, Vice-chair of Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, Edinburgh EH2.

AN INQUIRING MINDSET

IT was interesting to read and see pictures of the tram tragedy in Glasgow, January 1959 ("Those were the Day: 1959: Three die in Glasgow tram tragedy", The Herald, September 11)

I was a child of five years of age at that time, but there is a telling sentence in the last paraphrase of the article: "The following week, a Ministry of Transport public inquiry into the tragedy took place at Glasgow Burgh Court."

We are now 60-plus years on with huge advances in technology but we cannot convene a public inquiry in years never mind one week when the events are still fresh in the minds of witnesses.

Allan Halliday, Paisley.