ANENT the discourse on reducing university entrance requirements for “poor” people (“Universities told to slash entry grades for poorer students”, The Herald, October 31, and Letters, November 1), it is salient to read today in your columns that the same people face the biggest threat from cancer (“Poor face the biggest threat of cancer”, The Herald, November 1). The “Poor” are record holders for short life-expectancy, ill-health, drug addiction, mental illness; you name it, if it’s something you don’t want to have they have it in spades. The common factor in all these instances is the word poor.

Through no fault of their own a section of society is born destined to have a miserable life and to die early simply because of how their DNA came into existence. The majority of us ignore this basic fact from the fortunate position of knowing it didn’t happen to us and that with any luck we will never join them.

Tinkering with academic entry requirements is typical political tokenism as at best the measure will only help a few and ignores the basic problem. These people are born poor, live poor and die poor. The fact they are born poor is the problem and that is what should be addressed by society, not trying to salve our collective conscience by putting a sticking plaster on a wound while ignoring the underlying disease process.

David J Crawford,

85 Whittingehame Court, 1300 Great Western Road, Glasgow.

YOUR report on the Scottish Government’s published figures in relation to requests for crisis grants made for rather disturbing reading ("Number of requests for crisis grants to pay for food and heating soars", The Herald, November 1). Disturbing because those application are up by 11 per cent on the same period last year and come about as a direct result of the failing welfare systems of Westminster that allows the vulnerable, the sick and needy to slip through the security net.

Applying for a crisis grant is often the last resort for those in dire need, those who have nowhere else to turn, yet have hungry mouths to feed. Crisis grants became available in 2013 when the Scottish Government established the Scottish Welfare Fund to assist those being disproportionately affected by Westminster’s welfare reforms and to date some £140 million has been paid out to those in crisis. Does the Westminster Treasury reinburse the Scottish budget for taking such action to mitigate Westminster’s failings?

Just as those figures were being digested, the issue of the roll-out of Universal Credits, which has had a profound effect on those depressing figures, was once again raised at Prime Ministers' Questions by the SNP. To have any impact on those depressing figures the Scottish Government needs full welfare powers to be devolved and not just the 15 per cent of the welfare spend in Scotland that is being devolved.

Catriona C Clark,

52 Hawthorn Drive, Banknock, Falkirk.

I NOTE that massive redundancies are forecast to occur in the London banking sector as a result of Brexit. Good, I say. These overpaid parasitic bankers will now be available to fill the socially useful, albeit low-paid, agricultural jobs shortly to be vacated by Brexiting Eastern Europeans.

John Eoin Douglas,

7 Spey Terrace, Edinburgh.

DAVID Davis has announced that the Brexit negotiations require the recruitment of 3,000 extra civil servants; 300 of whom will be lawyers. Does he intend that these 3,000 new posts will be temporary and poorly paid? Not much of a career choice that.

So would the Brexiters, please, tell us precisely what weekly bonus for the NHS they would now display on the side of their Brexit bus?

Ian Stein,

8 Ochlochy Park, Dunblane.

IS it appropriate to use the word “austerity” to describe the condition of society where smartphones proliferate like a plague?

George Murray,

113 Dundonald Road, Troon.