SIR – Your correspondent Teri Kirk, of Anchor Housing (Letters, December 27) chides me for not understanding their aims. It appears, according to her, that if they could install a Minister for Older People, and a rare species of a ‘dedicated’ one at that, who had dual responsibilities, it would save the Government a tremendous amount of money, and somehow would enable older people “to receive the services they deserve”.

I am not impressed by how many petition signatures have been received by Anchor, but I am concerned that you wish to hand over a complete section of society to an individual. Not only do I think it is foolish, but dangerous.

Where are the checks and balances? Where is the opposition to his/her dictates? Whatever he/she says will go because we have given him/her carte blanche to act in our name. Pensioners do not have organisations with teeth nor resources to challenge any decisions we do not agree with, so whatever this minister wants will go through.

Shortly we will be the biggest section of society and time would be better spent setting up networks because we will have to be part of Government, so let us communicate nationwide.

Audrey Raistrick, Secretary, Neighbourly Care (Bradford), Westgate, Eccleshill