SIR – I tend to agree with Philip Coote (Letters, January 9).

By far too much government funding is put aside for the purpose of legal aid, and on many occasions that funding is put to use which is detrimental to the well-being of our country.

How many times do we see foreign criminals, terrorists etc, using legal aid to the tune of millions of pounds to escape just deportation?

On the other side of the coin we have the ‘yobbo’ appearing before the magistrates on a minor charge. Has the yob got no tongue that he cannot speak for himself?

Usually the yob is appointed a solicitor to speak on his behalf and the proceeding goes something like – ‘Your Worships, my client is a bit of a scumbag, but his mummy loves him etc.’ The other day in the T&A we heard from members of the legal profession ‘crying the poor tale’. Who knows? If legal aid continues to be cut, we may actually see members of the legal profession getting proper jobs.

Terry Tordoff, Calderstone Avenue, Buttershaw