I believe you have been unfairly criticised for your leader three weeks ago about the consultation on the proposed new Malvern hospital.

You did not, as I read it, complain about public consultations in general; you did - rightly in my view - comment unfavourably on the detail of this particular consultation process.

As to the question "do we want a new hospital?", consultation about that has effectively been going on for a quarter of a century. The answer is hardly likely to be 'no'.

On the question about the siting of the hospital (which we had thought had also been settled years ago), the public cannot be expected to choose between alternatives without seeing detailed business plans. We now learn that for this very reason there may need to be a revised consultation paper providing the necessary detail and involving yet more delays.

I was told last summer that the business plan, together with potential partners, would be available by Christmas. Where is it and where are they?

Until we are given evidence to the contrary, I have to assume the consultation exercise as presently constituted is nothing more than a smokescreen to hide the fact that no substantive progress is being made.

Sir Michael Spicer MP, House of Commons, London.