RECENTLY, our 659 MPs - on at least £1,060 a week - voted themselves three free foreign holidays a year.

These are supposed to be fact-finding trips, at an annual cost to the taxpayer of around £2m.

At the same time, 108-year-old Alice Knight was dying of a broken heart, having lost the will to live.

She was being evicted because of closure of her Norwich residential home.

Her home was only one of the 800 care and nursing homes closing each year. A reason constantly quoted is the inability of owners "to meet stringent new Government regulations."

I suppose we should be grateful for the concern New Labour has for cuddly little foxes.

FRANK I JONES,

Malvern.