Once again, Labour has shown great lack of foresight in dealing with what is becoming a frightening unemployment problem.

Despite the initial cost, there is irrefutable logic in making more higher education places available to students in 200910 - and yet the Government has added only a limited number of places on science, technology, engineering and maths courses.

Considering how few engineers are going to be needed in this non- manufacturing land of ours, this is even more illogical.

If more young (and mature) people with good A-levels go to university, fewer of them will be around to apply for the limited number of jobs available. This means that less academic school pupils can take the jobs instead. This process should then filter down to the very lowest skilled jobs to help more people come off the dole queue.

• Jackie Sherman, Abingdon, Oxfordshire