Now there is a proposal to give them rooms where they can inject.

People have been told for years that if you take drugs there is a near-100% chance you will become addicted.

So as I see my taxes going up and up, I deeply resent any going to subsidise a self-induced addiction. — InverG.

This approach is a win-win situation for all concerned.

The crime rate would decrease, and the dangers of hepatitis B and C will disappear.

There would also be less risk of limb amputation, Aids and septicaemia.

Finally, drug dealers would not exist any more. — Jim Hutchison, Dundee.

This rise is morally wrong, but I bet the board members make sure their cars have a reserved space. — Mark, Gary, Tracey, Kate.

[There are 23 members of the board of NHS Tayside. Twenty were present at the meeting on May 18, in Dundee’s Kings Cross Hospital when controversial recommendations on the management of car parking at Ninewells Hospital were approved.

They unanimously approved introducing variable charges up to £15 a visit for car parks five and six, closest to the hospital. Over 2000 other spaces on the site would continue to attract the standard £1.50 charge.

They unanimously approved an extension to the compassionate permit arrangements that allows selected patients and visitors to park without paying.

The recommendation to introduce charging for the disabled for the first time ever on the site was approved by all members at the meeting, with the exception of Dr Bob Rosbottom.

The recommendation to introduce charging in the accident and emergency car park was approved by all members present with the exception of non-executive director, Iain Wightman.

The other members present and fully supportive of the recommendations were: John Angus, Peter Bates, Alan Boyter, Lorraine Caddell, David Clark, David Dorward, Liz Forsyth, Gerry Marr, Glennis Middleton, Bill Mutch, Murray Petrie, Andrew Richmond, Drew Walker, Betty Ward, Sandy Watson, Tony Wells, Liz Wilson and Peter Withers.

Members who submitted apologies and were absent from the meeting were David Rowley, Helen Wright and Margaret Harper.

Board members and senior staff do not have identified parking spaces at Ninewells and take their chance of finding a space with everyone else. A few people, including NHS Tayside chief executive Professor Tony Wells and chairman Peter Bates, do have marked bays at Kings Cross Hospital, where parking is currently free.]

So, in fairness, I write to praise the city council for the planting at Coldside. Firstly, it will be easy to maintain (pansies will need renewed and hedging clipped) and should attract little litter. Secondly it allows the driver a clear view of traffic. Finally the box hedges and trees are modern and attractive.

Compare this to the Dudhope circle, also looked after by the council. It’s more like a country park and is downright dangerous, particularly when heading south or west from the Inner Ring Road, as the view of traffic on the circle is obscured. It is also a litter magnet (although this should be blamed on those who discard the rubbish).

Also compare it to the recently-refurbished Scott Fyfe roundabout at the east end of the Kingsway, the responsibility of Bear. Along with the rest of the Claverhouse Ambassador route, it is a disgrace. It is not attractive and there are more bare patches and weeds than attractive planting.

So I urge Dundee City Council to use Coldside as a template for any further planting. I also urge Bear to give up and pave over roundabouts, perhaps with an attractive pattern or logo (it could even be sponsored). — Driven Distracted.

There’s a big contrast, true, but there’s also a big difference in what each does.

Your average GP has invested at least six years at university and has to keep abreast of new developments.

The unemployed, often through no fault of their own, do not contribute to society through work. — Doctor Dolittle.

When I was laid off by Timex in January, 1993, my housing costs were approximately £200 per month to the building society for interest on my mortgage, plus around £60 per month to the insurance company for my endowment.

The contribution from the dole amounted to just over £4 a month.

If it hadn’t been for an understanding building society, I would have been declaring bankruptcy, been homeless and looking to the council to provide my family and me with a roof over our heads,

After eight years of further education, unemployment, then taking any job that would give me an income, I finally managed to clear my mortgage arrears in 2004. Over the years, I’ve seen no stories that would indicate the plight of unemployed mortgage payers has changed. — Townie Tam.

Five days a week my hard-working husband climbs 2000 stairs, walks 10 miles, is chased by dogs, gets verbal abuse from impatient clients, and is accused of stealing tickets.

He suffers from feet, knee and back problems and often comes home soaking wet, all for £182 a week. A bonus of £418 is not too much to ask, and that’s before tax.

He’s 60. Could you do this at his age? — Proud Wife.

So the 180,000 who work for the company are making it about a fiver a day each, and getting two days’ worth a week as a bonus.

But what really makes me upset is that it has just cut its service, paid off half its staff and now delivers hours later. — Dundee Reader.

Rubbish was dumped in an alley off Brook Street and nobody seems to take responsibility. I have enclosed a photograph taken recently. — Watchful.

[The council says steps have been taken to address the problem.]

The Gaelic language remains a first language for many communities of Scots descent in Canada, mainly Nova Scotia and even parts of the US.

On Lewis it is not uncommon for business to be conducted entirely in Gaelic, and even newcomers learn the language. — Machfheiled Rhep, Gaelic Language Society, Stornoway.

Perhaps we should go back to the old days and use push mowers and scissors to cut hedges? — Pain In The Grass.

They would like to meet up with former friends. Maureen’s family lived in Derwent Avenue. — Isabel Wynne (01382 812553) and Kathleen McComish (01382 455396).