They should be capable of demystifying the gene and explaining how recent advances in biotechnology are natural extensions of all that has gone before – which has always been associated with risk. However, it is not easy to find volunteers among scientists at the cutting edge who are willing to appear in public. They are demoralised and face hostility and impossible demands for assurances that the laws of probability forbid.Biotechnology could be the productive industry of the 21st century and the UK could be a leader. However, in the present climate we may, as on previous occasions, hand over our expertise to others who will develop the technology to their great advantage and with less attention to the safeguards that are obviously needed.JACK PRIDHAMProfessor EmeritusRoyal Holloway, University of LondonEgham, Surrey. Sir: The sincerity of the IRA in holding its ceasefire has transcended the expectations of the most sceptical and cynical observers, so why are people now talking about peace being impossible to achieve when it has already been achieved? Its permanence or impermanence seems now to be in the hands of David Trimble, the Unionist leader.

There is nothing in the Good Friday Agreement which prescribes decommissioning of arms before the Northern Ireland Assembly convenes. History tells the nationalist community not to place too much trust in British promises.
Time and patience will be the great healers. Impatience will only harden distrust.WILLIAM BURNSSouth Queensferry, Lothian. Sir: Tim Knight (letter, 22 June) supports voting for parties rather than individual candidates.

Under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) and closed list (CL) systems it is the party activists who decide who gets candidature and, thus, who is elected, because most voters vote on party lines. However, there are systems which give the final choice between several candidates of each party to the electors: open lists (OL) , like the system used for the recent Euro-elections except that the voter votes for individual candidates on the party lists, who are then elected in order of the votes they have received; and the single transferable vote (STV), which has the added advantage that voters can vote across party if they wish to follow their own non-party priorities – feminist, pro/anti-Europe, anti- racist, green and so on
In such systems it becomes really necessary for individual candidates to campaign to get their own message over and tell the electorate where they stand Under FPTP that is a charade in all but marginal seats. With CL individual campaigns become redundant, as we saw in the Euro-elections.The huge advance under STV or OL is that the electorate get a real influence in the way parties develop by choosing which views within them get represented in Parliament.Why does Westminster seek to reinvent the wheel? Why would turkeys not vote for Christmas? Self-interest, otherwise known as sleaze.DAVID FAULLRamsgate, Kent. Sir: What does your leader writer know of the life of active retired people (“It is no longer good enough just to be nice to old people”, 23 June)?

“Bunking off to do a bit of gardening or long-postponed travel” indeed. If only.
There’s a lot more to contributing to society than being in paid employment.

Has your writer never heard of the concept of social capital? Nor asked the many voluntary organisations, large or small, the equivalent monetary value of the hours given by the army of active retired?In the thinking that needs to be done about work and reward, let us extend our perceptions beyond the paid labour market, and take into account the work of great worth to a good society which wouldn’t get done if it had to be financially rewarded.I regard my pension as deferred payment from my earnings, enabling me to use my time and skills in a variety of ways. All those like me are a resource, not a problem – and certainly not bunkers-off.ANN LOXLEYLincoln. Sir: In your article entitled”Lords to rule if babies are a burden” (21 June), you quote me as saying in a judgment issued in the Court of Session, “Every baby has a belly to fill and a body to be clothed”

I said no such thing. I should not dream of expressing myself in such a coarse and inelegant way. You will find a full report of my opinion/judgment in 1998 Session Cases, pp389 et seq. I do not wish to be cast as some kind of insensitive blimp – which is what your misquotation does.
I did say, as you also report, “To treat parenthood as a wholly unblemished blessing to the parents is to ignore the realities of experience.