IN reply to Jim Tague’s recent letter (HAS, Jan 21) my dates for the closure of Rothmans in Spennymoor (now the Green Hills Business Park) was obtained from Spennymoor public library so the error is with them, but if the date is wrong I apologise for the error.

However, this doesn’t negate the fact that no responsible person, council or government would fight to save a cigarette factory if it risks people developing cancer.

With all due respect to Mr Tague he is unaware of the CBI’s annual conference of November 2004 when CBI director-general Digby Jones stated that “it [the CBI] believes in moving lessskilled jobs abroad”.

No matter what the CBI’s policy may be today, tomorrow, next week or next year, the fact remains that the CBI publicly backed moving less-skilled jobs abroad.

Regardless of whether the reference is to a firm, organisation, individual or past or present Government, a change in policy does not absolve them of the damaging effect their actions or words had on the lives of others.

CT Riley, Spennymoor.