David Winkfield (Oxford Mail letters, January 28) wants all political parties to be asked if old age pensioners’ free bus passes are safe in the hands of whoever wins the General Election.

That’s fine, but given that there are always limited resources – which will be even more limited as this Government has accumulated huge debt which has to be repaid – then the question that has to be asked is ‘if the bus passes are safe, what are you sacrificing to pay for them?’ It is naive to demand spending on pet projects without also considering how the money is to be found (such as less spending elsewhere or higher taxes).

Paul Wilson, Kennedy Close, Oxford