Letter: Refugee quota

Sir: Mr Braithwaite (letter, 25 August) asks for a limit on the numbers granted asylum in this country, so as to protect our national cultural integrity.

I would suggest that, given the enormous diversity of the waves of immigrants who have successively brought us their cultures over the last 2000 years or so, from the Romans on, an annual allowance of one per thousand of the existing population would be a very moderate provision.

It would work out at about 57,000 a year - which happens to give 114,000 over two years, precisely the number of applications made in 1998 and 1999 together before any "bogus" arrivals are deducted.

HARVEY R COLE

Winchester, Hampshire