Letter: Carey and jobless: a question of timing

Sir: Andrew Brown reports ("Bishops vote on taking a political stand", 15 January) that a senior adviser to the Archbishop of Canterbury tried to "squash" the forthcoming report on unemployment and the future of work by an ecumenical churches' sponsoring group set up by the Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland. This is completely untrue.

There have been discussions about the timing of the report's publication and launch, now set for early April. This is entirely the responsibility of the sponsoring group, taking account of advice from various quarters. That is, however, a quite separate issue from the substance of the report itself.

LESLEY PERRY

Archbishop of Canterbury's Secretary for Broadcasting, Press and Communications

Lambeth Palace

London SE1