Credit: Andrew Aitchison
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SIR – In the 1960s, I worked for the industrial group of the UK Atomic Energy Authority. Its head, Sir Christopher Hinton, told staff that they would be subject to a pay freeze for five years. Many, myself included, left the authority, which thereafter was no longer at the forefront of developing atomic energy for industrial purposes.
The budget for the development programme, which concentrated on nuclear reactors for power generation, was slashed by the government of the day with no regard for the long-term implications that are now evident in our dependence on foreign resources (Leading Article, July 27).