Work and Pensions Minister Mike O’Brien may welcome the news that the EU is to finance training schemes in the UK, but he is concealing the reality of the situation (‘Minister welcomes EU investment in skills for England‘, Personnel Today, 4 September) . The British taxpayer funds the EU to the tune of more than £13bn per year- the money the EU is “giving” us is our own money, minus admin costs and any that happens to get lost in the notoriously leaky accounts on the way. Surely it would be better to cut out the middle man and spend the cash directly? Mark Wallace, campaign manager, Better Off Out