I READ with dismay in the Citizen that bureaucracy seems to have gone mad again.

How can we expect children to be responsible and earn a bit of their own pocket money when they are now allowed to get part-time job in local pub and hotel kitchens and restaurants.

These jobs keep them off the street, help them become more self-reliant, teach them about growing up and put them in touch with the outside world.

I did paper rounds both morning and evening from the age of 12 to 16 and it certainly did not affect my schooling on the contrary it enhanced my experience of growing up and taught me the value of things.

It would appear we must now wrap our children in cotton wool and not reprimand them for fear of prosecution. How can we expect them to grow up responsibly and have respect for other people when they are cocooned and over-protected in an ever changing world?

Cliff Lovatt, Lancaster.