From Mr Peter Mitchell.

Sir, It was difficult to know whether to laugh or cry reading Anthony Dunn’s applause (Letters, November 5) for the integrity and application of significant parts of today’s civil service. Is the Ministry of Defence he admires the one so recently excoriated for the tragic Nimrod disaster? Or the Foreign Office he esteems the one that, last month, was so disorganised that it was unable to decide whether or not Britain should vote in a key UN human rights debate?