SIR — I would like to reply to Mr Holmes' letter of last week in which he suggests that our veterinary clinic charges the equivalent of £320 per hour. At the outset I would express surprise that Mr Holmes couldn't simply telephone me with his query., I can assure him that vets don't bite! Our fees are indeed based on a ten-minute consultation. If Mr Holmes feels he has been 'short changed' on the time, I am always happy to speak to clients about such matters. However, £32 for ten minutes clearly equates to £192 per hour and not £320 per hour as Mr Holmes inferred. I am not sure when Mr Holmes was last in business, but he may have overlooked the fact that £32 of that £192 we pay to HM Customs and Excise in VAT at 20 per cent. It does not take a huge step of imagination to see how the remaining £160 may be spent on wages for reception staff and nurses, business rates for the clinic, instruments, continuing education courses for vets and staff, equipment and many other expenses concerned with the running of a business, let alone a modern veterinary clinic. For comparison, a private consultation with a human surgeon is normally £250. May I take the opportunity to remind Mr Holmes that, unlike other professionals he mentions, we provide a 24 hour emergency service seven days a week and we do not charge for telephone advice. Similarly we do not charge for the treatment of wild animals. We also seem to be providing a free lost-and-found service for cats and dogs out of normal working hours. We do also, via the PDSA, offer a heavily subsidised service for people on benefits to join. Finally, in answer to perhaps an unasked question - "Are we (clients) paying for the new Ellicombe Veterinary Clinic?" - the answer to their question is clearly 'Yes' but over a long period of time. The Ellicombe clinic will enable us to expand and improve our cat/dog facilities at Stephenson Road where we have now been for 21 years. So just as present clients are enjoying the fruits of investment by clients from 20 years ago, clients of the future will enjoy the benefits of present investment in both premises. Personally, if I was given the choice between receiving medical attention in a modern, well-equipped hospital with up-to-date facilities and trained staff, or an out-of-date building with little evidence of modernisation/investment, I would choose the former. Wishing all our clients, as ever, the best of our attention at all times. Simon White, White Lodge Veterinary Clinic, Minehead.