YOU report that Royal Bank of Scotland bonuses will be less this year after the £785m paid last year despite posting losses of £2 billion ("Fine shrinks RBS bonus pot", The Herald, December 31).

In the same issue, in Cate Devine's Face to Face interview we learn that Dr Lorna Fyfe, honey expert and microbiologist and immunologist at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, has made a worldwide breakthrough in proving that Portobello honey is as effective against MRSA, E.coli and Pseudomonas as the famous New Zealand Manuka honey. This has enormous potential for the treatment of these superbugs and for the Scottish honey industry. £80,000 is required for further research into this and other Scottish honeys and Dr Fyfe is hopeful of securing this from an industrial backer and meantime has applied for ad-hoc funding of £15,000 from government. Is this an opportunity for RBS to further reduce this year's bonus millions and contribute the £80,000 required, and perhaps go a little way towards improving its public image?

R Russell Smith,

96 Milton Road, Kilbirnie.