Mark Potts (Postbag, October 29) is wrong that I have been absent from the tax credits debate. I have attended all debates and made a contribution in the Backbench Business debate on October 29. As a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee we took evidence on the subject on Monday, October 26.

I personally wrote to the Chancellor about the reforms over a month ago, having carefully examined the effects of the reforms, and requesting transitional measures to protect families from significant cash losses in the short term. I am extremely pleased that the Chancellor has announced that he will include these measures in his Autumn Statement. I support a government that will deliver a National Living Wage for the first time, offer up to 30 hours of free childcare to young parents and take millions of people out of paying income tax altogether.

For the record, the various tax credit reforms (saving £4.4bn out of an annual Welfare budget of £174.3bn) have now been voted through five times by the House of Commons in various motions.

Every Conservative MP voted the same way as me in the Opposition Day debate motion Dr Potts referred to on October 20. The government need to make savings if we are to make any progress in eliminating the deficit and tackle our £45.2bn debt interest payments each year.

It is unfortunate that this country is saddled with so much debt and a deficit – a product of the “spend, spend, spend” approach of the last Labour administration, a legacy that cannot be eliminated without tough spending decisions as well as tackling tax avoidance.

Dr Potts would seem to want me to engage in symbolic gesturing and empty opposition.

I prefer to engage directly and constructively for the benefit of all my constituents.

JOHN GLEN MP

Member of Parliament for Salisbury