Sir: I read your article on Heveningham Hall with some
interest: it disclosed a sad Picture of unpaid debts and the neglect of the fabric of a fine building which I know well.
My concern is that your writer, Mr Lycett, tied into his article the acquisitions of Harrods by Mr Mohamed Al Fayed and his brothers. The contrast could hardly be greater: the Fayed brothers ensured that everyone was paid in full and that the long- needed investment in the fabric of the stores was committed on an unprecedented scale. Far from the Government setting out to track the origins of the Al Fayeds' for- tune, its brief was limited to the affairs of a company which was established only at the end of 1984. Whilst curiosity may be the stuff of good journalism, you must take care that it does not run away with you. The only parallel between the Al Fayeds and Mr al-Ghazzi is the need to demon- strate that the funds necessary to carry through any large project are indeed avail- able. Our ability to deliver was certified by a leading bank and, of course, implement- ed. Mr al-Ghazzi, it seems, was not asked for any such assurance.
Michael Cole
House of Fraser Holdings plc 1 Flowick Place, London SWI
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