Anotherthing
Thank you for your support, as far as I can see you are a well resepected and longstanding member of this forum and have many posts. It is difficult to be a probationer and post such an emotive issue and not get some support when what you know you are saying makes sense, however delicate the subject may be.
I knew I wasn't alone as I have heard many a conversation with ATCOs and ATSAs on this subject and many have come to the same conclusion.
As I previously said most NATS employees, certainly the operational ones are just waking up to the "real world". I'm surprised that we have managed almost 8 years since PPP before these questions have begun to arise. In most other companies they would have been asked a long time ago.