Sir, - I write to compliment Minister John O'Donoghue on his efforts to secure housing for all the asylum seekers arriving in Ireland. He is rightly appalled that they might have to sleep rough. In his resolution to fulfil our obligations under UN conventions, he is approaching the problem with a certain imaginativeness and an undoubted determination.For the State to really benefit from the strength of his resolve, however, I suggest that his brief be extended. Think of the service he could perform were he to bring his determination to bear on assisting voluntary groups to find housing for those with autism, for example. Imagine the pressure he could put on health boards to do something for old people who are being turned outof their nursing homes and troubled teenagers for whom there is no suitable housing. The sight of people sleeping in the doorways of every city centre in the country would be a thing of the past, as Mr O'Donoghue would buy up hotels and guesthouses to provide them with affordable accommodation. No longer would women's refuges have to turn away women and children fleeing an abusive male, as the Minister would provide the resources to house them all adequately. The long-suffering Travellers would find serviced sites all over the country.Some might argue that solving the larger problem of housing for all is not the remit of the Department of Justice and of course there is no UN convention that requires its members to house their own citizens. So perhaps what we need is a Ministry for Housing. I strongly recommend that such a ministry be created and that Mr O'Donoghue leave the Department of Justice and knock a few heads together in seeking a solution to our extremely urgent housing problem. - Yours, etc.,
Gray Cahill, Dundrum, Dublin 14.