Sir, - While social welfare recipients may be jumping for joy that their allowances from the Department of Social Welfare will be rounded up to the last euro, the advertisement which appears regularly on our TV screens raises some unanswered questions. How much will this rounding up cost the Exchequer? And what are the benefits to recipients? Just how many recipients are in line to receive an increase of 78p or more and how many will receive just 8p or less?
How much is this unnecessary advertisement campaign costing the taxpayer? The same information could have been disseminated within the information systems used to inform the Department's clients. And why is it necessary to publish the name of the Minister on the advertisement?
This being an election year, one wonders if social welfare recipients are being duped to get an individual politician's name into the public domain at the taxpayers' expense.
Given the lack of protest at this abuse of office, one wonders if the "rounding up" may apply equally to a compliant flock. - Yours, etc.,
Ciaran Walsh, Kincora Drive, Clontarf, Dublin 3.