The role of charities

Sir, – Ruth Gill is, of course, correct to suggest that it would be calamitous if charities "went on strike" ("Charity and the housing crisis", Letters, June 10th).

This is a reflection on a system that has become so unfair that large swathes of the population are now depending on charities to access even the basics. In addition, charity is damaging unless it helps the recipient to become independent of it. In Ireland, charity is increasingly used by the Government to hide the degree of distributive injustice that prevails. It is not a sustainable way to run a country, let alone a republic. – Yours, etc,

JIM O’SULLIVAN,

Rathedmond,

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Sligo.