Madam, - The Simon Communities of Ireland report the deaths last year of 55 homeless people whose average age was 42 (The Irish Times, December 12th).
This a shameless country where fortunes have been made by the exploitation of the human needs of the many by the few and where homelessness resulting in early death is seemingly an acceptable reality. - Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BUTLER, Malahide, Co Dublin.
Madam, - Standard Christmas film fare, such as adaptations of Olivier Twist and A Christmas Carol, will likely be screened soon on television. They offer Victorian depictions of child poverty that ought to belong to a bygone era.
However, it is worrying to read, in a report commissioned by the ISPCC, that sightings of children begging have risen from 756 to 1,083 in the past three years. In addition, it was reported in the Dáil on September 26th that there are an estimated 1,400 homeless children in the State.
This is a poor reflection on Irish society. I suggest that the Government should make this issue a priority on their agenda for 2008. - Yours, etc,
JOHN KENNEDY, Knocknashee, Dublin 14.