Madam, - Former Fianna Fáil candidate Noel Whelan, in his column last Saturday, raises a set of questions about the first of Pat Rabbitte's key "Commitments for Change" - namely Mr Rabbitte's commitment to ensure the delivery of one year's free pre-school education for all our children.
If Mr Whelan had questions about how we will deliver the commitment, we would have been delighted if he phoned us before he wrote the article and we could have filled him in. We would have been happy to assure him that the commitment has been fully costed and that we have a detailed plan for its implementation.
Since he didn't phone, I assume that he had no access to a phone when he wrote the article. It couldn't have been for any other reason, could it? - Yours, etc,
Senator KATHLEEN O'MEARA,
Labour Party Spokesperson
on Childcare,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2.