Madam, - Mr Tom Parlon, Minister of State at the Department of Finance, describes the attitude of those who advocate capping the price of development land as being "left of Stalin" (The Irish Times, August 18th). Mr Parlon apparently believes that the right to private property is part of the natural law and he asserts, "\ rights cannot be withdrawn by a democratic whim of a particular Government".
Does Mr Parlon not realise that his Government has already withdrawn property rights from hundreds of citizens whose homes lie on the routes selected by the local authorities for the completion of the national roads network? Does he not also know that the issuing of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to many of these citizens has been suspended indefinitely because his Department has not given the National Roads Authority sufficient funds to complete the design stage of many of the projects?
This deprives these unfortunate citizens of their property rights and some of their other basic rights as well. (Most of these citizens cannot afford two mortgages, so they are trapped indefinitely in their condemned homes and cannot, for example, pursue employment in another locality.)
I understand that the Joint Committee of the Oireachteas on the Constitution has received a number of submissions recently providing details of how the property rights of individuals are being violated under the current CPO system.
Mr Parlon, as Minister of State in the Department of Finance, is in a unique position to introduce legislation to end these abuses.
If he does so, he will at least demonstrate that he is sincere. Otherwise, I suspect that many will view his intervention as merely an attempt to protect the interests of those builders who are major funders of his political party, and who will be deprived of substantial windfall profits if the price of development land is indeed capped. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN McGRATH, Kilbride, Co Wicklow.