Madam, - I was under the impression that the purpose of public-private partnerships (PPPs) was to transfer risk for a particular project from the public sector to the private sector in return for potential commercial benefits.
Why, then, is a leading property developer allowed to withdraw from a PPP due to risk ("Risk of loss lead to McNamara PPP pull-out", May 20th)? This episode will simply further the belief that PPPs are an unsuitable way of funding public infrastructure.
We have a National Pension Reserve Fund standing at more than €20 billion. Can this not be invested in public infrastructure for Ireland, rather than cluster bombs for Iraq and Afghanistan? - Yours, etc,
KEITH MARTIN, The Maltings, Island Street, Dublin 8.