Sir, – Interesting to note Dublin City Council will ask Dublin businesses to facilitate people needing toilet facilities (Olivia Kelly, Front page, October 8th). No expensive research is required to show that the need for humans to urinate will persist.
In the 1970s there were staffed public toilets as well as public washing facilities and the need for same is greater than ever before. While writing this letter, 12 people presented in a one-hour period here in Trust which is not a public washing facility for showers. Nine of these people had slept out and three came from services funded by the taxpayer with inadequate washing facilities.
In July 2006 Trust made a submission for public showers including architects’ plans and same incidentally focused on toilet facilities on the Luas line.
This was at a time when money was available. In our submission (see website www.trust-ireland.ie) we stated "given the scale of the potential demand we are confident it offers the potential to become a signature facility for the city of Dublin and for that reason we should seek to develop the most attractive service possible – an approach that will also help to ensure it becomes self sustaining in the long-term".
Could it be envisaged that hotels would be asked to provide these much needed facilities? Hope springs eternal. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – You report that in the 1970s there were more than 60 staffed public toilets in Dublin, but by the end of the 1990s they had all been shut, largely due to “serious antiscocial behaviour” (Front page, October 8th).
Now because there is no money to provide these essential facilities, it is proposed that private businesses will be asked to allow non-customers to use their toilets. This plan is a recipe for disaster. Families will be afraid to go to restaurants because of the antisocial behaviour which will result from this stupid idea. The toilets will become a haven for drug abusers, all types of predators and muggers – the very reasons why the public toilets had been closed in the first place. – Yours, etc,