Sir, - Your report of the Taoiseach's address to the Conference of Religious of Ireland (The Irish Times, September 27th) mentions that he launched a strong attack on the "marginalisation" of some sections of our society. "It is wrong," he said, "to have allowed a marginalised subculture to emerge in the past. It is wrong, it is bad politics and it is lousy economics to let it continue."
However, the Taoiseach is presiding over the creation and growth of a new marginalised group of people in our society - asylum-seekers and refugees. His obvious and deliberate silence on this issue is wrong, bad politics and lousy economics. Hopefully, the Conference of Religious did not allow him away on his silence on this social wrong and I expect that CORI will now represent our new residents and be their voice at any renegotiation of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. - Yours, etc.,
Brendan Butler, Pennock Hill, Swords, Co Dublin.