Sir, – In response to Joan Burton's plan to deploy gardaí to catch benefit fraudsters (Home News, October 17th), may I strongly suggest she and the Government also go after all the multinational companies in Ireland which pay little or no tax whatsoever. The monies owed by these companies store billions in cash reserves, dwarf all that is collectively owed by a few petty benefit fraudsters. – Yours, etc,
DARRAN MURRAY,
Overbury Road,
London,
England.
Sir, – The letter from Gearóid Ó Loinsigh (October 18th) excited me, in that the new Garda welfare checkpoints at the entrance to housing estates could be put to many practical uses.
As well as checking whether people are in employment, the checkpoints could be used to confiscate cigarettes on health grounds from the hapless passing motorists.
People returning into their housing estates from the supermarket could have all unhealthy food items removed from their shopping bags. The checkpoints could be supplied with weighing scales with a large display so that fat and obese motorists could be asked to exit their vehicles and be publicly weighed and shamed.
I am so full of great ideas that I think that The Irish Times should open up a competition to find the best use to which these new checkpoints could be put? – Yours, etc,
SEAN O’SULLIVAN,
Crossabeg,
Co Wexford.