Sir, – It is deeply ironic that the Government and all other Opposition parties, which this week voted in favour of giving draconian and excessive powers to the Minister for Health, are now complaining about the use of these powers, the day after they voted for them.
Government TDs and Opposition parties that voted to give these wide-ranging new powers to the Minister for Health should now put up their hands and admit they were wrong.
Furthermore, it is ridiculous that the parties, including Sinn Féin, Labour and the Social Democrats, which are now complaining, on foot of public anger, also voted against the People Before Profit amendment which would have removed the section that gave the Minister power to make such poorly thought-out regulations a criminal matter. – Yours, etc,
RICHARD BOYD
BARRETT TD,
Leinster House, Dublin 2.