It is hardly necessary for me to point out that we do not plan well in Ireland: as a nation — we are generally not pro-active and the septic tank issue is just another instance of us fighting, yet again, a rearguard action.

Over the last 25 years the Government sells off State-owned land and buildings that realise money in the short term, and on which builders can build unregulated (think “pyrite”) commercial and private dwelling buildings to yield a nice profit.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan should acknowledge the fact that Dublin City Council’s waste collection service (Greyhound) has gone to the dogs.

All this hullabaloo about the closure of the Vatican embassy represents a storm in a tea cup and an irrelevancy in the austerity faced in Ireland.

Mr Cooper rightly points out (Letters, Feb 15) the failure of the State re the Bethany House victims, but makes mischevious and caustic comment by comparing the experiences of alleged deserters to these children.

In common with his previous rants against the Croke Park agreement, Ivan Yates’s article (“Ministerial Muppet mayhem as Croke Park ‘reform’ exposed,” Irish Examiner, Feb 16) puts forward no alternative programme to bridge the deficit and meet Troika demands for a reduction in public spending and staffing.

The government must reverse its short-sighted decision to withdraw Ireland’s resident ambassador to the Holy See.

CSO official figures show that just over 1.8 million people were in employment and nearly 315,000 people were unemployed at the end of last September.

Contrary to your report of Feb 13, which was based solely on a Ryanair press release, there will be no increase in airport charges at Dublin Airport this year.

All the debt that you have ever obtained has been fraudulent.