Government flouts the law

The hypocrisy of this Government apparently knows no bounds.

Since the introduction of the household charge we have had threats of fines, penalties and court appearances for those that did not pay, regardless of whether they could afford to pay or not. The mantra from Government was that this charge was the law, that everybody should obey the law.

Yet we have a report by Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly which said that the Minister for Health, James Reilly, was breaking the law and rejecting international human rights principles by failing to remove an upper age limit to an allowance for people with disabilities.

If it is good enough for the State to claim ‘inability-to-pay’, then surely it has no moral authority to pursue citizens whp cannot afford to pay.

Simon O’Connor

Crumlin

Dublin 12