Hands off our bus passes, minister

We all know the country is broke and Finance Minister Michel Noonan has some difficult decisions to make but, as an 84-year-old pensioner and widow, I would ask him to look elsewhere to make his cuts.

My pension, like that of all my colleagues outside of the golden circle of ex-bankers and former politicians, is a little over €240 a week and frankly, the majority of us cannot live on less.

The Government says it is committed to forging a new Ireland that is built on fairness, but is it fair to target the elderly who, after years of work and paying taxes, are being asked to forgo the various allowances which help to make life a little easier and enjoyable in our “golden years”?