Madam, – Senator Camillus Glynn proves himself a true Fianna Fáil-er with his attempted explanation as to why the Seanad committee of which he is a member chose not to implement a bar-coding system to aid in the tracing of taxpayer-financed pre-paid envelopes which have been subject to abuse by some members of the Oireachtas (April 3rd). “Bar codes”, he tells us, “were not in vogue when I became a member of the committee and the view of the committee was they would continue with no bar code.”
Would it be too much to inquire of the good Senator as to why, exactly, bar codes were not “in vogue”?
The committee’s decision is an unfortunate reminder of how standards of probity and transparency in the administration of public funds have been all too rarely “in vogue” throughout the history of so many recent, Fianna Fáil-led, governments. With its continued disdain for such standards, not to mention its disregard for the value of public money in these straitened times, the present Government is really – dare I say it – pushing the envelope. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The alleged misuse of free post by deputies and senators (April 3rd) must be a source of concern to us all. Those of us who remember the early years of the State will recall the high standards of our legislators, the lack of patronage and the various appointment commissions which were established to eliminate patronage. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Surely in a true democracy our elected representatives should be the custodians, and should lead by example? We are naturally concerned about the recession and its serious effect on the lives of many of our citizens but many of us are equally concerned about standards in high places. We badly need to have confidence in the integrity of those we trust to manage our country. – Yours, etc,