Sir, - The "scrappage" scheme for local council candidates has the stated aim of making room for younger representatives by rewarding existing councillors for standing down. The implication is that young people can better represent the public than older people. Experience suggests that not all young politicians are more effective than all older politicians.
Neither the Constitution nor the legislation specifies an upper age limit for public representatives. In my view this is another example of age discrimination by the State. It is a means of providing "back pay" to people who were elected to an unpaid post and, as such, is an abuse of public funds. It is an interference with the democratic process to offer people a cash incentive not to stand for election. - Yours, etc.,
Paul Farrelly, Ard Na Laoi, Blackrock, Cork.