Sir, - Many people, deafened by the roar of the Celtic Tiger in the marketplace, may not know that every evening children out of home make their way to the nearest Garda station, in the often vain hope of a bed for the night. If none is available, they are back on the streets. How can this be tolerable?
As a volunteer with Focus Point, in the heart of trendy Temple Bar, "I've seen the disbelief and despair on the faces of these waifs when you tell them that they have nowhere to go. Focus Ireland is now mounting a pre election campaign, seeking the creation of a single government department, well resourced, with responsibility for the protection and care of children, which would define and oversee politics and plans for child care. We need "zero tolerance" of this scandal. - Yours, etc.,
Botanic Road, Glasnevin,
Dublin 9.