Madam, - The response of your readers to the Government's decision not to commit 0.7 per cent of GNP to foreign aid by 2007 is heartening.
Ireland has a strong reputation as a charitable nation and this has been built on over the past decade by the work of Development Cooperation Ireland and the many NGOs who translate that charity into action in developing countries, making a real difference to people's lives. I am sure there are many high-earning people in this country who would forgo a percentage or two of tax cuts in the Budget to see us meet the 0.7 per cent target.
While I support the actions of Darius Bartlett and Elizabeth Moore (November 30), I believe that a functioning democracy is one where the people inform the actions of Government, not one where the people compensate for those actions. This is a life and death matter where the people and our Government seem to be at odds. As such, it deserves a referendum.
As a first step it would be good to see a reputable paper conduct an opinion poll to confirm our status as a charitable nation. - Yours, etc.,
EILISH McAULIFFE, Centre for Global Health, Trinity College, Dublin 2.
Madam, - In his recent letter justifying the cutback in Government development aid, Mr Conor Lenihan missed the real point: the Government made a promise and he, like so many of his fellow Ministers, seems to have difficulty in understanding the meaning of the word.
The Oxford Dictionary describes a promise as "a declaration made to another person that one will give some specified thing at a specified time".
Random breath-testing, affordable housing - the list of broken promises goes on and on. - Yours, etc.,
BRIAN ROSS, Corbawn Lane, Shankill, Co Dublin.