Madam, - I refer to the letter from Dr Leo Varadkar TD (September 9th) concerning my response to recent statements by him and party colleagues of his on the issue of immigration/integration of migrants.
I am sure your readers will recall that I have already dealt with the issue of "kebabs", a reference to a remark made by me during exchanges on the order of business in the Dáil some two years or so ago, and widely reported at the time.
I hope I have learned the lesson about remarks made in the heat of such exchanges.
Turning to the substance of my statement, as reported in The Irish Times, I repeat my concerns about the recent statements made by Dr Varadkar in relation to what is now, apparently, an off-the-cuff suggestion following some media research by the deputy on the issue of migration in Spain, the suggestion made by Deputy Hayes regarding segregated education for some migrant pupils in schools, and the call on July 27th by Deputy Naughten for the Government "to investigate foreign national trend in job creation".
It is noteworthy that previous Dáil utterances by Dr Varadkar, as with his proposal that prisoners pay for their own incarceration, have been speedily rejected by his party spokesman, Charlie Flanagan TD.
Hopefully, either Enda Kenny or his spokesperson on immigration matters will soon reject Dr Varadkar's proposals as either extreme or from an economic perspective unworkable. - Yours, etc,
CONOR LENIHAN TD, Minister for Integration, Mespil Road, Dublin 4.
Madam, — Gearóid Ó Dubháin (September 11th) notes that FÁS has drawn no attention for encouraging construction workers to leave Ireland and asks how Dr Varadkar's proposals differ.
The obvious answer is that FÁS targets an economic sector, not individuals of particular nationality. The analogy is false. — Yours, etc,
STEPHEN BARRETT, De Vesci Hill, Abbeyleix, Co Laois.
Madam, - I wonder if Leo Varadkar's detractors in your pages have actually read what he proposed.
For example, Paul Dillon (September 10th) makes two points, referring in the first to "some of the most productive workers here", and in the second to "making a contribution".
However, the proposal in question related specifically to the unemployed. Therefore those affected are not productive workers, and while they may contribute to society in many ways, income tax isn't one of them. - Yours, etc,
ROSS McENTEGART, Jocelyn Street, Dundalk, Co Louth.