Sir, – Following the publication last Monday of new figures on evictions and rising rents across the country, the unedifying exchanges in the Dáil between Government and Opposition parties are unlikely to have inspired confidence among those affected.Surely the time has come for a genuine cross-party initiative on housing, similar in ambition to Sláintecare. Practical ideas and effective measures to address the housing crisis should be considered and implemented on their merits, regardless of which party proposes them.The continuing focus on political point-scoring serves no one. More importantly, it does little to help renters, first-time buyers or those struggling simply to find a home. – Yours, etc,FRANK CLOHOSEY,Douglas, Cork.Sir, – Even amid the global economic collapse of the 1930s, the fledgling Irish State successfully financed large-scale social housing developments, most notably in Dublin. Governments led by Cosgrave, de Valera, Costello and Lemass delivered a level of strategic vision and administrative efficiency that our modern governments sorely lack. – Yours, etc,SEÁN O’BRIEN,Belmayne,Dublin 13.Sir, – In the past year the Government has spent the following money on rental supports and homeless services:Rental assistance scheme: €100 million annually.HAP Payments: €432 million annually. Rent tax credits: €350 million annually. Homelessness services: €418 million annually (with €144 million of this for commercial hotels and B&Bs).This list is by no means comprehensive. There are many other expenditures I have left out for simplicity. According to the Department of Housing, €9 billion in capital investment is planned.So approximately €1.3 billion is spent annually to maintain a rental market and to house the homeless.At the end of this €1.3 billion per year spend, we will own nothing more. This money goes to those providing accommodation – landlords, hotels, property companies, the pension funds that own them, and their shareholders.In light of all we are spending, does it still appear that State-owned housing, such as the social housing of the past, is such a bad idea?We have spent these amounts annually for years and the figures increase annually along with rent costs and homelessness. This makes no sense. – Yours, etc,FABIAN McGRATH,Portobello,Dublin 8.Unedifying Dáil scenesSir, – I had the great privilege to join a tour of the Oireachtas last week, but was unfortunate to have to witness the rudeness of Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald towards Taoiseach Micheál Martin during the debate on rent increases.Shouting and name calling appears to be her standard operating procedure and considering that there were several school groups watching, why would she think that shouting “slíbhín” several times is acceptable behaviour? There was no rational or reasoned argument on her side, just inexcusable behaviour by both her and another colleague. – Yours, etc,MARGARET ROWE,Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire,Co Dublin.Well-preserved paninoSir, – Travelling on Ryanair from Murcia recently, I got a ham and cheese panino with a “best by date” of January 2027. Any chance they could share their preservative secrets? – Yours, etc,JOE KENNEDY,Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.Abortion waiting timesSir, – The comments published in this newspaper following Breda O’Brien’s recent article from two prominent pro-abortion organisations, Start and IFPA, attempt to dismiss the value of the three-day wait for reflection before abortion. In their letter, the Southern Task Group on Abortion and Reproductive Topics (Start) mentioned other reasons why patients may not return for a second appointment. Start and IFPA have both previously estimated that 9 per cent of their clients did not return for a second abortion appointment, for alternative reasons other than continuing pregnancy – negative pregnancy test, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, pregnancy over 12 weeks, or abortion in hospital or abroad.If we apply similar rates to the national figures in 2024, when there were 12,641 first appointments and 10,457 second appointments for abortion, there were still more than 1,000 women who did not return for a second appointment but were not accounted for by these alternative reasons. Based on IFPA’s often-quoted figure of 2 per cent of women continuing their pregnancies, we would anticipate fewer than 300 women in this group rather than over 1,000 – which suggests that the statistics from IFPA, which carries out 6 per cent of first-trimester abortions in Ireland, are not representative of the country in general.Meanwhile, the increasing numbers of abortions year after year come at a very high cost – not only for unborn children but for women as well, with many living with long-term regret and mental health issues. Referring to abortion as “healthcare” doesn’t change the stark reality that abortion is very different from everything else our doctors do: the aim is not to save life but to intentionally end life.Normally in healthcare, a measure that saves lives, as the three-day wait certainly does, is taken as something to be welcomed. It seems those who are intent on dismantling the safeguard of the three-day wait take a different view. – Yours, etc,EILÍS MULROY,Pro Life Campaign,Dublin 2.Israel and PalestineSir, – In her article “To call Irish people anti-Semitic is a collective punch to the stomach”, columnist Justine McCarthy has expressed, in the most powerful of language, how the accusation of collective anti-Semitism is a tool of silencing for those who seek to hold to account the state of Israel for its egregious acts against the Palestinian people.As someone, who through this page on a number of occasions, has sought to express frustration and bewilderment at the failure of the body politic – governments worldwide, the European Union, the United Nations – to hold Israel to account, the barb of anti-Semitism has often felt very close.And in a week when the world appeared to find its voice, calling out the actions of Israel’s security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the palpable fury, coming from the page as Justine set out the litany of Israel’s offences against the Palestinians, is maybe now coming into the light; albeit far too late for the more than 70,000 killed in Gaza. Thank you Justine for reminding us that no matter how odious and hurtful the accusation may be, to remain silent is the greater failing. – Yours, etc,PHILIP BRADY,Dublin 9.Wine timeSir, – In the article, “A true bombshell, France pays wine makers to rip out vines,” (May 18th), we learn of an oversupply of French wine, with beer now more popular in France.Surely, reducing the price and making the wines more affordable to a larger audience would be a far better solution. I’m more than willing to assist. – Yours, etc,DAVE LEACY,Dublin 12.Soft targetsSir, – It appears we have found ourselves in a society where a 200ml soft drink constitutes a serving. Perhaps the hospitality industry could afford non-drinkers the luxury of a full drink? – Yours, etc,SEAMUS GLYNN,Inchicore,Dublin.Traffic cone chaosSir, – In Mayo we are noticing an unwanted import from our neighbours in Britain: the dreaded roadworks cone.A proliferation of these sturdy orange objects is currently sprouting along the N5 as it bypasses Swinford. Clipped by lorries and speeding cars, these heavy plastic “safety aids” become potentially lethal projectiles. Cones turned into projectiles due to being hit by passing vehicles have recently cracked a windscreen and torn a bumper from other passing cars. That has happened to people I know here in Mayo in the past two weeks.In a health-and-safety-obsessed nation, it seems that placing these objects side by side for hundreds of metres ignores their potential impact on the health and safety of passing motorists and motorcyclists.Perhaps we should now have a cones hotline, such as Britain once had, to enable the reporting of their unstoppable spread to the authorities. – Yours, etc,JOHN CUNNINGHAM, Carracastle, Co Mayo. A pooper scoopSir, – Having just returned from Hartford, Connecticut, I noticed signs stating: “If your dog poops but nobody is watching, you still need to pick it up.” This approach appeals to personal responsibility, reminding us that civic duty doesn’t depend on being observed.Such messaging may be more effective in addressing dog fouling than traditional signs simply telling people what to do. – Yours, etc, ENA CLANCY,Mullingar, Co Westmeath.Endangerment and wild birdsSir, – Oonagh Duggan’s article (“Two-thirds of Ireland’s wild bird species are in danger,” May 21st) raises an important question about how Ireland understands ecological scarcity.Ireland is a small Atlantic island at the extreme western edge of Europe. Many species here exist close to the margins of their climatic or geographical ranges and are, therefore, naturally sparse, fragmented and unstable. Yet Ireland increasingly describes itself as being in a biodiversity “crisis” partly because many such species are formally classified nationally as threatened despite remaining globally widespread and of secure conservation status. This includes some of Ireland’s most symbolically important conservation species, including Little Terns, Choughs, Corncrakes and Hen Harriers. Despite their local scarcity and conservation significance within Ireland, these are globally classified by the IUCN as species of Least Concern, a category applied to species considered still plentiful in the wild.Modern conservation emerged in response to real ecological destruction and extinction, so environmental concern is entirely justified. But there is also a risk that local scarcity at the edge of ranges becomes interpreted automatically as evidence of impending extinction rather than as a natural feature of peripheral ecology.In countries such as Ireland, where habitats and populations are often inherently small-scale, intermittent and unstable, the distinction between rarity and geographical marginality matters greatly.Perhaps the question is not whether conservation matters, but whether we have become too quick to interpret all ecological transience through the language of crisis. – Yours, etc,CONOR SKEHAN, Dublin.The nesting seasonSir, – It’s a wonder councils are continuing to permit the cutting and pruning of trees during nesting season. It can involve the removal of branches and entire trees that are clearly not a threat to public safety, nor are they blocking visibility on the roads – therefore they are wilfully destroying or disturbing active nests, eggs, and killing our young birds. – Yours, etc,EVE PARNELL,Harcourt Street, Dublin 2.Food for thoughtSir, – With the subject of supermarkets and unsold food getting air time at the moment, I am reminded of my late mother and her comment on food that had exceeded it’s sell-by date, thus: “If it’s out of date for us, it’s out of date for the dog.” Dogs under her care enjoyed a somewhat privileged existence. – Yours, etc,TOM GILSENAN,Dublin 9.Pear tipsSir, – Further to An Irishwoman’s Diary (May 19th) and subsequent letters on pears and what to do when they will not ripen, I have a similar solution to Clare’s – stew them. Peel, chop and cook on the hob on a low heat for a few minutes. Serve with yoghurt and granola. You’d pay an awful lot for that in a cafe. – Yours, etc,LAOISE O’DWYER,Barry Blandford Way,London.Going bananasSir, – Letters about pear-ripening remind me of the golfers’ joke where one veteran reminds his equally elderly partner of his mortality by telling him to be sure to buy only ripe bananas for his golf bag. – Yours, etc,MARION WALSH,Donnybrook,Dublin 4.Annoying expressionsSir, – Paul Delaney asks if there can be a more annoying expression than “thank you for having me” (Letters, May 22nd).There are. Here are a few of my contenders:“Perfect storm” to describe an impending crisis;“Tsunami” to describe an overwhelming force of anything other than ocean water;“Reach out” to someone for a discussion;“Lean-in” (used in various scenarios, all meaningless).Also, memo to all users: the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the proof is not in the pudding itself!I have more, but you have limited space. – Yours, etc,ANDREW DAWSON,Ballynahinch,Co Down.Sir, – Without a doubt the most annoying expression in the history of annoying expressions is: “I was like...” – Yours, etc,DAVE ROBBIE,Booterstown,Co Dublin.