For a government dead set on crucifying Irish private landlords and all but declaring them public enemy number one, I can't help laughing my cotton socks off at the Taoiseach's little landlord problem of his own.

We can only speculate as to whether his tenants are on the English equivalent of rent allowance and if it is reduced in the next British budget, thereby putting him and his fellow landlords in the position of being expected to take the reduction in their rent receipts, will they accept this without murmur?

This is what is demanded here, with landlords being urged by Minister Mary Hanafin et al to be "open to negotiation". As if landlords are not already well used to sympathetically dealing with financially vulnerable tenants.

Robert Sullivan,

Bantry,

Co Cork.