H.E. Mr. Lars Thuesen:

I thank the Deputy for his comments. We are also a member of the UN Security Council for the time being.

We started on 1 January, and we will be a member for the next two years. Israel-Gaza is very much on the agenda there. It is not easy on the United Nations either because we have countries have veto power and it is hard to make progress. That is no secret, but it is a priority for us. Again, we are not alone. Some people definitely have more to say than we do. Some countries have the veto power. However, it is a priority and we will keep on pressing for a two-state solution. That has been our policy and the policy of the European Union for a long period. I am afraid to say it is not easy and will not happen in the short term. It is still the goal for all of us.

We are giving all the support to Ukraine we can. An interesting fact is that Denmark is the fourth largest donor in actual terms when it comes to supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. The three largest donors are the US, Germany and the United Kingdom. Number four is Denmark. Our country has 6 million people; it is a huge effort by us. We have donated not just military aid, but also humanitarian aid worth approximately €10 billion. This has the full backup of all political parties in the Danish Parliament and the full support of the population. It is not a political issue in Denmark. We will continue to do that. We are also trying to find new, innovative methods. We are investing in the Ukrainian defence industry, as such. We are making joint ventures with Ukrainian developers of defence measures, for example, in the development of drones and so on. We do not have the limitations, which I fully respect, that Ireland has. Gaza is very close to Ireland's heart and Ukraine is very close to ours. It is a priority for the EU and the Danish Presidency.

On the housing issue, I should not participate in political Irish debate. I will leave that to the committee members. That is not my role as an ambassador. I have been here for three years now and I am still trying to find out all the different reasons behind the housing crisis. I will not get involved in that discussion. We do not have anything similar in Denmark, but we have huge immigration, especially for labour, similar to Ireland. We are getting to 20% of our labour force being foreign. It has come more gradually than here. Ireland's population is growing faster than Denmark's. I do not know if that is the explanation, but when I look at the figures, that makes it a little easier to handle in Denmark because the population is not growing at a rate of 100,000 people per year, but at 30,000 people per year.