Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)

I wish to raise the matter of the situation in Gaza where an Irishman, John Ging, heads the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, operation there. It is incumbent on us in this House and on Ireland to do anything we can to support UNRWA and the people of Palestine who are, effectively, living in the open prison of Gaza.

The week before last I spoke about the effects of mobile phones and phone masts and asked the Leader to organise a debate on the issue. A new report by the Russian national committee on non-ionising radiation protection, Children and Handsets: Future Generations' Health is Under Threat, was issued recently. The report discusses the threat of mobile phone handsets to children's health. The threat is significant because of the early developmental stage of children's brains. The absorption of electromagnetic waves in children is more sensitive than that of adolescents or adults and can cause everything from attention deficit to cancer and possibly Alzheimer's disease. The report states that mobile phone handsets should only be used by children in emergency situations. Given that mobile phone companies are targeting children and teenagers, I seek an urgent debate on the matter.