Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)

-----this is related to the question to the Leader - the US President's cancer panel report that the true burden of environmentally caused cancers is grossly underestimated. The report named mobile phones as a possible cause and stated precaution is required. France has brought in legislation. In the UK, they hand out leaflets at health clinics warning that children should not use mobile phones for more than ten minutes. If we bothered to read the labelling and packaging from mobile phone companies, they would tell us that one should keep one's mobile phone an inch away from one's head. I do not know whether anyone actually does it, but we should. I look forward to debating the Bill with Senator O'Toole and to giving him more information. After he does a little more research rather than throwing a cursory glance at the legislation, he might change his mind.

I also ask the Leader to organise a debate with the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Deputy Hanafin, in the House on car hire firms at airports. They seem to be blackmailing and forcing people to pay for insurance they do not require. In one case at Dublin Airport, an Australian couple were being badgered into paying over €1,300 to the hire company for insurance that they believed they already had and, eventually, the rental company, Thrifty, turned around and accepted €90. It had been looking for over €1,300, which is extortion. The same happened in Shannon Airport to people coming over from England. From the York family, the company looked for over €1,000 and eventually settled for less than €100. This is extortion by the car hire companies. I ask the Leader to contact the Minister to see how we can welcome tourists to the country and that their first experience is not extortion.