Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. If I thank the Minister of State, my time will nearly be over already. This is a very important debate and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to it.

For the past decade, we have had 250 Ukrainians living in Bandon in west Cork, where I come from. They are very much involved in the community and many work in two major food plants in the area. For this reason, people are coming automatically to Bandon. The services in the one-stop shop as regards where they stay and how they will be educated need to be looked at. Last weekend, 34 Ukrainians arrived in Bandon and they do not know whether or for how long they will stay. We need to start discussing these basic matters.

The issue of food and energy security is very important. I am very much aware that the Minister of State’s Department is tied in with how we will deal with this in the future. Unfortunately, we in this country, and in the European Continent generally, need to look again at food policy. Under our food policies for the past 20 years, we forgot about producing food and we now need to go back to start talking about that. Ukraine is the food basket of Europe and produces large amounts of grain. We also have a fuel issue. We need to start talking about how the EU will become self-sufficient and that will require a change in policy.

This unfortunate war, a major land war in Europe that none of us ever thought we would have in our lifetime, has frightened us. We have not seen the likes of it. The response of the Government has been very positive. We have opened the doors and have shown up other European countries in how welcoming we are. That has to be acknowledged. We now need to join up the dots to ensure the welcome for which we are famous can be carried through to ensure we provide services and job and educational opportunities, so that the poor people who have to come here because of what is happening in their towns and villages at home in Ukraine can have a safe stay here and an opportunity to prosper.