Hear, hear.

Last weekend, we in the Fine Gael Party had a very successful meeting in Tullamore in respect of agriculture and rural Ireland. Hundreds of people were there and wanted to give their views on what we, as a Government, could do to support them. It was a listening exercise for us. As a party, we have always prided ourselves on representing rural Ireland and farmers. Many people from my county were there. In that context, could I ask that we have a debate on rural Ireland and farming because we are the party that created the Department of Rural and Community Development under the then Minister, Deputy Ring. The current Minister is Deputy Humphreys. When we look to support rural Ireland, it is through that Department as well as the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Both can help to enhance regions like mine in Tipperary. We have been fortunate to have many schemes, such as the town and village renewal scheme, the rural regeneration scheme and a new scheme for the improvement and development of community halls. Could we have a debate with the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, on the schemes that are available to rural communities such as those in my county of Tipperary and what there can be done in the future? Representatives from a number of villages and communities have already come to me to ask if they can make applications in respect of the community hall scheme. There is €15 million available. That money will be gobbled up very quickly in view of the number of villages that are interested in the scheme. In future, we will need to put more money into it.

Rural Ireland needs to be supported. It has been supported by Fine Gael in the past. It needs to be in the future. In every single recession we have had in this country, it has been rural Ireland and agriculture that have helped us to recover. It was no different ten years ago in the context of the most recent recession. I ask that we get a chance before the recess in July to have the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, come before the House to outline her plans to get as much money as possible in the budget for rural Ireland.

In the last couple of days I have been reflecting after the visit of my great friend and colleague, Senator Ward, and Senator Ahearn to Ukraine. There is particular risk for Members of the Oireachtas participating in these visits. I am concerned about depleted uranium, which is a by-product of nuclear enrichment after uranium-235 is extracted. The remnant uranium is widely used as armour and on the tips of projectiles, missiles and bullets by both the Ukrainian and Russian militaries. I am conscious of that when I look at the pictures from Ukraine.

Wherever one sees a burnt-out vehicle or a building that has been destroyed, there will be massive amounts of depleted uranium present in the environment. It is a highly toxic contaminant. It is used as a hardened projectile or a penetrating tip but when it hits the target with the kinetic energy that is provided it oxidises and generates millions of microscopic particles of depleted uranium that are invisible to the human eye. They are very persistent, because they are heavy, and they will remain in the location of the strike for years. If a person were to pose next to a vehicle and brush off it or accidentally touch it or even go into a building or inside a burnt-out vehicle to have a look, there is a possibility that the person may inhale one or two of these particles or even ingest them. One particle inhaled would be the equivalent of having a chest X-ray every day for the rest of one's life. It is associated with multiple tumours in the lungs, oesophagus and the digestive tract. These weapons have proliferated and the calibres have gone down so it is very commonplace in the environment.

I advise all Members of the Oireachtas, and I do not know who is travelling out there, to seek health and safety advice about how to prepare for a visit. There are certain things one should and should not do. The United Nations Training School Ireland in the Curragh used to provide such training days, and I used to contribute to those. If anybody is travelling and has a concern, I would be delighted to meet him or her, have a cup of coffee and give a few very useful tips for travelling to a hostile environment, particularly one that is contaminated in this way. Is there any way of communicating this to our colleagues in the Dáil who may not be listening to this or hear it? It is a very pressing concern.