Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for his wide-ranging presentation. There is a lot of material for questions but I will confine myself to one which interests me. The Tánaiste mentioned that the July Council is expected to adopt conclusions on EU water diplomacy. He also said that the conclusions would acknowledge the potential security risk associated with competition for water resources. That is a big understatement given that water is fundamental to progress on any front. Lack of access to water - in a place such as Lake Chad, for example - can be largely for environmental and economic reasons but also for political reasons. It has been suggested that it can be used almost as a weapon of domination. There are suggestions that it may be happening in the Middle East. What are the aspirations for diplomacy in this area, when the reasons can be so diverse?