Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 38 together.

The UN committee on economic, social and cultural rights has stated in its General Comment No. 15 that "the human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses". The Government supports the views expressed by the committee in its General Comment No. 15. Irish Aid is working to ensure that financial and other supports are provided to enable developing countries to devise and implement national strategies and action plans aimed at delivering water and sanitation to all their citizens, with priority to the poorest rural and slum dwellers. These actions are being taken within the framework of the UN's international decade for action, Water for Life, 2005-2015.

The purpose of the international decade for action is to promote efforts to reach the millennium development goal target of halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, as well as the realisation of integrated water resource management and water efficiency plans by each country. The global water crisis was the theme of the 2006 human development report, which was launched earlier this month in Dublin and a number of other capitals. The report ranked Ireland fifth in the world in terms of the percentage share of bilateral aid allocated to water and sanitation.

The White Paper on Irish Aid commits the Government to continue its support to activities which increase access to safe water and basic sanitation across the programme. As the aid programme grows, and subject to nationally-agreed priorities of our partners in programme countries, we will intensify our support for programmes and projects which deliver clean water and sanitation services.

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