Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 29: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the action he has taken in the past 12 months in support of efforts to rehouse the Roma refugees living near toxic waste dumps in Mitrovica, Kosova; the further action he will take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31758/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am very concerned about the situation of Roma families in Kosovo and, in particular, continuing reports that residents of the camps around Mitrovica are exposed to high levels of lead contamination. The Taoiseach raised the conditions of displaced Roma when he met with President Sejdiu and Prime Minister Thaci during his visit to Kosovo on 22 December 2008. The Deputy will also be aware that the matter was the subject of an adjournment debate on 25 November 2008, when my colleague, Peter Power T.D. emphasised Ireland's support for all efforts to address the plight of the residents in the camps.

Since then, at my request, officials have raised the issue on a number of occasions. The Embassy in Budapest, which is accredited to Kosovo, has pursued the matter bilaterally with the authorities in Pristina. In response to these representations, the Kosovar Government has said that it will make every effort to relocate the residents of the camps and establish arrangements for co-financing such a project. Officials have also raised the issue, inter alia, at EU Working Group meetings on the Western Balkans and the International Steering Group on Kosovo. We are also supporting the efforts of the European Liaison Office in Pristina, which is co-ordinating national and international stakeholders to secure a long-term sustainable solution to this and other difficulties facing the Roma community in Kosovo.

Ireland has supported a broad range of projects targeted at assisting the Roma community in the Western Balkans region, including Kosovo. For the period 2005-2009, Irish Aid has allocated €850,000 towards development and educational projects with the Roma community in Kosovo. In addition, Ireland has contributed €200,000 to the World Bank's Roma Education Fund, which works in eleven countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Kosovo. We will continue to pursue this matter with the responsible authorities and our EU partners with the aim of finding a sustainable solution to the plight of the residents of the camps.