news story

4th July 2006

Local MP Meets Water Campaigners at House of Commons

Steve Webb MP at the WaterAid exhibition

Local MP Steve Webb today helped launch a display by charity WaterAid at the House of Commons.

Mr Webb, Liberal Democrat MP for Northavon, met with WaterAid campaigner Pat Spry from Frampton Cotterell at the House of Commons to talk about the campaigning work of the charity.

WaterAid has a display in the House of Commons’ Upper Waiting Hall this week, to highlight the plight of the 1.1 billion people without access to safe water, and the 2.6 billion people without sanitation. WaterAid works in 17 countries throughout Asia, Africa and the Pacific region, helping some of the world’s poorest people gain access to safe clean water, sanitation and hygiene education.

Mr Webb was invited to the House of Commons by Mrs Spry as he has signed Early Day Motion 1840 calling for a radical reform of the EU Water Initiative (EUWI).

WaterAid’s Empty glass campaign calls for reform of the EUWI as, since it was launched in 2002 with the aim of improving the efficiency of European aid to water and sanitation, there has been no evidence to suggest that a single extra person has gained access to water or sanitation.

Mr Webb said “It’s outrageous that 1.1 billion people in the world do not have access to clean, safe water. I will do everything I can to support WaterAid and their call to the European Union to improve its aid efficiency”

WaterAid campaigners will be travelling to Brussels next week to hand in over 20,000 Empty glass campaign postcards to Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development in support of the campaign.