§ Ms AthertonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the National Audit Office's report, "Maximising Impact in the Water Sector"; and if she will make a statement. [98975]
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§ Clare ShortI welcome this report. It provides a welcome contribution to improving our work in the water sector as well as other areas. I was pleased to see that the National Audit Office concluded that our projects on water and sanitation have been largely successful, and that DFID is highly influential internationally. The National Audit Office's recommendations provide further impetus to strengthen our approach in areas such as evaluation and maximising the take-up of DFID research.
I also refer my hon. Friend to my written ministerial statement to Parliament on water on 28 January 2003, ahead of the forthcoming World Water Forum in Kyoto in March 2003, setting out our view of the key issues in the sector and our approach to addressing them.