Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether, if at all, the ability of the government of Ethiopia to use water from the River Nile to support its (1) people, (2) agriculture, and (3) industry is affected by the 1929 Agreement, brokered by the UK, between the governments of Egypt and Sudan.

This is why the UK continues to urge all parties involved in the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan - to come to an agreement on the issues around the dam, including its filling and operation. We support the efforts by the African Union (AU) to help find agreement, and ensure that water resources are managed in a way that ensures their long-term sustainable use for all parties. We continue to speak to all three Governments through our Embassies in those countries, and regularly engage the US and EU as observers to the AU-led process, including through the UK Special Envoy for the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. The Minister for Africa also raised the issue with the Ethiopian Ambassador on 24 February.