Sinn Féin spokesperson for the Environment, Brian Stanley TD, has reiterated the party's opposition to water charges and water fluoridation while outlining its support for hydro energy in light of World Water Day 2014.

Deputy Stanley said: "This year World Water Day aims to raise awareness of the inter-linkages between water and energy.

"However it also provides us with an opportunity to look at the uses of water in this state.

"Sinn Féin has said time and time again that the Fine Gael and Labour government were wrong to introduce household water charges, which are fully supported by Fianna Fáil.

"This is another regressive tax in a long list of which aim to place the burden of the banking debt on the ordinary citizens of this state.

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"Sinn Féin has proposed an alternative plan without any domestic meters and without any water charges.

"We have a clear record of opposition to such charges as demonstrated in May 2007 when the party decided to reverse plans of British direct rule Ministers to introduce them.

"We proposed an All-Ireland strategy on water provision and the establishment of a National Water Sector Framework Team to oversee governance of the water sector.

"Last May, I published Sinn Féin's Health Fluoridation of Water Supplies Repeal Bill 2013 that was rejected by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour.

"The fluoridation of our water since 1964 is a crude way of medicating the public with fluoride. Consecutive governments have the public drinking fluoride without their consent.

"There has been wide spread opposition to fluoridation since Gladys Ryan took her case to the High Court in 1964 on the basis that citizens had no choice but to drink medicated water. It is time to stop this mass medication.

"98% of public water supplies in Europe are fluoride free, including the north of Ireland.

"A number of concerns have been raised about the effects of fluoride on human health.

"The truth is we receive enough fluoride in our toothpaste.

"The government must act now and cease the fluoridation of our water."

(CD/JP)