Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 October 2005
633 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on town and area twinning; the support he gives to such initiatives; his further plans for these initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28340/05]
View answerSection 75 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that a local authority may enter into arrangements for the twinning of its administrative area or a part of it with any other area inside or outside the State. The decision to enter into such a twinning arrangement is a reserved function of the local authority concerned and my Department has no role in the process. I consider that appropriate twinning arrangements offer communities opportunities to promote tourism, industrial development and cultural exchanges with similar communities abroad. In addition it can foster understanding and co-operation between people in different countries and facilitate the implementation of joint projects in local government and other areas of mutual interest. The Institute of Public Administration, IPA, receives a budget each year from local authorities to keep them informed of new EU legislative developments and funding opportunities, which includes programmes such as twinning. In addition, the European Commission has funding available to assist local authorities and voluntary twinning committees relating to town-twinning activities as part of its programme to support active European citizenship. The IPA also provides advice and guidance to interested twinning applicants at home and abroad and has issued a comprehensive guide to town twinning in this regard.
