§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local authorities which have friendship and twinning arrangements with cities in the Soviet Union; and if he will issue a circular to local authorities to cancel those links.
§ Mr. KingThe following local authorities are twinned with cities and towns in the Soviet Union:
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- Birmingham MDC—Zaporozhye
- Cardiff DC—Voroshilovgrad
- Cheltenham DC—Sochi
- Coventry MDC—Volgograd
- Durham County Council—Kostroma
- Hackney IBC—Krasnya Presnya, Moscow
- Lambeth LBC—Moskvoretsky
- Manchester MDC—Leningrad
- Newham LBC—Oktober District, Moscow
- Nottingham DC—Minsk
- Plymouth DC—Novorossisk
- Sheffield MDC—Donetsk.
I understand that Nottingham city council has decided to break off links with its twin town of Minsk.
Decisions on town twinning are a matter for individual local authorities and communities; I have no power to intervene in those decisions.