§ Mr. HayesTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the 8th European Congress of Twinned Towns; what the nature of the United Kingdom representation was; what funding share fell to the United Kingdom; and if it is his policy to divest these meetings of a party political slant. [68337]
§ Mr. LeslieUK representation at the 8th European Congress of Twinned Towns, held in Antwerp on 22–24 May 2002, included a cross party delegation from the Local Government Association's Local Government International Bureau, which has responsibility for arranging town twinning, and representatives of several local authorities. The Congress was co-funded by the European Commission, the City of Antwerp and by private sponsorship. In the UK, town twinning is a politically neutral activity and is supported on a cross party basis.