§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the towns and cities in the United Kingdom which are currenty twinned with towns and cities in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and if he will make a statement on his proposals for promoting such arrangements and increasing their effectiveness in developing people-to-people contact especially between young people.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe information requested is as follows:
Overseas community British community Chimkent Stevenage Crimean Region Derbyshire Donetsk Sheffield Gatchina Monklands Gorlovka Barnsley Kiev Edinburgh Kostroma Durham Krasnya Presnya Hackney Kustany Kirklees Kutaisi Newport Leningrad Manchester Leningradsky District Hounslow Minsk Nottingham Moskvoretsky Lambeth Novgorod Watford Novorossiysk Plymouth October District Newham Odessa Liverpool Rostov-on-Don Glasgow Sochi Cheltenham Sukhumi Kilmarnock Tbilisi Bristol Vinnitsa Peterborough Vladimir Canterbury Volgograd Coventry Voroshilovgrad Cardiff Yalta Margate Yaroslavl Exeter Zaporozhye Birmingham The Government believe that twinning links can play an important role in breaking down barriers and developing mutual trust. To that end local authorities are encouraged through the local government international bureau to 25W develop twinning links with their east European counterparts, particularly where fully democratic local government is being established.